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Articles by CEU Series
CEU Series: Protect Crops and the Environment | Growing Produce
Pesticides can be helpful in dealing with pests in our environment such as controlling invasive plant species that threaten native habitats or insects and diseases that attack our crops. Pesticides can also pose risks to the environment, especially when they are used improperly. Pesticide use and drift can affect air quality and pesticides in the food chain can threaten wildlife and people. In addition, pesticides are may be non-point sources of water pollution.
Ceu Series | Growing Produce
Groundswell, a new podcast by www.GroundWork.ag, takes a look at how farmers, agronomists and researchers are working together on new tools, technologies and practices that help sustain our land by improving water quality and soil health. New episodes each month from planting through harvest. Read More
Registration Open for Ag Innovations Conference | Growing Produce
Early registration is available for the second Ag Innovations Conference: Microbial Control on Aug. 13, 2017 at The Great Hall at the University of California (UC), San Diego campus. This event is intended for growers, PCAs, and industry partners to provide an update on microbial control strategies and new products. This one-day conference is organized in conjunction with the 50th Annual Meetings of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology (SIP) at UC San Diego, La Jolla.
Field Scouting Guide for Squash Powdery Mildew | Growing Produce
Welcome to American Vegetable Grower® magazine’s first field scouting guide, this month concentrating on cucurbit powdery mildew. Each month we will bring you a different pest, ranging from weeds, to diseases, to insects, and even wildlife. We reached out to pathologists to learn how to spot and treat powdery mildew. This months, our contributors are Beth K. Gugino, Penn State University, Debra Inglis, Washington State University, and Anthony Keinath, Clemson University in South Carolina.
Can Attract-and-Kill Technology Protect Fruit Against BMSB? | Growing Produce
Every season, growers wage war against a seemingly endless number of enemies that threaten to wipe out their crops. From powdery mildew and botrytis to spider mites and thrips, crop protection is a full-time job. Every so often, however, a super-villain emerges. This invader is undeterred by preventative efforts, catching even the most prepared operations off-guard. For many fruit growers, the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is the latest adversary.
Valent U.S.A. Grants Organic Farming Research Scholarship | Growing Produce
Valent U.S.A. has announced that University of Florida Doctor of Plant Medicine student Morgan Byron has received a $1,500 research scholarship for the development of organic training materials for growers, Pest Control Advisors (PCAs), consultants, and retailers. The training helps participants understand the benefits of the broad Valent Organic Solutions portfolio, which includes biological insecticides, fungicides, plant growth regulators, and root-enhancement products.
Springtail Is an Unexpected Vegetable Pest | Growing Produce
You normally would not think of springtails — which are found in diverse habitats such as pastures, compost pits, and agriculture lands — as much of a pest. They can be nuisance organisms, but are rarely considered a pest that cause economic damage. Springtails are generally considered to be beneficial creatures because they help break down decaying plant material by feeding and excreting, thereby participating in the nutrient cycle, which in turn helps improve soil health and structure.
CEU Series: Make Sure to Stow Your Pesticides Before You Go | Growing Produce
Storing pesticides properly protects human and animal health, safeguards wells and surface waters, and prevents unauthorized access to hazardous chemicals. Proper pesticide storage and inventory practices will prolong the shelflife of pesticides and make it easier to track your pesticide usage so that you can plan purchases for future years. Your job is not finished until the pesticides, containers, and your equipment have been put away properly.
BioSafe Systems Introduces Broad-Spectrum Bactericide Fungicide for Specialty Crops | Growing Produce
BioSafe Systems introduces PerCarb (Sodium Carbonate Peroxyhydrate), a new alternative to potassium bicarbonate and lime sulfur products for use in agriculture. PerCarb is an EPA-registered, 0-hour REI, broad-spectrum bactericide/fungicide designed to treat and control plant pathogens that cause major foliar diseases on tree fruit, vine crops, berries, small fruits, vegetable crops, and greenhouse fruits and vegetables.
A Guide to Experts Tips on Vegetable Insect Pests | Growing Produce
Check out these excellent pest management practices, compiled by experts across the country.
