Pests

Tomato webinar teaches about Septoria leaf spot management

Septoria leaf spot is one of the more common foliar diseases of tomatoes, particularly in the East.

To help growers and consultants learn more about this destructive disease, Focus on Tomato has launched a free educational webinar.

CORRECTED: Pest protection to suffer with budget deficit

A $16 billion state budget shortfall in California will lead to cutbacks in border pest protection activities.

Beetle, fungus cause concerns for California avocado growers

A minute beetle and the fungus it carries have been linked to branch dieback in residential avocado and landscape trees in Southern California, causing concern for the state's avocado industry.

Flocks of birds terrorize Florida blueberry crop

Like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film, The Birds, birds are threatening this season’s Florida blueberries.

Spud webinar focuses on internal heat necrosis

The potato malady goes by several names—internal brown spot, physiological internal necrosis, internal browning, internal brown fleck and chocolate spot.

Regardless of the moniker, internal heat necrosis is an economically significant problem, particularly in the mid-Atlantic and South.

Laurel wilt found in commercial Florida avocado grove

The Univeristy of Florida and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have confirmed laurel wilt in an avocado tree in a Miami-Dade County commercial grove.

"The find of laurel wilt in a commecial avocado grove is a major concern," Agriculture Commission Adam Putnam said in a news release.

Parasitic wasp shows promise as kudzu bug biocontrol

A University of Georgia researcher hopes to enlist the help of a small Asian wasp in the fight against the kudzu bug.

Take steps to prevent bacterial fruit blotch of watermelons

During the 1990s, a major outbreak of bacterial fruit blotch severely affected watermelon growers in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

Other outbreaks have followed, with 2011 being a particularly bad year, according to a University of Delaware Extension newsletter.

MSU plans workshops on spotted wing drosophila fly

Michigan State University Extension is offering three workshops this spring to help growers, scouts and consultants identify and manage spotted wing drosophila.

Survey: Herbicide-resistant weeds a growing concern

Herbicide-resistant weeds remain one of the top concerns for growers across the country, according to a recently completed survey.