organic
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Written by: Emily Cabrera, UGA IPM Communications Coordinator Experts/Sources: Cera Jones, Small Fruit Entomology Lab Manager and Corinne Stouthamer, Research Scientist, University of Georgia In a quiet field of abandoned blueberries and shrubby brush in south Georgia, Cera Jones released hundreds of tiny parasitic wasps into the thicket and watched them fly away, following their natural instinct…
Posted in: beneficials, biological control, Blueberry, insect pests, invasive pest, organic, small fruits, strawberries -
Written by: Emily Cabrera, UGA IPM Communications Coordinator Expert/Source: Juan Carlos Díaz-Pérez, University of Georgia Horticulture Professor For nearly three decades, Juan Carlos Díaz-Pérez has been contributing to the field of sustainable vegetable production, focusing on organic agriculture as a professor in the University of Georgia Department of Horticulture. This month, Georgia Organics is recognizing his work with the 2022 Land…
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Written By: Emily Cabrera, IPM Communications CoordinatorExpert/Source: Dr. Carmen Blubaugh, Allison Stawara, Christiana Huss, Jon Golan, Julia Berliner Organic farmers in the southeast may have struggled to find resources and support to help combat pests, but now University of Georgia Insect Ecology professor Dr. Carmen Blubaugh and her team is on the case researching ways…
Posted in: beneficials, biodiversity, biological control, cover crops, cultural control, insect pests, organic, Research, vegetables -
A new in-service training series is set to begin this fall that will provide Extension agents in the southeast with the latest information on integrated pest management within various commodity areas. Trainings will be led by specialists from the University of Georgia with invited speakers from institutions within the Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium (SRSFC).…
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Written By: Ash Sial, University of Georgia Blueberry Entomologist The spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive and economically important pest of many soft-skinned fruits such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, and other. Since its first detection in California in 2008, SWD spread rapidly across the United States. It…
Posted in: Blueberry, chemical control, commercial, cultural control, insect pests, Monitoring, organic -
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% from the previous year. Naturally,…
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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 such as the judicious use…
Posted in: Blueberry, chemical control, cultural control, exclusion, insect pests, Monitoring, organic, Prevention -
Although blueberry gall midge has historically been referred to as a rabbiteye problem, recently it has been reported to be a concern in some southern highbush fields. The majority of the highbush infestations were primarily reported in older blocks and those surrounded by rabbiteye blueberries. The southern highbush varieties that infestations have been reported include…