Beetle Battle Burgeoning For South Florida Avocado Growers | Growing Produce
While the redbay ambrosia beetle has been targeted as the No. 1 threat to South Florida’s avocado industry, a new study led by UF/IFAS researchers are finding the need to spread the focus onto other beetles that can carry the deadly laurel wilt pathogen.
Biggest Vegetable Insect Threats for 2017 | Growing Produce
Diamondback moth (DBM), brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), and thrips are emerging as three of the biggest pests across the country in 2017. Pest problems, however, tend to be localized. [Editor’s note: According to StopBMSB.org, three new states have severe problems with BMSB — North Carolina, Tennessee, and New York.
Potato Psyllids Are Gaining Resistance to Neonicotinoids | Growing Produce
Neonicotionoids, a key tool in potato growers’ arsenal against potato psyllids, is growing less effective, a team of researchers from Texas A&M have found. The research “provides strong evidence that these insecticides no longer suppress populations of psyllids below desirable levels,” says Ada Szczepaniec, Texas A&M AgriLife Research entomologist and lead researcher on the project.
5 Graphics that Show How Biocontrols are Used by Vegetable Growers | Growing Produce
American Vegetable Grower was curious about how biocontrols are impacting the industry. So we took a look at our 2017 State of the Vegetable Industry Survey to see what patterns may emerge. Here are five infographics with that spell out our most interesting finds: 1. The Number of Growers Using Biocontrols Is Holding Steady In 2016, we learned a modest majority of growers are using biocontrols. That percentage did not change in 2017. But, there was a change in which biocontrols are being used… 2.
Silicon: Plant Nutrient and Biocontrol Agent | Growing Produce
Silicon is used in a number of physiological processes within plants. The most visible and well-studied is its role in stress alleviation to both abiotic and biotic stress. While the molecular mechanisms are not yet known, this protection has been demonstrated in a number of plants against a variety of stressors. In addition to stress, Si has also been shown to interact with heavy metals and thought to play roles in both nutrient toxicity and deficiency.
CEU Series: Avoid Mishaps When Handling Pesticides | Growing Produce
A pesticide spill refers to unplanned spill or leakage of a pesticide into the environment that occurs during storage, use, transport, or disposal of a pesticide. If you are transporting pesticides, have an emergency plan in place for accidents. Since accidents are often caused by others, you must be ready with a spill action plan. A spill is any accidental release of a pesticide.
New Product for Insect and Disease Control | Growing Produce
Innvictis Crop Care, LLC introduces Crossover Pro as a first-of-its-kind formulation combining an insecticide and fungicide. Active ingredients propiconazole and lambda-cyhalothrin provide insect control while adding disease protection. This novel systems approach delivers one-pass protection and time-saving convenience of no mixing. Crossover Pro has quick knockdown and residual control of more than 35 insects. It also controls powdery mildew, rust and leaf blight.
Biologicals Gaining Acceptance Among More Growers | Growing Produce
Over the past few years, a number of the go-to pest management tools have been taken off the market by manufacturers or edict from the EPA. But, while the conventional crop protection portfolio has been shrinking, the offerings and emergence of biological-based solutions have been growing. A report by research firm Frost and Sullivan suggested that the value of biopesticides was $594 million in 2008 and predicted it would nearly double to $1.02 billion by 2015.
How to Stop Plants Diseases Before They Grab Hold | Growing Produce
Disease needs three things to flourish: the right environment, the host, and the pathogen. It’s called the disease triangle. Think of it as a three-legged stool: kick out one leg and the disease epidemic collapses. That sounds simple, and frankly, it can be.
Nematicide Now Available in California, Arizona | Growing Produce
Specialty crop growers in California and Arizona can now use Bayer’s Velum One, a wide-spectrum nematicide that increases root health and suppresses key diseases, according to the company. The product label indicates Velum One is for use on Brassica, head and stem, subgroup 5A; Brassica leafy greens, subgroup 5B; melon subgroup 9A; nut, tree, group 14-12; pepper/eggplant subgroup 8-10B, squash/cucumber subgroup 9B; and strawberry and tomato subgroup 8-10A.
