Author: Justin Ballew
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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 […]
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Weekly Field Update – 5/16/22
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! Midlands Justin Ballew reports, “Last week was cooler and felt like spring again, but that seems to be gone now. We got a little rain late last week (0.4 […]
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Question of the Week – Fourlined Plant Bug
This week, the question was: What is this critter on this sunflower leaf? This is a fourlined plant bug. This small insect is commonly seen in the spring and usually disappears by early summer. It is a relatively minor pest of numerous plants including brassicas, cucurbits, beans, and members of the Solanaceae family, though it […]
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Weekly Field Update – 5/9/22
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, “Spider mites in the area are increasing in number on a variety of crops including strawberries and watermelons. When choosing an insecticide always choose […]
The South Carolina Grower 