Tomatoes/Peppers

Watch for thrips and mites in vegetables

The hotter temperatures we have had have caused thrips and to a lesser extent two spotted spider mite, TSSM (Tetranychus urticae) populations to rapidly increase in some vegetable fields in Maryland. These pests feed by... more »

Genes that keep plants green: Discovery can help grow crops in a drought

University of California scientists have discovered genetic data that will help food crops like tomatoes and rice survive longer, more intense periods of drought on our warming planet. Over the course of the last decade,... more »

New, ‘broad’ type of resistance against insects found in plants

Researchers at Wageningen University & Research and KeyGene in the Netherlands and Umeå University in Sweden have discovered that a resistance gene in thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) that is active against the green peach aphid... more »

How to identify white mold in tomato production

White mold, or timber rot, is caused by the soil-borne fungal pathogen, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. The photo on right shows a high tunnel tomato plant with main stem infected by white mold. Over time the entire plant... more »

Preparing for pepper anthracnose is a serious issue in New Jersey

Pepper anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum spp. has become a significant problem on some farms in southern New Jersey. Unlike in tomato, where symptoms are only present in mature... more »

Pepper seeds ready to spice up space station

Researchers from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center planted pepper seeds in seed carriers inside the Space Life Sciences Lab on April 8, 2021, as part of the Plant Habitat-04 (PH-04) experiment. The pepper seeds will fly... more »

$650,000 to help breed green chile peppers for mechanical harvesting

Allen Van Deynze, professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of California, Davis, has received an investment of $650,000 from the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture for a project that... more »

Results released from UF/IFAS 2020 mini sweet pepper trial

Results from a University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences 2020 mini sweet pepper trial conducted at Old Bailey Farms in Bonita Springs have been released. Varieties planted were replicated four times in... more »