Browse Weeds, Diseases and Pests Stories - Page 8

As temperatures increase this spring, Georgia cabbage farmers should scout their crops regularly to ensure disease pressure is not too high, says University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable specialist Andre da Silva.

With Georgia’s Vidalia onion harvest approaching, growers must prepare to protect their crops from diseases during storage, according to Tim Coolong, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable specialist.

In most colonies, ants work in service of a single reproductive queen, but that’s not always the way ant societies function.

The citrus greening disease that has devastated Florida’s industry over the past decade is not affecting Georgia production, but growers should still be aware of the potential danger it can bring, according to Jonathan Oliver, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension fruit pathologist.

Eight University of Georgia faculty and staff were honored for exemplary service to the state during Monday’s 2019 Public Service and Outreach awards luncheon, which included awards for Entrepreneur of the Year and Donor Impact.

Ambrosia beetles are swarming south Georgia pecan orchards and farmers should take precautions now, according to Angel Acebes-Doria, pecan entomologist with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.

Whether you have a well-manicured lawn or a wild preserve, almost every landscape in Georgia shares one feature: fire ants.

While the use of beneficial insects and other biocontrols for agricultural pest management hasn’t gained widespread usage in open field production, some Georgia farmers are using natural control methods in greenhouse and high-tunnel production.

The University of Georgia has been awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop organic methods of controlling the Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD). 

A state program aimed at teaching farmers and other pesticide applicators how to properly apply pesticides continues to limit pesticide drift in Georgia. The educational training system, called “Using Pesticides Wisely,” was created by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and the Georgia Department of Agriculture. UGA Extension weed scientist Stanley Culpepper, who developed the training, credits Georgia farmers’ excellent teamwork and decision-making for the low number of pesticide drift complaints in Georgia in 2017.