Month: March 2022
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Question of the Week – Cold Damage
This week, the question was: What happened to these strawberry plants? This photo was taken just a couple days after the cold a few weeks ago. Weather stations near this field recorded a low of 22 degrees. These few plants were at the end of a row where the wind blew off the row cover.…
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Fungicides to Manage Cercospora Leaf Spot on Beet
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath. Cercospora leaf spot is the most damaging disease on beet greens and bunched beets. This disease is one of the few diseases I have worked with that can be managed equally well by conventional and organic fungicides. Based on previous research in New York with processing beets, I tested…
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Weekly Field Update – 3/28/22
The University of Georgia’s food safety team is conducting a survey to assess food safety risks posed by wild birds. Please take the survey here for a chance to win one of two $50 gift cards. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see this week’s Question of the Week and…
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Question of the Week – Lady Beetle Pupa
This week, the question was: What is this odd-looking critter on this strawberry leaf? This is a lady beetle pupa. A few weeks ago, in our question of the week, we saw lady beetle eggs. Since then, the eggs have hatched, the larvae have grown, and are now ready to become adults. The pupal stage…
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Weekly Field Update – 3/21/22
The University of Georgia’s food safety team is conducting a survey to assess food safety risks posed by wild birds. Please take the survey here for a chance to win one of two $50 gift cards. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see this week’s Question of the Week and…
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Question of the Week – Cedar-Apple Rust
This week, the question was: What is growing on the branch of this cedar tree? This is a cedar-apple rust gall. These galls have been showing up in cedar trees over the last couple of weeks as the weather has been warm and rainy at times. Cedar-apple rust is caused by a type of fungus…
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Weekly Field Update – 3/14/22
Coming up this week is the Farm Safety Day for Women on 3/18. Don’t forget to check out the rest of our lineup of winter/spring meetings here. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see this week’s Question of the Week and check back on Thursday for the answer! Statewide Dr.…
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Hard Freeze Forecast for the Weekend
Growers have been keeping a close eye on the weather this week as temperatures are forecast to reach the mid to low 20s around the state Saturday night and Sunday morning. 5 to 15 mph winds are also expected. With crops like peaches, blueberries, and strawberries now in bloom and young brassica transplants in the…
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Question of the Week – Assassin Bug Nymph
This week, the question was: What is the little critter on these mint leaves? This is an assassin bug nymph (juvenile). Assassin bugs are beneficial, predatory insects. They have stout piercing/sucking mouthparts that they use to insert into their prey, inject digestive enzymes, and then suck out the bodily fluids. Most assassin bugs actively search…
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Beet Cultivars Tolerant to Cercospora Leaf Spot
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath. Once beets emerge from the ground, the biggest challenge South Carolina growers face is keeping the leaves free of Cercospora leaf spot. This disease is a problem wherever beets are grown for greens or bunching (roots sold with tops attached). Cercospora leaf spot does not affect the weight or…
The South Carolina Grower 