New Organic Seed Treatment for Spinach | Growing Produce
Germains Seed Technology announces the introduction of ProBio SafeGuard, a new, certified organic seed treatment for spinach distributed exclusively through Holaday Seed Company. ProBio SafeGuard is for early plant protection against Pythium even before the plant emerges and within the first stages of growth.
Top Vegetable Diseases to Watch in 2017 | Growing Produce
We sent out a call to vegetable pathology Extension agents to let us know which diseases are top of mind for growers. Here’s what we learned: Powdery mildew on watermelon. It was the No. 2 most common disease in my grad student’s survey in three growing seasons. It is often overlooked by growers. Gummy stem blight on watermelon and cantaloupe. It was the No. 1 most common disease in my grad student’s survey (which was done on watermelon) in three growing seasons. Southern blight on tomato and pepper.
Grafting Offers a Surprising Boost to Plants | Growing Produce
Grafted vegetables have risen in popularity in recent years due to grafted plants’ improved ability to respond to stress, a proven increase in yield, and the decreased need for fumigation and other chemical controls. As part of an ongoing project, Carol Miles, Extension Specialist in horticulture at Washington State University, has been investigating vegetable grafting as an alternative method for controlling Verticillium wilt since 2009.
Soil Health is Much More than Nutrient Levels | Growing Produce
We asked Thomas Björkman, Associate Professor of Vegetable Crop Physiology at Cornell University, who is involved with Cornell’s Soil Health Testing Laboratory, and Gregory Peck, Assistant Professor of Sustainable Fruit Production Systems at Cornell University, to answer questions about the lab’s Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health tests and the importance of knowing more than just your soil’s nutrient levels to produce healthy crops.
CEU Series: Be Aware of Bees When Applying Pesticides | Growing Produce
When faced with a pest problem, growers and pesticide applicators have a number of pest management options including cultural, chemical, biological, or physical methods. There are many situations where pest control is necessary and chemical controls must be used. Certain chemistries are known to have negative and long-term impacts on bees, other pollinators, and beneficial arthropods. Others have minimal impacts.
Monsanto, NRGene Enter Agreement for Big Data Genomic Analysis Technology | Growing Produce
Monsanto Company and NRGene have announced that the companies have reached a non-exclusive, multi-year global licensing agreement on NRGene’s genome-analysis technology to enhance Monsanto’s ability to predict, compare, and select the best genetic makeup from its data sets of genetic, genomic, and trait information.
New Research May Help in the Fight Against Insect-Transmitted Viruses in Vegetables | Growing Produce
Findings by a team of scientists, including two from the University of California (UC), Riverside, could provide critical knowledge to attack deadly viruses transmitted by arthropods such as mosquitoes and aphids. The scientists uncovered molecular mechanisms that the cucumber mosaic virus uses to manipulate plants to make them release odors that attract aphids, which transmit the virus. The work was published Jan. 6 in the journal Cell Research.
Vegalab US Offers a New Formulation of Spider Mite Control | Growing Produce
Vegalab US has launched an improved formulation of its Spider Mite Control biological pesticide. Targeting spider mites, which are known to attack several hundred species of plants, the product attacks the pest in two different ways. It blocks the breathing holes of spider mites, causing them to die from suffocation. It also causes reproductive disruption among female spider mited. This leads to infertility, with eggs that do not hatch or mites that don’t develop to an adult stage.
Scientists Aim to Improve Nitrogen, Water Use Efficiency in Lettuce | Growing Produce
As the West continues to deal with the negative effects of a drought, growers are tasked with finding creative approaches to save water. Making the switch to drip irrigation, using improved irrigation software, and crop diversification are just a few of the methods being used to scale back water use.
Common Purslane Needs Diligence to Conquer in Vegetable Crops | Growing Produce
Purslane, Portulaca oleracea, is good at surviving and has several modes of reproduction — aggressive seed spreading, ability to root almost any of its parts, and long-lived seeds than can lay dormant until exposed to sunlight.
