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Articles by Ayanava Majumdar
ACES: Operation Grow for Military Veterans
Operation Grow, in partnership with the Alabama Department of AG and Industries, provides special emphasis on the training needs of military veterans interested in agriculture for health and employment benefits. Alabama Beginning Farmer is led by the Alabama Extension commercial horticulture team. Overall, Operation Grow supports grassroots educational and networking efforts that are inclusive of all veterans and their families with universal access to information and resources.
Alabama Peanuts: Thrips Management and Control
Adult tobacco thrips and thrips feeding damage on a seedling peanut. Photo: University of Georgia Thrips are one of the earliest insect pests of peanuts. These small flying insects have bristly wings and can fly or ride the air currents over long distances. There are several species of thrips found on peanuts, most commonly being tobacco thrips and western flower thrips. Adults thrips lay eggs on peanut stem terminals.
Sustainable Agriculture for a Healthy Planet
Sustainable agriculture is a controversial and confusing topic for many. Farmers practicing sustainable agriculture are often so busy managing farm and business that public outreach is often insufficient. Moreover, the ease of self-publication today allows misinformation to skew public perception about true agricultural sustainability.
Alabama Peanuts: Making Pest Decisions In Late Fields
Although many crops are close to harvest and treating those crops may not make sense, the drought conditions in the eastern half of the state have worsened in recent weeks which is very favorable for insect pests (both chewing and sucking insects). Plenty of peanuts remain in the ground, and those close to maturity should be harvested when ready.
Alabama Peanuts: Moth Activity Shoots Up
Lesser cornstalk borer moth trap. Photo: Ayanava Majumdar, Alabama Cooperative Extension Sticky wing pheromone traps are very useful for detecting moth activity at a low cost. Typically, the moth counts in traps provides a forecast for caterpillar activity in crops in the coming days (caterpillars must be confirmed by direct counts in the crop).
Alabama Peanuts: Snails and Slugs in Fields
There have been many producer complaints about snail and slug issues in row crops. Snails and slugs can cause direct crop damage and contamination in severe cases. Snails produce an acidic material from their foot that dissolves calcium in the soil and allows production of the shell. There are a few other publications listed at the end of this article that may be of help to understand basic biology and identification characteristics for snails/slugs.
Alabama Peanuts: Insects Slowly Building, Keep Scouting
Rains have continued for the most part in Alabama with almost none of the key peanut production areas marked as drought on the US Drought Monitor website. This is good news for producers, as frequent rainfall and the resulting weather fluctuations do not favor pest activity in general. Based on the insect monitoring data across Alabama summarized in the table alongside, the moth counts in sticky wing pheromone traps are similar to that of 2017.
Alabama Peanuts: Moth Activity Rising, Scout for Caterpillars
It is time to scout peanuts again and prevent insect outbreaks with timely intervention! Excessive rain in May slowed moth activity, but we have detected a sudden increase in pest activity across the state. Beet armyworm moths appear to be the most active in vegetable and peanut fields followed by other species like the fall armyworm, southern and the yellowstriped armyworms (the average moth counts is 5 moths per trap and rising).
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