Author: Justin Ballew
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Managing Phytophthora Blight on Pepper
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath and Extension Agent Andy Rollins. After 3.28 inches of rain in the Upstate from May 23 to 26, symptoms of Phytophthora blight showed up in one or more fields of pepper and tomato after June 1. The heavy downpour and the volume of rain saturated the soil, providing the […]
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Weekly Field Update – 6/6/22
Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath has been busy updating Extension Disease Publications on Clemson’s Land-Grant Press. Be sure to refer to the following resources as you think about your disease management programs: Gummy Stem Blight on Watermelon and Muskmelon, Watermelon Fungicide Guide, Cucurbit Downy Mildew Management, Powdery Mildew on Watermelon, and Controlling Bacterial Spot on […]
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Downy Mildew Spreads to Charleston, SC
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath and Extension Agent Zack Snipes. Downy mildew was found on non-sprayed “sentinel” cucumbers at Coastal REC, Charleston, SC, on June 1. Two susceptible slicing cultivars (Silver Slicer and Poinsette) had 5% leaf area diseased, while the resistant cultivars Citadel pickling and DMR-NY401 slicing and the moderately resistant Bristol slicing […]
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Question of the Week – Squash Vine Borer
This week, the question was: What is this critter resting on a zucchini flower bud? This is the adult form of the squash vine borer. The female moth lays eggs on the leaves and stems of squash and zucchini plants. A tiny caterpillar hatches from the egg and bores into the stems to feed. We […]
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Fusarium Wilt Symptoms in Watermelon at Fruit Set Stage
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath and Extension Agent Rob Last. Watermelon growers may find new plants with symptoms of Fusarium wilt as the plants start to set fruit or as fruit sizes up. In the infested field at Coastal REC, 3-5% of the plants previously rated as healthy showed symptoms in the past 2 […]
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Weekly Field Update – 5/31/22
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! Coastal Region Zack Snipes reports, “It seems like everything is coming in from the fields right now. We got some rain but could really use some more. I am […]
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Question of the Week – Phyllody
This week, the question was: What is going on with these strawberries? These strawberries are exhibiting a condition known as “phyllody” where floral parts become leafy. Though it usually affects only a small amount of berries, we see phyllody in our fields pretty much every year. Phyllody can be infectious (caused by a phytoplasm vectored […]
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Cucurbit Downy Mildew Arrives in SC
Prepared by Rob Last. Cucurbit downy mildew has been identified in South Carolina this morning (5/25/22). The identification came from a field of cucumbers in Bamberg County. Please remember to make fungicide applications seven days apart, a stretch longer than this is likely to increase the potential for disease spread. For cucumbers, some suggested products […]
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Weekly Field Update – 5/23/22
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! Coastal Region Rob Last reports, “As we see temperatures increase strawberry flowering is reducing. Plants are still heavy with fruit, so managing diseases such as anthracnose and botrytis through […]
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Question of the Week – Leafcutter Bee
This week, the question was: What created these near perfectly circular holes around the margin of this muscadine leaf? These holes were created by leafcutter bees while collecting materials to build their nests. These are native bees that are important pollinators of numerous species of wildflowers and cultivated crops. Leafcutter bees use the cut pieces […]
The South Carolina Grower 