Author: Justin Ballew
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Question of the Week – Imperial Moth
This week, the question was: What will this giant caterpillar become when it grows up? This is the caterpillar of the imperial moth (Eacles imperialis). This is one of our largest moths in the Southeast. The caterpillars feed on the foliage of pines, oaks, maples, sweetgum, and sassafras as they develop. When they are ready…
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Weekly Field Update – 10/31/22
Happy Halloween! Don’t forget to check out the Women in Ag Conference coming up this weekend (11/4-11/5) in Clemson. It will start Friday with tours of Clemson’s research farms and continue Saturday with a variety of educational sessions. Register here. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see this week’s Question…
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Question of the Week – Autonomous Laser Weeder
This week, the question was: What is this contraption? This is a fully autonomous robotic laser weeder. The weeder creeps through the field without a human driver, using GPS, Lidar, and multiple sensors. The machine detects weeds in the planted crop. When a weed is detected, a laser zaps the weed, leaving the crop safely behind.…
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Weekly Field Update – 10/24/22
Check out the new rainfall calculator on the Clemson Weather website. This feature calculates the amount of rainfall received in a particular location over a specified time. 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…
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Question of the Week – Cutleaf Evening-primrose
This week, the question was: What is this cool-season weed coming up in the row middles of a fall kale field? This is cutleaf evening-primrose. This weed germinates and starts appearing in the fall and grows through the winter and spring until the weather gets hot. It starts out in a rosette with smooth leaf…
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Weekly Field Update – 10/10/22
A big congratulations to Kerrie Roach as she is transitioning to a new role as a Nursery Inspector with the Clemson Department of Plant Industry (DPI). Kerrie has served Extension and the great folks of Oconee, Anderson, and Pickens Counties extremely well in her 6 years as a horticulture agent. We will miss Kerrie very…
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Question of the Week – Garter Snake
This week, the question was: This little guy was hiding under a flower pot. What kind of snake is it, and is it venomous? This is an Eastern garter snake. These nonvenomous snakes are pretty common in South Carolina and are active most of the year. They feed primarily on frogs, toads, worms, slugs, and…
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Weekly Field Update – 10/3/22
Do you grow cole crops? Do you have diamondback moth in your fields? Have you experienced reduced efficacy of insecticides to manage them? We are looking for cole crop farms throughout SC to collect diamondback moth larvae from. We will test these larvae in the lab against a range of common insecticides to determine if…
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Question of the Week – Squash Beetle Trenching
This week, the question was: Why is a portion of this squash leaf discolored? The light-colored tissue we see here is the result of squash beetle behavior known as “trenching.” Trenching cuts off (at least temporarily) the translocation of cucurbitacin defense compounds, to preserve the palatability and quality of the squash foliage feeding site. The beetles…
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Hurricane Ian Preparation Considerations for Fruit and Vegetable Crops
Hurricane Ian is approaching the Southeast and is expected to bring significant amounts of rain and heavy winds to South Carolina over the weekend. The latest forecasts show Ian making landfall south of Tampa, FL, and traveling northeast towards the Atlantic, then northward through western South Carolina. In preparation for the storm, please be safe…
The South Carolina Grower 