Fighting Phytophthora: Integrated Strategies for Controlling Root Rots in Nurseries and Greenhouses

Dr. Kelly Ivors, NC State University, will cover the latest management strategies for managing root rots on nursery and greenhouse crops.

Title: Fighting Phytophthora: Integrated Strategies for Controlling Root Rots in Nurseries and Greenhouses
Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM EDT (10:00 Central Time)

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/926355656

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Nursery and Greenhouse IPM Webinar Series: Whiteflies and Thrips

This is the first in a series of monthly webinars addressing IPM issues in the nursery and greenhouse industry.  This month's webinar will address whitefly and thrips control.  Dr. Osborne, University of Florida, will cover how to properly managing B and Q biotype whiteflies.  Dr. Ludwig, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, will discuss how to manage western flower thrips and chilli thrips.  Please join use for this interactive online meeting.

Title:  Nursery and Greenhouse IPM Webinar Series: Whiteflies and Thrips
Date:  Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT

Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/116468073

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Citrus Greening Workshop

Kevin Ong, director of the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab, will be hosting a citrus greening workshop in Tyler on July 14th at the Smith County Extension Office from 9am to 1:15 pm. This is a serious disease of citrus and is currently quarantined. This is a good opportunity for anyone who sells citrus or maintains them in the landscape to learn about this disease. You can register at http://plantclinic.tamu.edu.

Q-biotype whiteflies have been discoved in Texas

Q-biotype whiteflies have been discoved in Texas. The good news is that there have not been any reports of whiteflies that could not be controlled. Look for more information once the Q-biotype Task Force has a better handle on the situation. In the meantime, check out my whitefly managment page. The "Management Program for Whiteflies on Propagated Ornamental with an Emphasis on the Q-biotype" will provide information on managing both B & Q-biotype whiteflies.

In the meantime remember the basics......

A good whitefly management program must have two goals. First, of course, is to help growers produce a high quality, salable crop for the final consumer. Second, but of equal importance, is preserving the chemical tools that agriculture uses to manage whiteflies. If we do not maintain the viability of effective chemical tools, it will be difficult for many growers to produce a salable crop. Consequently, the wise use of chemicals, through a scientifically based IPM program, is essential in this 21st Century. Europe has seen, and is suffering from, the results of overspraying. Insecticide misuse in the United States may result in silverleaf whitefly populations that cannot be controlled. It is important to remember that the Q-biotype whitefly is already resistant to a number of products commonly used. Chemical overspray could easily lead to B-biotype resistance.

The Task Force asks you to collaborate with us in this effort. It's not just about the challenges posed by the Q-biotype. It's about avoiding resistance development in any whitefly population.
What should commercial growers be doing?
 
1. Scout - essential. Inspect your crops at least weekly. Don't let the whiteflies get ahead of you, or your treatment options will be more limited.
 
2. Exclude or isolate. If at all possible, try to exclude whiteflies from your growing facility with screening material, and if possible, isolate the facility so that workers have to enter through an anteroom.

3. Practice good sanitation - essential. Keep weeds down, maintain good growing practices.
 
4. Inspect incoming shipments, and isolate if necessary. All of the major propagators are cooperating in this program, so you should not be receiving undue numbers of whiteflies. Because zero-tolerance is NOT the goal for anyone, you may see a whitefly or two when your shipments arrive. That's normal, and means that your propagator (or rooting station) is probably following good management practices. However, if you see many whiteflies on incoming shipments, keep those shipments separate from your other crops until they have been treated. And contact your propagator or rooting station - inform them about the situation. Ask whether they are biotyping their whiteflies, if they are monitoring resistance levels in their whitefly populations, and if they are following the Task Force's recommended Management Program.

Nursery and Greenhouse Professional Field Day

The AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton is hosting its first field day dedicated to nursery and greenhouse crop producers on June 24.  The meeting flier is posted at on my website etipm.tamu.edu.  

Dr. Pemberton will have his Horticulture Field Day in the morning. More information should be available at flowers.tamu.edu next week.

If you plan on attending the Nursery and Greenhouse Professional Field Day please RSVP to 903-834-6191 by June 22

Hope to See you on June 24th!

