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Many third-party audits, buyers, and standard operating procedures for produce packinghouses or other food facilities require regular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) or protein swabs to verify the effectiveness of the cleaning and sanitation protocols. This video demonstrates how to collect ATP and protein swabs, how to interpret swab results, and provides advice to help determine an acceptable baseline when implementing a new swabbing program.
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Mosquitoes can transmit a wide variety of pathogens and significantly reduce our quality of life with their aggressive biting behavior. Pollinators, and honey bees in particular, are a critical part of our natural environment, contributing significantly to food production and ecological diversity. Unfortunately, these two groups of insects often have overlapping habitats. As a result, proponents of both mosquito management and pollinator protection must find a way to communicate effectively and work together for the betterment of both society and these important entities. Mosquitoes pose a significant public health risk due to their disease transmission potential. While West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne disease in Georgia, other diseases like Eastern equine encephalitis and LaCrosse encephalitis are also regularly detected. In addition to their disease transmission potential, biting mosquitoes are a perennial deterrent to outdoor activity in many communities. As a result of their pervasive pest status, many different techniques are used to suppress mosquito populations. Comprehensive mosquito control today should be conducted using integrated pest management practices. This approach typically includes education, source reduction, surveillance, larviciding, and adulticiding. When conducted properly, scientific studies and repeated operational observations have demonstrated that an integrated pest management approach does not pose a significant risk to honey bee colonies.
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Grazon® P+D (picloram + 2,4-D) injury, diagnosed as leaf roll, is occasionally observed in Georgia peanut fields due to the presence of contaminated soil, forage, animal waste (manure/urine), and/or irrigation water. Since peanut plants are very tolerant of low levels of 2,4-D, the primary cause of these leaf roll symptoms is picloram. When this injury occurs, growers are often concerned about how it can potentially influence final peanut yield.
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Whiteflies are common and recurrent insect pests of cotton in Georgia. The severity of whitefly damage varies from year to year based on the size of the pest population. The most abundant species of whitefly found infesting cotton in Georgia is Bemisia tabaci, commonly known as the silverleaf whitefly (SLWF) or sweet potato whitefly. Another species, bandedwinged whitefly (Trialeurodes abutiloneus), may also be present in Georgia cotton. This publication highlights whitefly biology, damage, sampling procedures, control methods, and tips for managing risk in cotton.
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Human campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis are two of the most commonly reported gastrointestinal infections worldwide and poultry meat has been identified as the main source of infection. Controlling pathogen colonies of public health concern such as Salmonella and Campylobacter in poultry flocks on the farm is critical for a successful overall food safety program. Biosecurity on the farm can contribute significantly to reducing the potential for Salmonella and Campylobacter colonization in broilers.
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The red-headed flea beetle (RHFB), Systena frontalis (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is a serious insect pest in ornamental nurseries. It is also referred to as the “cranberry flea beetle” in cranberry and blueberry systems in the Northern U.S. The adult RHFB causes serious feeding damage to the foliage of a variety of woody and herbaceous container plants in nurseries (Figures 3 and 4). As the name suggests, the RHFB jumps when disturbed, similar to a dog flea. A native pest, the RHFB is present in the central and eastern regions of the U.S.
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Scale insects are common pests of landscape trees and shrubs that are often overlooked when scouting. Scales can be responsible for chlorosis, branch die-back, and ultimately, plant death. Scales are broadly categorized as either soft scales or armored scales. Soft scales produce a soft, cottony, powdery, or waxy substance that cannot be separated from the scale body. Common soft scales in Georgia include Indian wax scales, Florida wax scales, brown soft scales, oak lecanium scales, magnolia scales, cottony maple scales, cottony camellia scales, cottony cushion scales, and azalea bark scales. Armored scales have a hard, shield-like cover that is not attached to the body of the insect. Common armored scales in Georgia include tea scales, euonymus scales, obscure scales, false oleander scales, juniper scales, and gloomy scales.
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Crape myrtles, Lagerstroemia spp., are popular landscape shrubs and small trees. Native to China, Japan, and Korea southward to Oceania, crape myrtles have been cultivated in the U.S. for more than 175 years. Cultivars range from 3-ft shrubs to 30-ft-tall trees, and they are graced with large panicles of white, pink, lavender, purple, red, and many colors in between. Among cultivars, crape myrtles have a wide range of tolerance to key pests and diseases, such as powdery mildew, flea beetles, crape myrtle aphids, and Japanese beetles. The plant’s flowers are widely admired by humans and can serve as nectar and pollen sources for pollinators. With the recent decline in pollinator health and diversity, pollinator visitation, pest susceptibility, and horticultural attributes should all be considered when choosing crape myrtle cultivars for home and commercial landscapes.
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