Disease Control
Field of Machines: Automation eases some tasks, but focus is on harvest
FRESNO, Calif. – As Congress prepares yet again to consider agriculture labor reform through the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, dozens of autonomous sprayers, weeders and cultivators are entering fields, orchards and vineyards every day in... more »
Grant to help strawberry growers battle soilborne diseases
Research to fight soilborne diseases that harm strawberry plants is being fortified thanks to a $1 million grant to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s California Strawberry Center. The California strawberry industry is challenged by numerous... more »
Bayer acquires German biotech start-up Targenomix
Bayer’s acquisition of Targenomix, a German biotech start-up, should contribute to Bayer’s Crop Science R&D pipeline by delivering new systems biology approaches for crop protection discovery. On Nov. 10, Bayer announced its purchase of Targenomix,... more »
Vive Crop Protection wins innovation award
Canada’s National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) has honored Vive Crop Protection by awarding it as a co-recipient of the Synergy Award for Innovation Cynthia Goh, a professor of physical chemistry at the University... more »
Salinas Valley farmers hit by lettuce virus
A virus spread by insects is causing widespread damage to lettuce crops in the Salinas Valley, the renowned Salad Bowl that provides more than one-half of America’s lettuce. According to growers and researchers, impatiens necrotic... more »
Farm Bureau strategist joins ag consultancy
Veteran strategic communications professional Mace Thornton has joined Stratovation Group, an ag consultancy concern, as partner and chief operating officer who will lead client services. With a career spanning more than 30 years as a... more »
Onion thrips, disease management strategies
Onion thrips are a major insect pest in onions. They feed on onion leaves, resulting in silvery scarring, reducing the amount of green leaf tissue (Fig. 1A). A reduction in green tissue negatively affects the... more »
ASTA helps sow the future of seed technology
When vegetable growers plant a seed in the field, they’re putting faith in a multi-year development process that is designed to deliver highly specific results, from how long it takes for the seed to grow... more »