Nursery and Greenhouse Professional Field Day Schedule:
Pre-Field Day Seminars (2 TNLA CEUs)
1:00-1:30 2010 CA Spring Trials - Brent Pemberton
1:30-2:00 2010 CA Spring Trials - Jimmy Turner
2:00-2:20 Summary of Texas Field Trial Evaluations - Brent Pemberton
2:20-2:50 Use of Traps to Manage Feral Hogs - Billy Higginbotham

Nursery and Greenhouse Professional Field Day (2 TDA CEUs, 4 TNLA CEUs)
2:50-3:00 Registration (Auditorium)
3:00-4:00 Overview of Applied Horticulture, Entomology, and Pathology Research
4:00-4:15 Travel to North Farm (3 miles north of the Center)
4:15-4:45 East Texas Bedding Plant Trials
4:45-5:00 Travel back to Overton Center
5:00-6:00 Tour of Entomology, Pathology, and Horticulture Research Projects
6:00-7:00 Dinner (Kevin Ong will provide an entertaining and educational program)

The center is one mile north of Overton on FM 3053

Directions can be found at: overton.tamu.edu/maps.htm.
 

Field Day is made possible by the financial support of the following sponsors:
BioWorks
Dow AGroSciences
Harrell's
Helena
Pace 49
Kinney Bonded Warehouse
Senninger Irrigation
Natural Industries
Syngenta
Vital Earth Resources

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

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

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)

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

• Eye and Hearing Safety FLV | MP4
• Chemical Safety FLV | MP4

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

Insect Images and Videos

Wondering where you can go to find images of insects that you know are correctly identified? There are a lot of insect photos on the internet but not all are correctly identified.

The 4-H Entomology website is a wonderful resource for not only 4-H participants, but the general public. While the site is targeted for 4-H Entomology students, there is a link to a list of common insects you can find in your own backyard well as while you travel throughout the state.

The guide to insect and non-insect orders is really cool because you can learn how to pronounce all those scientific names (it's an interactive pdf file- waaay cool!) and find out information on biology and characteristics.

Another great feature is a link to insect collecting videos. No, this isn't people collecting insects, but videos that show you how to do things like how to use an aspirator, choosing the correct net, pinning insects, etc. It's a great how-to section for those of you who want to start insect collecting as a hobby or start a reference collection to utilize as a teaching tool.

I need to thank Wizzie Brown's blog for this information.

Have you developed your IPM plan for 2010?

In a blog posting I will not be able to tell you how to implement an integrated pest management (IPM) plan from scratch.  I will however I can go over some of the basics.

Before developing an IPM plan, it is important to understand why you are developing an IPM plan. Integrated pest management is a strategy to limit damage caused by insects, mites, diseases, weeds, etc. It strives to use a combination of pest-control tactics to minimize risks to human health, the environment and nontarget organisms. IPM focuses on tactics that will prevent or avoid anticipated pest problems rather than trying to remediate problems after they occur.

IPM is the combined use of mechanical, physical, cultural, biological and chemical control methods. To properly implement an IPM program, you need to evaluate all control methods available.

In developing an IPM plan it is important to familiarize yourself with the growing conditions favorable to your crops and the pests to which they are susceptible. A team of individuals should develop the IPM plan. Having key growers, pest managers and key spray personnel involved in the process will help to ensure that all areas of production are addressed. By developing your management plan before you start your crop it will be possible to discuss the plan with your employees and ensure you have the supplies you will need.

You can divide your IPM plan into three key parts. The first part of your IPM plan should address sanitary measures before and during production. Ensuring no pests are present when you start your crop can save a lot of time and effort. The second part of your plan should cover your pest-monitoring program. A proper monitoring program is invaluable in any IPM program. Finally, determine how you will manage pests when they appear at levels that trigger a required treatment.

By determining in advance how you plan to manage common pest problems, you can be assured you have chemicals or biological-control agents available when needed. It is important to update you chemical management program every year due to new products entering the market. Many new pesticides are compatible with IPM programs in that they have a very narrow spectrum of pest susceptibility and are compatible with biological control agents.

As you implement your IPM program it will be important to keep in constant communication with your employees. At the end of the season, a meeting should be held to discuss the effectiveness of the IPM plan and make any needed changes for next year’s crops.

Field Day in Overton

I hope everybody is having a great 2010 so far.   I know the cold weather was a challenge for many growers.  I had problems with pipes bursting and heaters not working so I know what many of you went through last week.  This cold weather hopefully killed off some insect pests that were lurking about.

Now lets think about warmer weather.  The AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton will be hosting its first field day  dedicated to nursery and greenhouse production on June 24th.  We are still working out the details, but the program will start in the afternoon and wrap up with a free dinner.  We should be able to offer TNLA and TDA CEUs.

The field day will have something for everyone.   We will start off in the air conditioned auditorium with an overview of the research and extension programs at the Center.  The program will then move outdoors with field tours of Dr. Pemberton's plant evaluation trials and Dr. Steddom's and my pest management trials.  The NTNGA Memorial Greenhouse is now operational and will be a major feature of the program.   We will finish off inside with a great meal catered by Catfish Express (they catered lunch at the East Texas Nursery and Greenhouse Conference in 2009).