Citrus has long been thought of as a low-maintenance crop. Though this crop is relatively low input, it is not hands free. Regular and timely scouting can keep the maintenance input to a minimum. This guide will provide you with a key to id…
Volunteers guide 4-H members in becoming productive citizens, outstanding communicators, effective leaders, and successful lifelong learners. Alabama 4-H needs volunteers who are willing to share creative ideas, time, talent, and skills to…
Pest prevention is a critical tactic for specialty crop producers. The HTPE system is aimed at reducing the entry of large insect pests and has worked really well to stop leaffooted bugs, stink bugs, armyworms, loopers, and hornworms. If …
The Alabama Beginning Farmers Project is funded by grants from the USDA Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program (Awards 2015-04598 & 2018-02936). The overall project implementation plan involves collaboration with a wide rang…
Scout crops and prevent insect outbreaks with timely intervention. Armyworms typically start out in hay and pasture fields, or feed on weedy hosts before making a move to the specialty crops. Armyworms typically lay a large number of eggs…
Integrated Pest management, or IPM, is the practice of using a variety of methods to manage pests. When used correctly, pesticides can be a great tool for managing pests, but they should not be the first action to manage pest problems.
Rem…
This is going to be good news for conventional and organic squash producers! We initiated studies on evaluating two varieties of Hubbard trap crop in 2013 with the intention of developing some alternative pest management recommendations. He…
Trap cropping is a unique cultural insect control tactic that deters pest feeding damage and works for certain insect pests; my focus has been leaffooted bugs and stink bugs with the sorghum-sunflower system we recommend. If you haven’t e…
Squash bugs have piercing and sucking mouthparts that like to feed on cucurbits like squash or pumpkins, and make the plants sick through feeding and disease transmission. Squash bugs take a long time to mature (~8 weeks) during which time …
Mechanical barrier for insect control is not a new concept, but Alabama Extension Vegetable IPM Team along with a group of producers has re-imagined and advanced the application of physical exclusion system for high tunnel producers who are…
Several species of caterpillars are common to leafy greens and brassica crops. Those include armyworms, diamondback moths, cabbage loopers, cabbage white butterfly (AKA imported cabbageworm), cross-striped cabbageworm, etc. The caterpillars…
This report is an update regarding the high tunnel pest exclusion (HTPE) system. This research was started in 2014 with USDA SARE program funds. The HTPE system uses woven black shade-cloth of various grades installed under the sidewalls an…
In general, vegetable insect pests have chewing or piercing-sucking mouthparts. Caterpillars, beetles, and grasshoppers are good examples of insect pests with chewing mouthparts. Large stink bugs and leaffooted bugs are some “macro bugs” wi…
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System at Auburn University along with the Alabama Green Industry Training Center, and the Alabama Pesticide Safety Education Program host a biennial training conference called the “Pesticide Applicator…
Pruning helps to maintain a balance between vegetative and reproductive growth. If you don’t prune or prune very little, your tomato plants will produce excessive vegetative growth with reduced fruit size. Moderate pruning will leave your p…