Written By: Emily Cabrera, UGA IPM Communications CoordinatorExpert Source: Ashfaq Sial, UGA Blueberry Entomologist Native to North America, blueberries are the most recently commercially domesticated fruit in the United States. Just a little over a century ago researchers began studying this wild berry with an intent to develop improved varieties…
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Ash Sial, Department of Entomology, University of Georgia;Renee Holland, UGA Extension, Bacon County I have recently received reports of slug infestations in Georgia blueberries. A number of slug species including Limax spp., Arion spp., and Deroceras spp. are known to infest blueberries. Slugs are soft-bodied mollusks without a shell. They…
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Written By: Jonathan Oliver, Fruit Pathologist Organic food sales topped $50 billion in the United States in 2018. Statistics from the Organic Trade Association tell part of the story of this growing market: Fruits, vegetables and other specialty crops combined to make up 36.3% of total organic sales up 5.6%…
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Written by: Emily Cabrera, UGA IPM Communications CoordinatorExpert Source: Ash Sial, Blueberry Entomologist & UGA IPM Coordinator The University of Georgia has just been awarded a $5.4 million grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture through the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) to develop…
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Written By: Ash Sial, Blueberry Entomologist; James Jacobs, Pierce County CEC; and Zack Williams, Bacon County ANR agent Over the past few years whiteflies have emerged as a major threat to several crops in Georgia and other states in the southeastern United States. In blueberries, whitefly populations typically increase after…
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Written by: Ashfaq Sial, Associate Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Georgia Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) control programs should consist of three major components: 1) monitoring and identification, 2) preventative pest management tactics (including exclusion, sanitation, frequent harvest intervals, pruning, mulching, and resistant varieties), and 3) curative pest management tactics…
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Written by: Ash Sial, Associate Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Georgia Over the past few days, I have received several calls from Extension Agents about prevalence of soft fruit, vertical fruit split, small berry size and some reports of worms in the fruit. Although it is difficult to determine…
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While most of the world is dealing with shelter-in-place orders and faltering economies, the plants just keep on growing and the pests just keep on coming. Many of the spring field days have been cancelled or postponed this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but a few research teams have…
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Interested in learning about integrated pest management options for blueberries? Need pesticide credits? Register for the Virtual Extension IPM Blueberry Field Day and join in next Tuesday, April 7th, 2020 from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm (EST). Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1714103849236858380
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