COTTON SPECIALISTS CORNER

Cover Crops in the Midsouth and the Southeast
Seth Byrd hosts four region-specific discussions (episodes 16, 17, 18, and 19) about the management of cover crops and considerations for planting cotton in a cover crop system. All podcast episodes of Cotton Specialists Corner can be found on Focus on Cotton. For more information on where you can listen to the podcast, click here. 

FOCUS ON CORN 

Advances in Prescriptive Agriculture & Big Data
“Big data” in agriculture production continues to receive a lot of attention, both positive and negative. John Fulton identifies the three primary layers of precision agriculture data—agronomic, machine, and production—and explains how they are converging.

FOCUS ON CUCURBITS

Comparative Biology and Detection of Whitefly-Transmitted Cucurbit Viruses
NEW! Whitefly-transmitted viruses and their whitefly vector have become economic constraints to cucurbit production in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Scott Adkins shares research findings about the biology and detection of these viruses, along with insights into how novel methods, including detection dogs, may be integrated into a neighborhood pest management strategy.

FOCUS ON SOYBEAN

Big Data and Implications at the Farm

A significant amount of data is generated through agricultural technology, and capturing and making that data actionable will help producers better understand their operations and costs. John Fulton advises row-crop producers about the importance of data quality and what factors to consider when evaluating options for data services. 

FOCUS ON WHEAT

Management of Mite-Transmitted Viruses in the Southern Great Plains

In the High Plains, hard red winter wheat is the most widely grown crop, and mite-transmitted virus diseases cause significant losses each year. Charlie Rush discusses the causes and impacts of these diseases, factors that impact vector and disease incidence, and specific actions producers can take to minimize losses.
 

EDITOR'S PICK

Small-Scale Fungicide Delivery Equipment to Manage Early Blight in Three Types of Tomato

Small-scale and beginning growers must balance the cost of fungicide application equipment with the type of tomato being grown. William Barlow and Emily Pfeufer present findings from three trials that compared the effectiveness of small-scale sprayer options against early blight in determinate, indeterminate round-fruited, and indeterminate grape/cherry tomatoes.

RESEARCH

An Integrated Pest Management Program Outperforms Conventional Practices for Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) in Cambodia

Pest management in tomato production in Cambodia has focused for several years on the use of synthetic pesticides. Porras et al. found that an IPM program increased tomato yield and income significantly compared with conventional practices during both dry and rainy seasons.