By Rajagopalbabu Srinivasan The sweetpotato whitefly, commonly referred to as whitefly, is a major problem in vegetable production in Georgia and the southeastern United States. The whitefly can colonize hundreds of host plants in the landscape and has established itself year-round in this region. The pest has a short life cycle and is equipped with prolific reproductive capabilities. Consequently, its …
Dealing with Blueberry Diseases
By Karla Arboleda Blueberry growers in Georgia may have to manage new and unwanted effects on their fruit when dealing with diseases. Jonathan Oliver, the small fruit pathologist and Extension specialist at University of Georgia, discussed the best way to treat Exobasidium leaf and fruit spot of blueberry with lime sulfur. Applications of lime sulfur during the dormant period have …
Nematodes in Florida Hops
By Karla Arboleda Florida conditions can cause crops to have increased problems in comparison to other regions, and it’s no different for hops. Microscopic nematodes are common all over the world, specifically in vegetables. Across Florida, hops growers have found root-knot nematodes in their crops. Johan Desaeger, a nematode researcher at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural …
Managing Nematodes Without Methyl Bromide
By Johan Desaeger Plant-parasitic nematodes are some of the most difficult pests or diseases that growers in Florida are facing. They are difficult to recognize, are often confused with other biotic or abiotic problems, and can cause total crop loss in many fruits and vegetables. This is especially true in Florida’s warm and sandy soils, where nematodes, such as root-knot …
Be Aware of Pests in Hops
By Karla Arboleda As the Florida hops industry continues to steadily expand, growers should be aware of some new insights on the crop’s cultivation. Although hops research and the general hops industry are fairly new to Florida, in comparison to other North American regions, researchers have found a variety of different pests that show up in hops plants. According to …
Managing Soil Pests
Soil insects can be tricky to spot because they can’t be seen, but they can cause major devastation to vegetable crops. Ayanava Majumdar, Extension entomologist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension system, knows that when pests are out of sight, they are sometimes out of mind as well. Oftentimes, symptoms from soil pests will not appear until planting time. Some soil …
Whitefly Management Methods
By Hugh Smith The silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) transmits tomato yellow leaf curl virus in tomatoes. The pest also transmits three viruses to cucurbits, including squash vein yellowing virus, which causes watermelon vine decline. In addition to virus transmission and contamination, the silverleaf whitefly induces irregular ripening in tomato and the silverleafing in squash that gives it its common name. …
Battling Silk Flies in South Florida Sweet Corn
By Julien Beuzelin South Florida sweet corn growers continue to face two major insect problems: fall armyworms and corn silk flies. The two pests can be devastating, but corn silk flies are more challenging to manage than fall armyworms under current production practices. Three silk fly species have been reported to cause the majority of the damage: Euxesta eluta, Euxesta …
Beetle Borer in Blueberries
By Janine Spies Since 2014, several Florida blueberry growers have reported seeing tunneling or girdling on the canes of their blueberry bushes. Oscar Liburd at the University of Florida has been investigating the source of the damage in blueberries along with his graduate students Lindsy Iglesias and Krystal Ashman in the Fruit and Vegetable IPM Laboratory. In the summer of …
Nematode Density Impacts Damage
Root-knot nematodes are many crops’ worst enemy, including watermelon. Abolfazl Hajihassani, vegetable nematologist with the University of Georgia, recently completed a study analyzing how the population density of nematodes impacts watermelon damage. He presented the results of this trial at the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia, in January. STUDY SUMMARY Hajihassani began the trial by inoculating …