Author: Justin Ballew
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Weekly Field Update – 1/17/23
The Weekly Field Updates are back for 2023! We hope everyone had a great holiday season and is off to a good start this year. We have lots of fruit and vegetable meetings over the next couple of months, so check out the Upcoming Events tab for the complete lineup. This week there will be…
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How Seedless Watermelon Cultivars React to Fusarium Wilt: Average Results of 2021 and 2022 Trials
From Tony Keinath, Extension Vegetable Pathologist. As part of a large USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative grant, I have been working with Dr. Jonathan Schultheis, Horticulturist at NCSU, to evaluate seedless watermelon cultivars grown in plots naturally infested with the Fusarium wilt fungus. The South Carolina trials were done in my Fusarium-infested field at the…
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Question of the Week – Citrus
This week, the question was: What is this plant that is blooming right now (late fall) and providing forage for bees? This is a Meyer lemon tree. This tree is part of an ongoing trial at the Coastal REC to evaluate the cold tolerance of several citrus varieties. In a tropical environment, this variety of…
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Weekly Field Update – 11/28/22
Today’s update will be our final update of 2022. With things slowing down in the field, we will take some time to focus on other projects, and the Weekly Field Updates will resume in January. One of the things we will be focusing on for the remainder of the year is evaluating the SC Grower.…
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Question of the Week – Cudweed
This week, the question was: What is this cool season weed? This is a species of cudweed (Gnaphalium sp.). Cudweed grows in a rosette form through most of the winter until the weather warms up, allowing it to produce inflorescence. Inflorescence may appear in the fall as well. The undersides of the leaves are light-colored,…
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2023 Gummy Stem Blight Control for Watermelon Growers: Early is on Time
From Tony Keinath, Extension Vegetable Pathologist. The recent freeze in the lower part of South Carolina more than ended the 2022 watermelon season. It’s not too early to plan for gummy stem blight control in 2023 to allow time to buy the right fungicides in case of shortages. As the saying goes, early is on…
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Weekly Field Update – 11/21/22
We hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving this week! Pick up some local collard greens and sweet potatoes to celebrate the holiday! Please take a minute to help us evaluate the SC Grower. We would love to hear your likes, dislikes, and suggestions on how to make the site better. The survey linked below should…
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Question of the Week – Predatory Stink Bug
This week, the question was: What is going on here? This is a Florida predatory stink bug (Euthyrhynchus floridanus) feeding on a species of plant-feeding stink bug. The photo shows the predator’s piercing/sucking mouthparts inserted into its prey. Predatory stink bugs have much more robust mouthparts than their plant-feeding counterparts because they must be strong…
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Weekly Field Update – 11/14/22
Over the next few weeks, we will be evaluating the SC Grower site to determine any updates or upgrades that are necessary to better serve our viewers. To help with this, we would love to have your feedback. This quick survey should take about 5 to 10 minutes to complete and is completely anonymous. Please…
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Question of the Week – Glyphosate Injury
This week, the question was: What happened to these beets? Only the last 6′ of 6 beds are affected. These beets were injured by glyphosate overspray. The applicator was spraying the row middles and forgot to turn off the sprayer while turning around at the end of the row. The most heavily sprayed plants have…
The South Carolina Grower 