Sclerotinia Minor–Big Impact on Peanuts
Interviewee: Travis Faske of University of Arkansas
Did you know that some peanuts have three seeds in a pod? Learn about peanut production,
the different varieties of peanuts, and what pests affect peanut production with an emphasis on the disease called Sclerotinia minor. While Sclerotinia minor is less common than some of the other diseases that affect peanuts, its effects are dramatic: plant foliage appears to melt as the plant dies. Learn how to spot the symptoms along with tips for when to start fungicide applications.
The Emerald Executioner: An Overview of Emerald Ash Borer
Interviewee: Dr. Cliff Sadof of Purdue University
The emerald ash borer was first identified in Detroit, Michigan in 2002. Since then, it has spread throughout the Eastern and Midwest U.S. and continues to spread in the South and Western United States. Sadof discusses why the emerald ash borer is fatal to trees, when to start treating your trees if the borer is spreading to your area, and when a tree has reached the “point of no return” after infestation. Learn to stay safe around heavy, fragile, dying ash trees, along with hope for this tree genus in the future.
Emerald ash borer. Photo by David Cappaert, Bugwood.org
Yields Being Grabbed by Dead Man’s Fingers: Taproot Decline of Soybean
Interviewee: Dr. Vinson Doyle of Louisiana State University
Xylaria necrophora, or “dead man’s fingers,” ultimately kills the soybean plants that it infects. While it is named for the black structures with white tips that grow out of infested plants (or often, dead trees), it is ideal to learn to recognize earlier disease symptoms, which are described. Xylaria necrophora also uses chemical warfare against other disease pathogens. Learn what this means for soybeans.
