Some Facts About Florida’s Genetically Modified Mosquitoes from an article in Entomology Today by Richard Levine
Some Facts About Florida’s Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
What will sod supply and price be like in 2015?
2015 Sod Producers’ annual survey examines inventory and price
Clint Waltz, UGA Turf Specialist
In November 2014, the Georgia Urban Ag Council conducted their 21st consecutive survey of sod producers. The purpose of the survey was to determine inventory levels and projected price changes for spring 2015. The following is a survey overview. You can find the complete survey online here.
Survey overview:
- Supply of warm-season turfgrasses is low, regardless of turfgrass or grower type.
- The delivered price for all grasses is expected to increase.
- Grass prices are at historic levels.
- 2015 continues an eight year trend of increasing average prices for certified grass.
- Freight rates per mile shipped to Atlanta, or within 100 miles of the farm, will increase.
- Growers that report adding a fuel surcharge nearly doubled from 2014.
- No grower expects to remove acres from turfgrass production.
- More turfgrass acreage will come into production in 2015.
Recommendations:
- Get price quotes regularly.
- If possible “book” or lock prices to ensure availability and price.
For more information:
Signal words on labels give an estimate of pesticide toxicity
| Information taken from the UGA publication Insecticide Basics for the Pest Management Professionalby Dan Suiter, UGA Department of Entomology, and Michael Scharf, Purdue University Department of EntomologyThe signal word found on every product’s label is based on test results from various oral, dermal, and inhalation toxicity tests, as well skin and eye corrosion assays in some cases. Signal words are placed on labels to convey a level of care that should be taken (especially personal protection) when handling and using a product—i.e., from purchase to disposal of the empty container (Table 1).
Table 1. Toxicological parameters related to signal words found on EPA-registered pesticide product labels. |
||||
| Signal Word on Label | Toxicity Category | Acute-Oral LD50 for Rats | Amount Needed to Kill an Average Sized Adult | Notes |
| Danger-Poison | Highly Toxic | 50 or less | Taste to a teaspoon | Skull and Crossbones; Keep out of Reach of Children |
| Warning | Moderately Toxic | 50-500 | One to six teaspoons | Keep out of Reach of Children |
| Caution | Slightly Toxic | 500-5,000 | One ounce to a pint | Keep out of Reach of Children |
| Caution | Relatively Non-Toxic | >5,000 | Greater than a pint | Keep out of Reach of Children |
UGA offers turf, landscape & gardening certificate courses
Edited from a longer article found here
Landscape managers are in high demand to maintain and enhance grounds for commercial and public property owners, including stadiums, golf courses, apartment complexes, resorts and office parks. The University of Georgia proudly offers its own courses for the landscaping industry.
In UGA’s turfgrass courses, you’ll learn to select and maintain different types of turf grasses for a variety of conditions, such as drought, shade and high traffic.
Register yourself or employees for UGA’s Principles of Turfgrass Management (offered in English or Spanish) and become Landscape Industry Certified by PLANET, The Professional Landcare Network.
Register yourself or employees for UGA’s Sports Turfgrass Management. UGA’s Sports Turfgrass Management Course is an in-depth review of fundamental sports field management practices, endorsed by the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA).
Armitage’s courses Herbaceous Perennials for the Sun and Herbaceous Perennials for the Shade ideal for master gardeners, nursery employees, and landscape designers.
Print-based UGA certificate courses
Principles of Turfgrass Management
Learn standard turfgrass management practices and procedures. This course covers soils, turfgrass growth, fertilization, mowing, irrigation, weeds, diseases, pesticides, and much more.
Principios Sobre el Manejo de Céspedes
Aprenda prácticas y procedimientos estándares sobre el manejo de céspedes. Este curso cubre suelos, crecimiento de céspedes, fertilización, corte, irrigación, malas hierbas, enfermedades, pesticidas y mucho más.
This course explains how turfgrass management practices are specifically adapted to sports fields. You’ll learn the principles of warm- and cool-season turfgrass establishment, growth, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
UGA online certification and certificate programs
Armitage’s Herbaceous Perennials for the Shade
Learn how to plant, propagate, and care for 18 awesome perennials. You’ll learn each plant’s origin, characteristics, bloom time, flower structure, and optimum growing conditions.
Armitage’s Herbaceous Perennials for the Sun
Learn how to plant, propagate, and care for 20 awesome perennials. You’ll learn each plant’s origin, characteristics, bloom time, flower structure, and optimum growing conditions.
Some Facts About Florida’s Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
Some Facts About Florida’s Genetically Modified Mosquitoes from an article in Entomology Today by Richard Levine
Subscribe to the Georgia Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin
See the original article here
Every two weeks more than 40,000 subscribers look forward to receiving the Georgia Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin. Published by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, this periodical has been compared to everything from the Old Farmers’ Almanac to a version of Georgia’s own Southern Living. In the Market Bulletin you will find everything to from your fall planting guide, to the latest recipe. The Bulletin serves as a valuable resource for all things related to Georgia Agriculture, from mountains in Blue Ridge to the fields in South Georgia.
