The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) announced it is authorizing the importation of cold-treated fresh citrus from South Africa into all U.S. ports of entry. Previously, APHIS restricted the entry of cold-treated citrus fruit from South Africa to four U.S. ports that have cold-treatment facilities. APHIS scientists determined that citrus fruit from South Africa, …
Plant Protection Today – Tracking the Elusive Asian Giant Hornet
PPQ Shares Cutting-Edge Methods with State Partner By Greg Rosenthal (USDA/APHIS) — After weeks of searching, Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) entomologists–—with some cutting-edge methods from USDA’s Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ)–—have located and eradicated the first Asian giant hornet (AGH) nest ever found in the United States. For months, WSDA had been trying to find the nest they …
Citrus Nematode and Resistant Rootstocks
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professor Larry Duncan discussed the citrus nematode (Tylenchulus semipenetrans) during a recent international webinar on plant parasitic nematodes hosted by ADAMA. T. semipenetrans has a worldwide geographical distribution, making it the most common plant parasitic nematode of citrus. According to Duncan, this pest is ….. Read more about Citrus Nematode and Resistant Rootstocks …
USDA Releases 2019 Pesticide Data Report
The USDA published its 2019 Pesticide Data Program’s Annual Summary. The report shows that nearly 99 percent of the tested samples had pesticide residues below benchmark levels established by the Environmental Protection Agency. The two agencies work together every year to identify which foods get tested on a rotating basis. The Agricultural Marketing Service works with state agencies to collect …
Systems Approach Key to Controlling Palmer Amaranth
By Clint Thompson Georgia’s cotton farmers continue to be consumed with weed management issues, specifically with Palmer amaranth. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension weed scientist Stanley Culpepper said during the University of Georgia Cotton/Peanut Research Field Day that grower’s No. 1 priority is resistance management in Palmer amaranth, also known as “pigweed.” “Palmer amaranth, last year, based on 1,737 growers …
Whiteflies Are Spreading Across Georgia
Whiteflies are in high numbers and spreading to areas in Georgia not prone to whitefly infestations every year. That is tough news for the state’s cotton producers with harvest season just around the corner. “They’ve really built high numbers in areas prone to get whiteflies. In those areas we have high populations. Growers are actively treating,” University of Georgia Cooperative …
Caterpillars a Danger to Peanuts
Foliage-feeding caterpillars are the insects peanut growers need to be most concerned with as harvest season approaches, according to Mark Abney, University of Georgia Extension peanut entomologist. “The one that comes in every year and will probably eat the most peanuts and infest the most fields is velvetbean caterpillar. We started hearing about velvetbeans in southwest Georgia maybe a month …
Whiteflies’ Impact to be Felt in Late-Planted Cotton
Cotton growers need to continue to monitor for whiteflies, as the pest is starting to impact fields across the Southeast, according to Alabama Extension cotton entomologist Ron Smith. “I know we’re finding them as far north as Quitman County (Georgia), which is just across from Eufala, Alabama. We know we’ve got them in the Panhandle of Florida, and we know …
Whitefly Populations Exploding in Cotton
Scorching temperatures and dry conditions could make an already tough whitefly season even worse for cotton growers, according to Phillip Roberts, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension cotton entomologist in Tifton, Georgia. “In cotton, populations can build so rapidly. Whiteflies really thrive in hot, dry conditions. They’ve just exploded in some localized areas in the last 10 days. The last 10 …
High Whitefly Populations a Concern for Cotton Growers
By Clint Thompson Cotton growers in Georgia and Alabama need to be mindful of high whitefly populations. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension cotton entomologist Phillip Roberts said silverleaf whitefly populations have increased rapidly in some Georgia fields in the past 10 days. Since cotton is susceptible, producers need to scout and take appropriate action. “It’s extremely important that you know …