Crop Protection
Protect strawberry flowers and fruit from frost injury
Recent frosts at the Cal Poly farm in San Luis Obispo, California, has brought frost injury in all its variety. According to the Compendium of Strawberry Diseases “frost injury is probably the most common non-pathogen... more »
Louisiana strawberries hit by new plant disease
A new disease called Pestalotia leaf spot and fruit rot caused by the Neopestalotiopsis fungus species has been detected on strawberries in Tangipahoa Parish. Louisiana State University AgCenter plant doctor Raj Singh said an aggressive form... more »
Pesticide Data Program webinar to be hosted by USDA
The USDA will host a webinar on March 15 at 10 a.m. PT, 1 p.m. ET to provide an overview of the current Pesticide Data Program (PDP) with highlights of the 2020 PDP results, as... more »
Johnny’s connects with a phytopathologist, a basil grower and a breeder
Basil is a high-demand, high-value crop that consumers expect to be flawless on presentation. Growers need access to the best-performing, most disease-resistant basil varieties available, and as a committed partner in the success of our... more »
Thrips hit onions; foliar disease boosts risk
Onion thrips are a major challenge to organic growers and to growers who grow onions with conventional practices. Foliar diseases like stemphylium are also a major challenge. New research from Michigan State University (MSU) is... more »
New guide helps Northeast farms learn tarping
A new publication helps growers understand how tarps work. Cornell Small Farms Program's Reduced Tillage project's “Tarping in the Northeast: A Guide for Small Farms” provides comprehensive information on the emerging practice of tarping. To help weed and... more »
New biostimulant operating unit created by Valent BioSciences
To further help support the goal of its parent company, Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd., to achieve carbon neutral status by 2050, Valent BioSciences LLC recently announced that it is establishing a new operating unit designed... more »
Study shows planting cucumbers early can help to avoid downy mildew
Downy mildew affects cucumber crops in South Carolina every year and can cause huge crop losses, but Clemson University researchers say planting early can cut growers’ losses to just about zero. A 2021 study conducted... more »