Market Bulletin History
Established in 1917, the publication began by providing free classified advertisements to enable Georgia farmers to market their products and to locate items necessary for their farming operations. Today the Market Bulletin has been expanded to include not only the free classified ads, but also articles of interest regarding the latest agriculture trends, innovations and products as well as southern lifestyle articles.
Throughout its history the Bulletin has been a vital resource to Georgia’s agricultural community. A subscriber summed up the publication by stating, “It is our link with yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The Bulletin is like an old friend who drops by to visit.”
Subscriptions for the print edition of the Bulletin are available at a cost of $10 per year. Online ONLY subscriptions are available for $5 per year.
Managing Pesticide Resistance
Rosmarie Kelly, Public Health Entomologist, Georgia Department of Public Health
A pesticide is a chemical or biological agent (such as a virus, bacterium, antimicrobial, or disinfectant) that deters, incapacitates, kills, or otherwise discourages pests. Pesticides have been grouped into classes according to how they work (mode of action or MOA). Repeated use of pesticides with the same MOA to control a pest can cause a form of artificial selection that can develop into pesticide resistance. This means that there may be some pests in the population that will not be killed by the pesticide. When those pests that survive breed, some of their young will inherit the pesticide resistance.
What is pesticide resistance?
- It is the ability of a pest to develop a tolerance to a pesticide.
- It results in the repeated failure of an insecticide product to provide the intended level of control when used as recommended.
Why are insects likely to develop resistance?
- Many pest species, including insects, have short life cycles and lots of offspring
- Increasing the probability of random mutations
- Ensuring the rapid build-up in numbers of resistant mutants once such mutations have occurred
- Pest species have been exposed to natural toxins for a long time before the onset of human civilization
- Humans often rely almost exclusively on insecticides for pest control. This increases selection pressure towards resistance. Pesticides causing the most problem are those that are:
- Highly persistent
- Highly specific
- Long term exposure to pesticides with the same MOA
- Low migration of the insects
However, other factors can prevent insecticides from providing satisfactory control in the field. They can also ultimately lead to an increase in resistance. These include:
- Improper equipment calibration
- Improper dilution
- Timing issues
- Off-specification product use –
- Using the wrong product for the pest species
- Using the product incorrectly based on label directions
- Climatic factors
In addition, it is important to properly identify the pest you are treating since pest behavior can cause failure of control as well.
Why should you be concerned? Pesticide resistance is a big problem. It has been determined that, with every new insecticide introduction, resistance will occur within 2 – 20 years.
- Currently resistance is found in:
- More than 500 species of insects and mites
- Over 270 weed species
- More than 150 plant pathogens
- About a half dozen species of rats
- Additionally,
- There are > 1,000 insect/insecticide multiple resistance combinations
- At least 17 species of insects are resistant to all major classes of insecticides
How do I how to prevent resistance or deal with existing resistance?
- Ensure all spray applicators are well trained
- Follow product labels
- Do not use any product not labeled for the equipment being used
- Calibrate equipment at least yearly
- Rotate pesticides between MOA classes. See the info on Resistance Action Codes (IRAC, FRAC, etc.) at the end of this article for more information on rotating pesticide MOA.
- Avoid unnecessary pesticide applications
- Use non-chemical control techniques
- Leave untreated refuges where susceptible pests can survive
- Adopt an integrated pest management (IPM) approach
- PLAN AHEAD
Sources for more info
Grow UP with Trellises
With the limited space of a community garden plot growing UP is a great option. Not only will you produce more food crops per area, but you help keep the food out of the reach of rodents. For many crops keeping them off the ground increases air circulation and lessens the chance of diseases and rots. Cucumbers, runner beans, peas, and pumpkins are examples of crops that can grow up. Going vertical means you will need support in the way of a trellis.
These two trellises are simple – posts with wire or string between. Adding a beam across the top will help stabilize the structure. This is helpful for lightweight crops such as beans or peas. Make sure the posts are deeply placed in the plot so they will be secure and not easily blown over. Also, make sure your wire or string is strong enough to hold the weight of the food crop.
This teepee shape is popular for trellising runner beans. In most cases string or wire is woven between the posts. If the tee-pee is large enough it can even be a nice hideout area for a young child. Just trellis the beans on two of the three sides leaving one open.
The trellises in this picture are a bit more complicated. They are engineered for the posts to lean on each other for partial support. Posts across the top help with stablization.
Here the chain link fence around the community garden is used to support pumpkins which appreciate the air circulation of growing UP.
Notice how this larger pumpkin has the support of a mesh sling. Heavier food crops will need support so gravity doesn’t separate them from the vines.
Gardening in a small space often requires creativity. Growing UP is one way to be creative! Visit other gardens of your local UGA Extension office for more ideas. After all, these aren’t your grandfather’s row crops.
Happy Gardening!
How do we control wild garlic in lawns?
