By Kathy Demchak, Matt Cooper, and Rich Marini (Penn State University); Maria Cramer (Univ. of Maryland, formerly Penn State) High tunnels are widely used for raspberry production in much of the world, and it is easy to understand why. The longer growing season, increased yields and improved quality, and the…
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By Stacia L. Davis Conger, Ph.D., State Irrigation Specialist, LSU AgCenter Inherent to the southeastern United States, rainfall in hot-humid climates is highly variable in both frequency and duration. In Louisiana, historical rainfall averages 1,350 – 1,700 mm (53 – 67 inches) annually with most dry periods expected during the…
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By Lisa Rayburn, NCSU; Josh Mays, TriEst Ag Group, Inc.; James Hewitt, Lewis Nursery and Farms; and Gina Fernandez, NCSU In 2021, NC State University started an on-farm research project with Lewis Nursery and Farms to investigate the feasibility of long-cane raspberry production in the state. Until now, commercial production…
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By David Gadoury (Cornell University) and Natalia Peres (University of Florida) Microbial pathogens that attack the above-ground parts of plants live in a world that is bathed in sunlight and have done so for nearly 300 million years. In that time, these simple one-celled microbes have evolved to sense, use,…
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Dr. Amanda McWhirt Increasingly researchers and growers are investigating the use of drones for small fruit production. In North Carolina a strawberry grower used a drone to monitor a strawberry field that had flooded or there have been instances of using drones to spray strawberry plug plants. The applications of…
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By Douglas G. Pfeiffer, Dept. Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA 24061 Usually thought of as apple, peach, cherry and plum pest but plum curculio also will attack blueberry, huckleberry, grape, and persimmon (Milholland & Meyer 1984). Plum curculio is one of the most potentially damaging pests on various hosts during…
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Kristin Hicks, Agronomic Services, NCDA&CS In order to optimize growth, fruit quality and economic return, commercial strawberry production requires intensive and precise fertilization throughout the season. In high-value crops like strawberry, using a combined strategy of pre-season soil testing and in-season plant tissue analysis is an inexpensive and highly effective…
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Mengjun Hu1, John Lea-Cox1, Jayesh Samtani2, Roy Flanagan III2, and Chuck Johnson21 Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland 2 Virginia Cooperative Extension Plasticulture growers in production areas outside Florida and California, such as the coastal plain or piedmont areas of the eastern US, typically use lightweight…
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Aaron Cato Wireworms are an uncommon, soil-dwelling pest that feed on seeds and developing seedlings, as well as the roots and underground stems of plants. While uncommon, wireworms can be a serious pest of many seeded annual crops and especially of root and tuber crops such as sweet potato. Most…
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Douglas G. Pfeiffer, Dept. of Entomology, Virginia Tech Meadow spittlebug is an insect that most people are familiar with, even those not involved with berry production. The masses of white, frothy spittle-like material are commonly seen on meadow grasses and other plants. If you pull apart the froth, a green…
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