| April 2021, Issue 6 | Each month Grow Monthly shares a selection of new and favorite webcasts that provide applied knowledge to practitioners, the Extension community, and those they serve. Formerly behind a paywall, these webcasts from crop protection experts are now freely available.
| Featured Webcast
| | FRUIT DISEASE HUB Quan Zheng discusses fire blight, a devastating disease of apple and pear, and the disease management challenges posed by the evolution and spread of streptomycin resistance in the pathogen population. He also discusses the history of streptomycin resistance in North America and alternatives for antibiotics in fire blight management. |
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| "Focus on" Webcasts
| | FOCUS ON CORN William Cox provides guidance for seeding rates for grain corn production on silt loam, presenting data from studies that repeatedly have shown that seeding rates of about 30,000 kernels/acre result in close to optimum yields on silt loam soils. |
| FOCUS ON COTTON Bill Robertson presents termination timing results of a cereal rye cover crop and impacts on water infiltration and lint yield. He also discusses the logic for termination based on the growth stage of the cover crop to shield the soil surface and improve soil health. |
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| | FOCUS ON CUCURBITS Rebecca Melanson discusses downy mildew of cucurbits, which is common in the southeastern and eastern United States. She introduces pathogen characteristics, disease signs and symptoms, and disease detection, identification, and management. |
| FOCUS ON POTATO Early generation potato production relies on the development of disease-free tissue culture plantlet banks and the careful production of minitubers. Amy Charkowski presents the fundamentals of early generation seed potato production, from tissue culture to minituber production. |
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| | | FOCUS ON SOYBEAN John Rupe addresses soybean seed quality management, discussing the differences between seed germination and seed vigor, seed vigor measurement, the major abiotic and biotic factors that affect soybean seed quality, general methods to preserve seed quality, and tips for buying seed. |
| FOCUS ON TOMATO Judson Reid explains how high tunnels favor certain tomato diseases, including brown leaf mold, tobacco mosaic virus, and Fusarium wilt of tomatoes. He also discusses how to successfully manage these diseases and grow a healthy tomato crop in a high tunnel. |
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| | | FOCUS ON WHEAT Jeff Bradshaw discusses the wheat stem sawfly and its management throughout the High Plains, addressing the wheat stem sawfly life cycle, its growing geographic range, the damage it causes, and recommended management control tactics. |
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| | Schedule Your Webcast Recording
Grow is scheduling grant outreach webcast recordings for 2021. To get your webcast on the production calendar, send an email to focuson@scisoc.org.
Sponsor Grow
A range of sponsorship opportunities are available—from providing support for a single webcast to sponsoring a specific “Focus on” area or the full Grow: Plant Health ExchangeSM mission and site. Options are also available for sponsor-provided content. | Plant Health Progress
| | EDITOR'S PICK The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is the most damaging pathogen of soybean. Tylka and Marett revealed steady expansion of the distribution of SCN. Continued scouting and soil sampling for detection of new SCN infestations are warranted as the first step toward successfully managing the pathogen. |
| MINI-REVIEW The National Plant Diagnostic Network safeguards U.S. plant systems through accurate diagnosis and effective communications with clients, partners, and stakeholders. Smart et al. describe the network’s recent activities to protect U.S. plant agriculture and natural ecosystems and its plans to improve and expand capacity for national plant biosecurity. |
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| Crop News
| | | | Thanks to Our Sponsors!
| FOCUS ON CORN
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|  | | FOCUS ON POTATO
| | | | | | FOCUS ON SOYBEAN
| | | FOCUS ON TOMATO
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