New Potato Insecticide/Fungicide Seed Treatment Available | Growing Produce
Syngenta has announced CruiserMaxx Vibrance Potato insecticide/fungicide seed treatment is now available for purchase, following its registration by EPA. It contains Vibrance fungicide seed treatment, which includes the active ingredient Sedaxane and is a new tool for potato growers. In addition to Sedaxane, the other active ingredients in the seed treatment include Thiamethoxam, Fludioxonil, and Difenoconazole.
CEU Series: Place Priority on Preventing Pesticide Poisoning | Growing Produce
Pesticides are chemical compounds or biological agents that control pests. Pests include insects, mites, worms, fish, birds, animals, weeds, fungi, bacteria and viruses. Pests feed on crops and parasitize on livestock. Pesticides are used widely in agriculture to control pests. It is estimated that on a worldwide basis, pests destroy up to a half of food supplies. Without pesticides the food losses could be even more significant. Pesticides increase work productivity, profits, and export incomes.
New Fact Sheet Analyzes Weed Seeds And Their Longevity | Growing Produce
Did you know some weed seeds can lie dormant in the soil for more than a century and then sprout when conditions are right? A new fact sheet available for free download from the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) dives into the topic of weed seed longevity, as well as how weed seeds travel, when and why they germinate, and ways they can be eliminated.
Scientists Aim To Improve Nitrogen, Water Use Efficiency In Lettuce | Growing Produce
As the West continues to deal with the negative effects of a drought, growers are tasked with finding creative approaches to save water. Making the switch to drip irrigation, using improved irrigation software, and crop diversification are just a few of the methods being used to scale back water use.
Orondis Opti Fungicide Receives Registration In Premix Formulation | Growing Produce
Syngenta has announced that Orondis Opti fungicide premix is now registered and approved for use on specialty and vegetable crops by EPA. Currently sold as a multi-pack, Orondis Opti will be introduced and commercially available as a premix formulation for the 2017 growing season upon receipt of individual state registrations.
Bio Huma Netics Opens New Lab Facility | Growing Produce
Bio Huma Netics, Inc. (BHN) announced the recent opening its new Alpha Synectics Laboratory facility in Gilbert, AZ. This expansion of BHN’s laboratory capabilities enables BHN to move in-house in terms of product development and improvement, quality control and verification, carbon extraction and characterization, and bioassay and microbial studies. Bio Huma Netics manufactures of Huma Gro and Probiotic Solutions products.
CEU Series: Back A United Front To Fight And Defeat Pests | Growing Produce
An evaluation of last season’s challenges is a critical part of planning for success in the upcoming season. Among the most important considerations to review is the farm’s Pesticide Resistance Management Plan so effective pesticides remain working assets.
The Effect Of Soil Fertility On Fusarium Wilt In Watermelon | Growing Produce
Fusarium wilt, caused by the pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum, is a major concern for watermelon growers in the U.S., and is even more severe for those producing the Southeast. Bhabesh Dutta, Assistant Professor of Extension Vegetable Pathology at the University of Georgia, has teamed with other researchers from the university in an effort to discover the role that soil fertility plays in the severity of Fusarium wilt in watermelon.
Three Snap Bean Pests To Watch In The Coming Season | Growing Produce
Snap bean growers in the Midwest and Great Lakes have three key pests to be on the lookout for this coming season. Seedcorn maggot, potato leafhopper, and European corn borer have the potential to cause considerable damage to snap bean crops, but with proper management, including seed treatments and timely pesticide applications, adequate control can be achieved.
Soil Health Roadmap Makes The Case For Investing In Sustainable Practices | Growing Produce
Soil Health Roadmap at the annual BSR (Business for Social Responsibility) Conference in New York. Developed by a team of Conservancy scientists, economists, and agriculture experts and made possible through support from General Mills, the Roadmap makes the business case for investing in sustainable soil health practices to achieve economic benefits for U.S. farmers and businesses, as well as significant conservation outcomes.
CEU Series: Learning About Pesticide Resistance Is Anything But Futile | Growing Produce
Pesticides are used to control various types of pests, such as weeds, harmful insects, and diseases caused by bacteria and fungi. Pesticides are often the most effective and efficient and sometimes the only pest control tools available. Resistance to pesticides is a serious, and growing, problem. Globally, there more than 600 species of pests that have developed some level of pesticide resistance.
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