Sunday, March 21, 2010

Twitter and Facebook

You can now follow the East Texas Nursery and Greenhouse IPM Program on Facebook and Twitter.

To view the Facebook site or become a fan visit http://facebook.com/ETIPM

You can also follow the IPM program on twitter @EastTexasIPM

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Thrips Management Program for Plants for Planting

After a lot of work by a number of people the Thrips Management Program for Plants for Planting is now available.  This plan is an evolving document and will change as new information regarding thrips management is developed.

This document presents a program to manage thrips including but not limited to Western Flower Thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) and Chilli Thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis) on plants. This program does not require a pesticide application when the first thrips is detected. However, it does outline steps to manage and maintain thrips populations throughout the initial propagation and active growth stages at levels to enable complete control on final plant material being shipped. Growers should apply pesticides when scouting reports identify population densities at levels where experience and/or extension personnel dictate action be taken. These densities would depend on many factors including the crop, source(s) of infestation, history of viral infection, and environmental conditions

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Chilli Thrips E-Learning Module Released!

The National Plant Diagnostic Network is pleased to announce the release of the chilli thrips e-learning module. Chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis, has been an emerging pest issue in Florida and other southern U.S. states since 2005. This new invasive pest has an extremely wide host range, attacking more than 40 plant families. Chilli thrips has been particularly problematic on ornamental plants, but agronomic crops, such as peppers, blueberries, strawberries, cotton and peanuts are also at risk.

The chilli thrips e-learning module will provide learners with an introduction to the distribution, life history, and pest status potential for chilli thrips, in the U.S.

Upon completing this module you will:
• Be familiar with the origin and current status of chilli thrips in the U.S.
• Be familiar with damage symptoms.
• Understand the life cycle of chilli thrips.
• Know general management options.
• Be familiar with local resources for obtaining management recommendations.
• Understand thrips sampling techniques.
• Know how to submit a thrips sample to an appropriate diagnostic laboratory.

In order to view the chilli thrips e-learning module, go to http://cbc.at.ufl.edu/ and click on ‘take the online modules’. If you do not have an account set up with the National Plant Diagnostic Network, you will need to do so in order to view this module along with others on the site. The website contains simple instructions for creating your account.

The chilli thrips e-learning module includes a post-test. As of March 2010, a ‘certificate of completion’ for the chilli thrips module will be available for download once the module has been completed at the 70% level or higher.

Please direct questions regarding the NPDN e-learning program to Amanda Hodges achodges@ufl.edu.

The chilli thrips training module was developed by Amanda Hodges, Lance Osborne, Howard Beck (University of Florida/IFAS), and Scott Ludwig (Texas AgriLife Extension Service)

Thursday, March 4, 2010

The Three E's of Nursery and Greenhouse Safety

Nursery and Greenhouse Safety:
Worker Training

Nursery and greenhouse workers perform labor intensive operations daily. They are exposed to heavy lifting, repetitive motions, extreme environmental conditions, equipment dangers, chemical exposure, and many other potentially hazardous situations.
Mississippi State University researchers are working to enhance labor performance of the green industry by raising awareness of these common safety concerns in this series of DVDs called "The Three E’s of Nursery and Greenhouse Safety.

In this safety training series, learn how following these recommendations can minimize the potential for injury among nursery and greenhouse workers. These bilingual (English/Spanish) safety training videos can be the perfect complement to your new employee training program or can be used as refresher training material reviewed at routine safety or team meetings.

The Three E’s of Nursery and Greenhouse Safety video series are available at no charge for online viewing (FLV) and download (MP4).

Choose the FLV link to open a new browser window that will show a Flash Video file or choose MP4 to begin downloading a file viewable with many video players.

Ergonomics
  • Hand and Wrist Safety FLV | MP4
  • Back and Lifting Safety FLV | MP4
Environment
Equipment
  • Safely Using Large Equipment FLV | MP4
To learn more about the video series or to order a copy, please contact:
Mississippi State University
Coastal Research & Extension Center
1815 Popps Ferry Road
Biloxi, MS 39532
601-403-8770
slanglois@ra.msstate.edu