Mexican fruit fly control needs citizen help to keep Texas citrus industry vibrant

Posted on October 10, 2017 by southernipmcenter

by Kathleen Phillips, Texas A&M AgriLife

The success of the Texas citrus industry may hinge on a lot of variables, but a tiny fly and people with backyard citrus trees are high on the list.

Allowing fruit to linger on a tree provides a paradise for Mexican fruit flies by keeping their reproductive cycle in business, but that can slap a quarantine on citrus in the area and limit markets, according to Dr. Olufemi Alabi, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service plant pathologist in Weslaco. Continue reading →

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The North Central Consumer Horticulture IPM Working Group harnessed the power of the internet to reach gardeners with training modules

Posted on October 10, 2017 by southernipmcenter

From the Connection, North Central IPM Center

The North Central Consumer Horticulture IPM Working Group harnessed the power of the internet to reach gardeners, including Extension Master Gardeners and garden center employees, in the United States and Canada with several webinars which were then enhanced into learning modules promoting IPM.

One online module, Process of Diagnosing Plant Problems, teaches the participant how to determine what is wrong with a plant through a series of questions and Extension resources. This step-by-step process is often a roadblock for Extension Master Gardeners as they help homeowners to diagnose what is wrong with their plants. Focusing on the process itself was a new approach to teaching. Continue reading →

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