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From Delta Farm Press
Akiochi disease of rice, also known as ‘hydrogen sulfide toxicity’, causes black crown and root rot in rice. In 2012, under hot and dry conditions, the disease was seen in several rice fields across the state of Arkansas. In the assessment of former Extension rice pathologist Dr. Rick Cartwright, incidence of this disease in 2012 was the most severe since 2004.
From Delta Farm Press
Five million pounds of plant biomass — that’s about how much Mississippi’s 1.75 million to 1.9 million deer eat in a day.
And in agricultural areas a goodly chunk of that consumption consists of soybean plants, says Bronson Strickland, associate Extension professor with the Mississippi State University Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture.
From Cotton 24/7
While many growers may be finalizing their cotton plans and getting planters ready for the field, it’s also a good time to start thinking about managing early season insect pests, especially thrips.
“In normal years, we usually have to overtreat 20-to-30 percent of our cotton acres on top of the seed treatments for thrips,” stated Angus Catchot, Extension entomologist with Mississippi State University. “But for the last two years, for a variety of reasons – maybe cooler weather, maybe residual herbicides holding the cotton plant growth back a bit – we’ve had to make multiple applications on up to 70 to 80 percent of the acres. That’s a trend that may be with us for a while.
From Delta Farm Press
As if Mississippi did not already have enough bugs, three new insect pests became established in the state in 2012.
Blake Layton, entomologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the newest insect residents are two flies and one bug: the spotted wing drosophila, the Bermudagrass stem maggot and the kudzu bug.
From Delta Farm Press.
Fruit, vegetable and flower growers can participate in a Jan. 18 field day highlighting sustainable growing practices.
The Mississippi State University Extension Service and several partner organizations will host the event at the Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production Demonstration Farm near Goodman from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Growers of all experience levels are welcome. Attendance is free, but pre-registration is required. Lunch and materials will be provided.
From Delta Farm Press
Two of the greatest soilborne concerns in the Mid-South soybean world, according to Mississippi Extension Plant Pathologist Tom Allen, are reniform and root-knot nematodes. “Nematodes are a tremendous problem in the Mid-South due to the level of acreage dedicated to continuous soybean or soybean following continuous cotton,” he says.
A tip about a folk remedy plant used in India and Africa to ward off bugs has led to the discovery of insect-repelling compounds.
From USDA Agricultural Research Service
By Jan Suszkiw
October 19, 2012
Aflatoxins are highly toxic carcinogens produced by several species of Aspergillus fungi. But not all Aspergillus produce aflatoxin. Some, in fact, are considered beneficial. One such strain, dubbed K49, is now being recruited to battle these harmful Aspergillus relatives, preventing them from contaminating host crops like corn with the carcinogen.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist in Oxford, Miss., is working toward developing new herbicides by focusing on a molecular pathway that not only controls weeds, but could have helped shape our nation’s history.
Established kudzu bug populations have been confirmed in southern Mississippi. This finding represents a significant jump in the range of this pest across the whole state of Mississippi from previously confirmed sites in Alabama. The Warren County, Mississippi location is also one county south of point where the state boundaries of Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana converge.
Read the Delta Farm press story on the finding.
