LATEST POSTS
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Weekly Field Update – 8/7/23
Check out upcoming meetings on the Upcoming Events tab, and don’t forget to look at our Resources tab for links to crop handbooks, helpful websites, and related blogs. Also, check out the latest episode of the SC Grower Exchange Podcast. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see this week’s Question…
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Question of the Week – Pigweed
This week, the question was: What is this weed coming up in a field that was disked recently? This is a pigweed seedling, specifically Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri). Pigweeds are some of the most aggressive weeds that farmers battle. They are able to germinate and grow quickly in poor field conditions, outcompeting crops for water,…
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The Pesky Caterpillar Pests of Cucurbit Crops: Part 2
From Extension Vegetable Entomologist Tom Bilbo Last week, we covered identification and management strategies for the squash vine borer, the first of three common cucurbit caterpillar pests. This week, we will discuss the other two. Melonworm (Diaphania hyalinata) and Pickleworm (D. nitidalis) These closely related insects are tropical species that are only known to overwinter…
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Weekly Field Update – 7/31/23
Check out upcoming meetings on the Upcoming Events tab, and don’t forget to look at our Resources tab for links to crop handbooks, helpful websites, and related blogs. Also, check out the latest episode of the SC Grower Exchange Podcast. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see this week’s Question…
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Question of the Week – Leafminers
This week, the question was: What is wrong with these muscadines? These muscadines have been fed on by the larvae of a leafminer (a species of fly (Diptera)). Adults lay their eggs on the surface of a fruit, stem, or leaf of a plant and the larvae tunnel in the tissue of the plant forming…
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The Pesky Caterpillar Pests of Cucurbit Crops: Part 1
From Extension Vegetable Entomologist Tom Bilbo There are three common caterpillar pests that plague growers of cucurbits in South Carolina and elsewhere throughout the Southeast: the squash vine borer (SVB), the pickleworm, and the melonworm. All three are specialist herbivores of cucurbits, which means they (the caterpillar stage) only feed on cucurbits and are specially…
The South Carolina Grower 