Browse Weeds, Diseases and Pests Stories - Page 15

No official pesticide drift complaints have been reported to the Georgia Department of Agriculture this year due to in-season applications of dicamba, or 2,4-D.

Aspergillus crown rot disease is on the rise in Georgia peanut fields and University of Georgia researchers are working to pinpoint why. At present, university scientists recommend that farmers encountering this problem in their fields stop saving seed from year to year in an effort to reduce the disease while better control methods are found. The first line of defense has been fungicide application either in furrow or directly to the seed.

Nematode control is one of the costliest hurdles to blueberry production on replanted sites. Through research trials in Appling County, Georgia, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent Shane Curry found that adding pine bark mulch when replanting blueberry fields helps to combat the pests.

Summer may have ended, but Georgia’s silverleaf whitefly infestation has not.

Fall is perfect for playing football, picking pumpkins and killing fire ants. Tackling the stinging pests now will cut down on the number you encounter next spring and summer, according to entomologists with the University of Georgia.

Georgia farmers had fewer opportunities to effectively harvest watermelons in June thanks to an increase in rain, but disease pressure is what truly led to lower yields in the crop this year, according to University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable horticulturist Tim Coolong.

Populations of whiteflies are “unusually high” in Georgia cotton fields this season, making early detection and management of whiteflies essential, according to University of Georgia entomologists Phillip Roberts and Stormy Sparks.

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension’s newest plant pathologist will focus on improved control of plant-parasitic nematodes, the microscopic, worm-like pests that primarily feed on the roots of Georgia’s vegetable crops.

Through part of a $12.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension peanut entomologist Mark Abney is studying the biology of the burrower bug and developing an effective management program.

Jonathan Oliver’s study of blueberries and his homegrown knowledge of citrus makes the Palatka, Florida, native a valuable addition to the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.