Category: Question of the Week
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Question of the Week – Excessive Water
This week, the question was: What caused these ripe blueberries to split on the bush? Blueberry splits are caused by excessive water from rainfall or irrigation when ripe or near-ripe fruit are on the plant. These berries of the rabbiteye cultivar ‘Climax’ split following nearly four inches of rain over three days. In blueberries, root…
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Question of the Week – Downy Mildew
This week, the question was: What is the disease showing up on the underside of this collard leaf? This is downy mildew. While downy mildew symptoms can be seen on the top sides of the leaves, the pathogen sporulates on the underside of the leaves. This disease is most common when we have foggy mornings…
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Question of the Week – Barklice
This week, the question was: What are all these critters crawling on the bark of this crepe myrtle tree? These are barklice, AKA barkflies or booklice. This species is probably Cerastipsocus venosus. Barklice are sometimes called “tree cattle,” due to their behavior of moving around in a group like a herd of animals (try moving…
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Question of the Week – Heat Stress
This week, the question was: What is what is going on with the different sized beads and color variation in this broccoli head? This broccoli head is showing a symptom known as “cat eye” where there are clusters of small, lighter-colored beads surrounded by larger, darker-colored beads. This is a common symptom of heat stress…
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Question of the Week – Spined Soldier Bugs
This week, the question was: What is happening on this strawberry leaf? These are the eggs and nymphs of a predatory stink bug called the spined soldier bug (Podisus maculiventris). These beneficial insects feed on over 100 pest species of insects and can be found in many crops. These were located in a strawberry field…
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Question of the Week – Parasitic Wasp Pupae
This week, the question was: What is the white-colored stuff on this beet leaf? This is a cluster of parasitic wasp pupae. The adult wasp would have laid eggs into a caterpillar to provide food for the developing larvae. The larvae develop inside the caterpillar and then exit it to pupate, usually killing it in…
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Question of the Week – Lady Beetle Eggs
This week, the question was: What are these orange-colored things stuck to the bottom of this collard leaf? This is a cluster of lady beetle eggs. Lady beetles are great insects to have around, especially if you have problems with aphids, their favorite food. Adults eat aphids whole, while the nymphs, seen below, pierce and…
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Question of the Week – Parasitic Wasp Cocoon
This week, the question was: What is this brown oval object on the underside of this napa cabbage leaf? This is the cocoon of a parasitic wasp (Microplitis plutellae) that attacks and kills diamondback moth larvae. This wasp will lay an egg inside of the caterpillar, where the wasp larva feeds before emerging from the…
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Question of the Week – Poison Ivy
This week, the question was: What is the vine growing on this tree trunk? This is poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). This is a plant that everyone should be able to identify. Around 85% of people are allergic to poison ivy, though sensitivity varies greatly. Poison ivy is native to the Southeast and is recognizable by…
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Question of the Week – Curly Dock
This week, the question was: What is this weed growing up in the row middles of this strawberry field? This is curly dock (Rumex crispus). Curly dock is a perennial weed that thrives in wet conditions but is also quite tolerant of drought. It is commonly found in the row middles in strawberry fields, especially…
The South Carolina Grower 