disease

MSU Plant & Pest Diagnostics names new director

Jan Byrne has been promoted to lead Michigan State University’s (MSU) Plant & Pest Diagnostics department. She succeeds Ray Hammerschmidt, who plans to retire. Byrne, who holds a doctoral degree, has worked at MSU as... more »

Melons hosts for cucurbit downy mildew detected in New England

Melons are hosts for cucurbit downy mildew (CDM), a disease that harms cucurbits, has been spotted in New England. CDM was reported the week of Aug. 5 on cucumber crops by growers in Franklin County,... more »

Smart tech wipes out pests: The latest trends in spraying automation

Innovative spraying technology can help manage pests and diseases threats, which can significantly harm fruit and tree nut crops, affecting yield and quality. The new tech helps ensure healthy trees and abundant production. Responsible use... more »

Fresh Views: Grapevine disease management tackled

Last year posed significant challenges for grapevine growers in California as they battled against heightened disease pressure. Facing threats from several major fungal diseases such as powdery mildew (PM), botrytis and phomopsis cane and leaf... more »

Pearson Farm’s six generations find orchard happiness

Run by fifth- and sixth- generation family members, Pearson Farms planted its first peach trees in 1885. Pecan trees were added in the 1930s. Lanier and Lawton Pearson. Photos courtesy Pearson... more »

New Geneva rootstocks to help apple growers with size, yield, disease

New releases from Cornell’s Geneva Apple Rootstock program should benefit growers through increased fire blight resistance, larger-sized and better-yielding fruit and even help growers by supplying sub-dwarfing varieties. Cornell’s Geneva rootstock... more »

National Plant Diagnostic Network: Plant health at a crossroads, the economic imperative of fully funding NPDN

The National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) is a crucial bastion in the defense of the United States’ agricultural and natural ecosystems, ensuring the health of a sector that contributes over $1 trillion to the U.S.... more »

Talking tech: New app innovations aid growers

Farming has forever been changed by technology, with new innovations helping growers of fruit, vegetables and tree nuts improve things such as pest management, disease monitoring and data collecting. One of the biggest help to... more »

FieldWatch partners with Georgia ag dept. on pesticide safety

A partnership between Georgia and a nonprofit mapping operation is designed to promote safe pesticide handling. The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) is partnering with FieldWatch to introduce new technology aimed at promoting safe pesticide... more »

FieldWatch highlights locations of organic crops, bees

An online mapping registry that allows organic growers and beekeepers to alert commercial pesticide applicators and neighbors who farm about sensitive acreage continues to gain interest across the U.S. FieldWatch, a nonprofit that provides the... more »