By Clint Thompson Valent U.S.A. is offering a new insecticide that offers fast and long-lasting control of soft-bodied insects of vegetable and citrus crops. This is the first year that producers will have access to Senstar Insecticide. It provides farmers with two effective modes of action for control of soft-bodied insects, including whiteflies, aphids, thrips and pysillids. “Southeast vegetable and …
UGA Entomologist: Potential Is There for Whitefly Outbreak
By Clint Thompson It is too early to say if this year’s whitefly impact on vegetables and cotton will rival 2017. But University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension vegetable entomologist Stormy Sparks insists the potential is there. Sparks estimates that the whitefly population is about the same as a month ago. There have been some reports of populations existing primarily …
Sanitation Key Following Harvest for Pest, Disease Control
By Clint Thompson Vegetable farmers are reminded they need to practice proper sanitation once harvest season ends. Doing so will protect against future pests and diseases. According to the South Florida Vegetable Pest and Disease Hotline, one of the best tactics that growers can do for themselves and their neighbors is to clean up crop residues promptly after harvest. Sanitation …
High Whitefly Pressure Reported in Florida Vegetables
By Clint Thompson Florida vegetable farmers are struggling to manage high whitefly pressure amid trying to produce this year’s crop. According to the South Florida Vegetable Pest and Disease Hotline, tomato growers in central Florida are really struggling with heavy whitefly pressure. It noted, “Some growers have already experienced whitefly and virus issues in spring crops and have pulled up …
Entomologist to Present History of Vegetable Pests
(UF/IFAS) — About the time Hugh Smith was a graduate student in entomology and nematology at the University of Florida, his academic department was housed on the top floor of McCarty Hall in Gainesville. Steinmetz Hall, the department’s current location, was a construction site. Now, about 30 years later, Smith is a vegetable entomologist for the University of Florida Institute …
USDA Grants $3.2 Million Toward Whitefly Research
By Karla Arboleda After years of growers experiencing problems with whiteflies in vegetable crops, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will fund $3.2 million toward whitefly research. The grant will fund research at the University of Georgia (UGA), Fort Valley State University and the USDA Agricultural Research Service in South Carolina. Bhabesh Dutta, a vegetable Extension pathologist at UGA-Tifton, shared …
Whitefly and Diamondback Moth Management in South Florida
By Karla Arboleda Researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) are looking into products that are effective against whiteflies and diamondback moths in South Florida. Hugh Smith, vegetable entomologist at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC), works to apply information growers share about their experiences toward better insect management in crops. …
Vegetable and Specialty Crop Seminars Cover Crucial Issues
By Ashley Robinson Last year, AgNet Media incorporated vegetable and specialty crop (VSC) seminars into the 28-year-old Citrus Expo. The change was met with positive feedback from both growers and industry members. Therefore, AgNet Media decided to expand that side of the program and debut the Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo (VSC Expo) this year, being held in conjunction with …
Whitefly-Transmitted Viruses Pose Problems in Vegetables
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 …
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. …