Author: Justin Ballew
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Common Predatory Mites Found to Prey on Thrips
From Clemson Entomology Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Monica Farfan Predatory mites, such as this Proprioseiopsis mexicanus, the most commonly collected predatory mite in watermelon fields in South Carolina, are first line of defense in the case of an outbreak of pests, such as spider mites and thrips (shown here). Since these mites supplement their diets with pollen…
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Downy Mildew found in SC
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Dr. Tony Keinath: The first SC report of cucurbit downy mildew this year came on June 6 from a crop consultant, who found it on cucumbers in Bamberg County. Growers should spray all cucumber and cantaloupe crops to prevent or manage downy mildew. The cheapest downy mildew fungicide is Ranman. It…
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Field Update – 6/3/19
Statewide Dr. Tony Keinath reports,”Powdery mildew was found on watermelon at the Coastal REC on May 30. Typical symptoms of powdery mildew on watermelon are distinct yellow spots, although the spots may be indistinct yellow blotches rather than round spots. The symptoms seen this week included more browning than is typical for the size of…
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Field Update – 5/28/19
Statewide Dr. Tony Keinath reports, “Downy mildew has moved into south Georgia on cucumber and watermelon. Growers should have downy mildew fungicides on hand and be ready to spray cucumber, cantaloupe, and watermelon when rain starts in the lower half of the state. A preventative spray of mancozeb or chlorothalonil would be a good idea…
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Testing What Controls Downy Mildew in Cucumbers – and What Doesn’t
From Clemson Plant Pathologist, Dr. Tony Keinath. Small growers can manage downy mildew on slicing cucumber and increase yields by growing a partially resistant cultivar, like Bristol, and spraying weekly with moderate-cost fungicides, like chlorothalonil rotated with Ranman. Trellising doesn’t help manage downy mildew. Read Dr. Keinath’s full article about testing cultural and chemical controls…
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American Foulbrood Found in Bee Hives in SC
The Department of Plant Industry (DPI) is informing the South Carolina Beekeepers Association (SCBA) Members that we have official confirmation from the Clemson DPI Bee Lab in Pendleton of American Foulbrood (AFB) in Pickens County. To be more specific, AFB was found near the town of Pickens and the positive AFB hives were removed from…
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Field Update – 5/20/19
Statewide: Dr. Guido Schnabel reports, “Green fruit rot is starting to show up in commercial peach orchards. This disease is caused by the fungus Monilinia fructicola. In spring we had an extended period of bloom with lots of rain. That led to blossom blight caused by the same fungal pathogen. Growers must take this disease…
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Field Update – 5/13/19
Coastal: Zack Snipes reports, “Another great week of weather has things right on track. For the most part we are finished with strawberries and have maybe one more cutting of broccoli left in the field. We are in the middle of squash and zucchini harvest. The tomato crop looks great as plants have small green…
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Field Update – 5/6/19
Coastal: Zack Snipes reports, “Beautiful sunny weather has really pushed our spring crops this week. We received some spotty thunderstorms this weekend that will help dryland crops as well as settle some dust. We are approaching the end of strawberry season as berries are getting smaller. Be sure to keep plants clean these next few…
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Peach Season Has Started
Dr. Guido Schnabel: Peach season has officially started and it is not even May yet!!!. This Florida variety was picked today (4/30) near Ridge Spring, SC. I tasted it and it actually was a pretty good peach for an early variety.
The South Carolina Grower 