Cyclamen are relatively untroubled by Pests and Diseases, although there are many types of each which can effect them, and where large numbers of plants are grown together, it is entirely possible for an outbreak to become a severe problem. This is particularly true where florists cultivars of Cyclamen persicum are grown under commercial glasshouse conditions, although it is important to point out that many of these problems are found in domestic or hobby situations.

The intention in this part of the web site is to provide basic information about those pests and diseases which are either common, or which are a particular problem to the genus. We have made no attempt to provide an exhaustive list. Further problems are always potentially possible, and an exhaustive list would be a book in itself, added to which is the constant threat of new invaders from abroad. North American readers will have to forgive our omission of their specifically local pests, as our knowledge is based on our British experiences.

A thorough treatment of the pests & deseases of Cyclamen is provided on the excellent web site of the French Cyclamen growers Morel Diffusion. http://www.cyclamen.com

Please use the menu on the panel to look up information about specific pests.

The use and availability of remedies for pests and diseases varies from country to country, and chemical names given may be of more use than any brand names which may only be available in Britain. Legal restrictions on the use of different substances also varies from country to country, and we can again, only comment on the situation in the United Kingdom.

In this regard, the matter of legal changes in Britain must also be mentioned. During 1989-1990 two important Acts have come into force which affected all of us, amateur as well as professional. The first was the Food and Environment Protection Act (or FEPA). Under this Act, and within it the Control of Pesticides Regulations, it is now an offence to use any chemical not approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, and also to use any chemical on a crop other than that specified by the Ministry. This means that only sprays listing "use on ornamentals" may be applied to cyclamen, and this applies to amateurs -which is not generally realised. In the case of professionals, anyone born after January 1965 must pass a competency test before being allowed to use chemical pest controls, and all professionals using sprays on other people's property must be certificated whatever their age. The Regulations also specify brand names of each chemical which may be used by professionals, and those for use by private gardeners. For this reason many established amateur brands have disappeared as their manufacturers did not seek approval from MAFF. In this article we have deliberately used the chemical name for all the sprays mentioned as this must now be printed on all spray containers, no matter what brand they are.

A second Act which came into force in the shape of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH). Any substance of potential hazard is covered by this Act, even down to correction fluid. All chemical sprays used by professionals are included, and it would seem that for every one used a form will have to be filled in analysing the hazard posed, protective measures taken, and health checks considered necessary.

Finally, by 1992 harmonisation of regulations through the EEC meant another set of controls similar to, but even tighter than, FEPA. In the long term this can only mean that many of the older chemicals have approval withdrawn as has already happened to aldrin, cyhexatin, DNOC, fosetyl aluminium and several others. Amateur sprays are set to become more diluted since competency testing cannot be extended to this area, and the range of active ingredients available to amateurs is certain to contract. Even for professionals, the horticultural market is small in world terms so that chemical manufacturers will be less willing to carry out research and development where stringent regulations force long delays before commercial launch is possible. Several new chemicals had their launch delayed by the time taken by (and backlog of) efficacy testing, including an extremely effective whitefly specific insecticide (buprofezin). If this all sounds bleak for the control of pests and diseases it need not be. Research into biological control has only assumed commercial importance with the advent of these new restrictions, and as the work on vine weevil shows, it can yield results in a shorter time than development of a new chemical. Resistance to parasites and predators cannot develop except over vast numbers of generations, during which time the parasite or predator itself can mutate to maintain its advantage. As regulations and resistance conspire to reduce our reliance on chemicals, it will undoubtedly be this form of pest and disease control which comes to dominate the growers' arsenal.

(Much of this information on Pests & Diseases is adapted from articles in the Cyclamen Society Journal, written by Chris Clennett, who is Gardens Manager at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Wakehurst Place)