Browse Weeds, Diseases and Pests Stories - Page 12

Beginning March 1, Robert N. Stougaard will be the assistant dean of research for the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He will be responsible for the overall supervision of the college’s seven research centers and farms and three major agricultural experiment stations located across the state.

Once a top agricultural commodity in Georgia, the Southern pea’s presence in the state is now minimal. Growers are reluctant to plant the crop due to a tiny weevil, the cowpea curculio.

Hundreds of people get sick each year from inappropriate pesticide use, but those who don’t deal with pesticides daily may not think about it very often. Of the 11 states participating in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) pesticide safety program, workers reported 853 serious injuries from pesticides in 2011, according to the CDC.

University of Georgia entomologists advise farmers to kill crops capable of hosting whiteflies after the crop is harvested a final time. Crops left in the field could continue to serve as hosts.

No official pesticide drift complaints have been reported to the Georgia Department of Agriculture this year due to in-season applications of dicamba, or 2,4-D.

Summer may have ended, but Georgia’s silverleaf whitefly infestation has not.

Fall is perfect for playing football, picking pumpkins and killing fire ants. Tackling the stinging pests now will cut down on the number you encounter next spring and summer, according to entomologists with the University of Georgia.

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension’s newest plant pathologist will focus on improved control of plant-parasitic nematodes, the microscopic, worm-like pests that primarily feed on the roots of Georgia’s vegetable crops.

Through part of a $12.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension peanut entomologist Mark Abney is studying the biology of the burrower bug and developing an effective management program.

Jonathan Oliver’s study of blueberries and his homegrown knowledge of citrus makes the Palatka, Florida, native a valuable addition to the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.