Topics: Commercial Fruit, Commercial Plant Disease, Commercial Vegetables, Ornamental Horticulture, Plant Pathology, Plant Pests and Diseases

2020 Georgia Plant Disease Loss Estimates

AP 102-13

Save PDF

In this resource

UGA Extension contacts:
Elizabeth Little

2020 plant disease losses in Georgia, including control costs, amounted to an estimated $806 million. The value of the crops used in this estimate was approximately $6.712 billion, resulting in a 12.01% relative disease loss across all crops included in this summary. The estimated values for most crops used to compute these disease losses are summarized in the 2020 Georgia Farm Gate Value Report (AR-22-01) by the UGA Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development. Some estimates for fruits, ornamentals, and turf rely on specialists’ knowledge of the industry and industry sources for information. Losses covered include: apple, blackberry, blueberry, bunch grape, corn, cotton, muscadine grape, ornamentals, peach, peanut, pecan, soybean, strawberry, turfgrass, vegetables, and wheat.

2020 plant disease losses in Georgia, including control costs, amounted to an estimated $806 million. The value of the crops used in this estimate was approximately $6.712 billion, resulting in a 12.01% relative disease loss across all crops included in this summary. The estimated values for most crops used to compute these disease losses are summarized in the 2020 Georgia Farm Gate Value Report (AR-22-01) by the UGA Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development.

Some estimates for fruits, ornamentals, and turf rely on specialists’ knowledge of the industry and industry sources for information. Losses covered include: apple, blackberry, blueberry, bunch grape, corn, cotton, muscadine grape, ornamentals, peach, peanut, pecan, soybean, strawberry, turfgrass, vegetables, and wheat.

For full details, please see the PDF of this publication. This summary table is provided below for your convenience.

Summary of Total Losses due to Disease Damage and Cost of Control in Georgia – 2020

Crop or Commodity	Estimated Crop Value ($ Millions)	% Reduction in Crop Value¹	Value of Damage ($ Millions)	Cost of Control ($ Millions)	Total Disease Loss (Damage & Control) ($ Millions)	Total % of Loss^1,2
Apple	9.36	11.5	1.21	0.33	1.54	16.45
Blackberry	17.96	3.28	0.61	0.82	1.43	7.96
Blueberry	304.19	10.1	34.17	12.11	46.29	15.22
Bunch Grape	23.04	16.9	4.67	0.48	5.16	22.4
Corn	358.1	11.1	43.0	3.6	46.6	13.01
Cotton	727.8	13.7	99.5	20.6	120.1	16.50
Muscadine Grape	3.78	8.2	0.34	0.19	0.52	13.8
Ornamentals	930.11	9.35	86.96	26.91	113.87	12.24
Peach	63.64	2.3	1.51	4.865	6.38	10.03
Peanut	678.0	19.5	147.6	66.9	214.5	31.64
Pecan	282.29	8.0	22.5	30.9	53.4	18.92
Soybean	52.0	7.7	4.4	0.45	4.85	9.33
Strawberry	11.93	34.1	6.18	1.06	7.24	60.69
Turfgrass	1980.00	2.0	39.6	25.70	65.30	3.30
Vegetable	1239.30	4.86	60.2	57.5	117.7	9.5
Wheat	30.80	2.5	0.77	0.61	1.38	4.48
Totals	6712.3	—	553.22	253.03	806.25	12.01

¹This column is not additive.

²Total percent loss for each crop and the grand total is figured on the basis of:

(value of damage + cost control) / crop value

Published by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. For more information or guidance, contact your local Extension office.

The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (working cooperatively with Fort Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the counties of Georgia) offers its educational programs, assistance, and materials to all people without regard to age, color, disability, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or veteran status, and is an Equal Opportunity Institution.