Wild Garlic Identification and Control In Home Lawns
Drs. Jialin Yu and Patrick McCullough, UGA
Wild garlic (Allium vineale L.) is a common weed in most turf areas throughout Georgia. It emerges from underground bulbs in late fall and grows through the winter and spring months. Wild garlic is a winter perennial plant that declines in early summer. This weed species is highly objectionable because it grows faster than cool-season turfgrasses after mowing and causes unsightly clumps in dormant warm-season turfgrasses during winter. Wild garlic has a similar appearance to wild onion (Allium canadense L.) but they are easily distinguishable by their leaves. Wild garlic has round hollow leaves and while wild onion has solid flat leaves.
Mowing is not effective for controlling wild garlic because bulbs or bulblets in the soil will continue to sprout and grow. In addition, the bulbs can remain viable in the soil for years before emergence. Mowing, however, can weaken the plants and help prevent the production of seeds.
Chemical control is similar for wild garlic and wild onion. Preemergence herbicides do not provide effective control. Multiple applications of postemergence herbicides over more than one season are typically required to control wild garlic. Wild garlic has slender and waxy leaves, which may reduce herbicide uptake. In Georgia, herbicides should be timed during winter or early spring before the formation of bulbs.
Synthetic auxin herbicides are typically the best herbicides to use in tall fescue lawns for wild garlic control. 2,4-D alone or in three-way mixtures with dicamba and mecoprop (Trimec, Triplet, Weed B Gone, etc.) effectively control wild garlic. These herbicides are safe in warm-season grasses during active growth but should not be applied during the spring green-up. Reduced rates are recommended when spraying to sensitive turfgrasses including centipedegrass and St. Augustinegrass. Using PowerZone or SpeedZone, which include carfentrazone and three-way synthetic auxin herbicides, may improve wild garlic control in cold winter. However, turfgrass tolerance to these products may vary and temporary turfgrass yellowing may occur on certain turfgrass varieties.
Postemergence control may also be achieved with ALS-inhibitor herbicides. Imazaquin (Image) controls wild garlic on warm-season turfgrasses but should not be used during spring greenup or on newly planted or sprigged lawns. Imazaquin will severely injure fescue and ryegrass.
Metsulfuron (Manor, Blade, others) effectively controls a wide number of broadleaf weeds and wild garlic. Metsulfuron can be applied to tolerant warm-season turfgrasses including bermudagrass, centipedegrass, St. Augustine, and zoysiagrass. However, applications may temporarily inhibit greenup of centipedegrass and other species during spring transition. Metsulfuron should not be used in lawns with desirable bahiagrass populations. Woody ornamentals should not be planted in treated areas within one year following the metsulfuron application.
Glyphosate may effectively control wild garlic in dormant bermudagrass. To avoid injuring desired turfgrasses that are not completely dormant, spot treatments should be used on sensitive turfgrasses.
Table 1. Postemergence herbicides for wild garlic control.
| Herbicide | Trade name | Rate (Product/Acre) | Tolerant Turfgrass |
| 2,4-D | 2,4-D Amine,
Weedar 64, and others |
See label | Kentucky bluegrass, bermudagrass, centipedegrass, tall fescue, zoysiagrass |
| 2,4-D + dicamba + MCPP | Trimec, trimec Southern,
Triplet Weed B Gone and others |
See label | Kentucky bluegrass, bermudagrass, centipedegrass, tall fescue, St. Augustinegrass, zoysiagrass |
| carfentrazone, MCPA, MCPP, dicamba | Powerzone | 2-6 pt | Tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, red or fine fescue |
| carfentrazone, 2,4-D, MCPP, dicamba | Speedzone | 2-5 pt | Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, colonial bentgrass, red or fine fescue, common bermudagrass, hybrid bermudagrass, zoysiagrass |
| imazaquin | Image | 8.6-11.4 oz | bermudagrass, centipedegrass, St. Augustinegrass, zoysiagrass |
| metsulfuron | Manor, Blade and others | 0.33-1.0 oz | Kentucky bluegrass, bermudagrass, centipedegrass, St. Augustinegrass, zoysiagrass |
| glyphosate | Roundup Pro, Touchdown and others | 0.75 pt | bermudagrass (dormant) |
Winter is a good time to control Chinese privet and climbing fern
Information taken from this article in the Thomas County Ag News
Chinese privet (also called privet) is an invasive weed that escaped from cultivation. It is often found in landscapes and around old homesites, edges of fields and in low areas. According to Dr David Dickens, UGA Extension Forester, this time of the year, a foliar treatment is a good option to control privet.
Basal treatments of privet (spraying the stems) can be difficult because of the large number of branches. Dr Dicken’s says that dormant-season foliar sprays with 3-5% glyphosate provide effective control. Concentrations greater than 5% are not economical.
Take care to keep the spray off the foliage and young green bark of desirable plants. Since many plants are dormant at this time of year, there should be less effect on non-target plants.
Privet seeds are only viable for one year so in areas where they continues to germinate, the seeds are being introduced by birds or other means.
UGA Extension Forester, Dave Moorhead, points out that this 3 – 5 % glyphosate spray will also work in controlling another invasive weed – climbing fern.
See the original article here for more information.
Read and follow all labeling directions when using any pesticide!