Pests of Plants

Overview

Pests affecting plants, like soil-borne diseases, insects, and fungi, are the central focus of Georgia's pest management efforts. Commercial producers contend with the thrips, aphids, moths, and other bugs that indiscriminately prey on their crops, while conditions like mycotoxin in corn and tomato spotted wilt virus cost farmers both cash and crops. As Georgia's producers deal with these challenges they spend from tens of thousands to millions of dollars, depending on the product and pest, every year. The state's well-known contest with the boll weevil demonstrates the potential scale of pest damage and thus the relative value of preventative measures. The beetle decimated Georgia's cotton industry from 1915 until a focused eradication program begun in 1987 eventually recovered yields.

Publications

Commercial and Professional Publications

• 2012 Tobacco Research Report
• University of Georgia Herbicide Programs for Tropical Spiderwort (Benghal Dayflower) Control in 2013 Cotton
• UGA Programs for Controlling Palmer Amaranth in 2013 Cotton
• Guide for Interpreting Nematode Assay Results
• Peanut Response to Liberty
• Turfgrass Pest Control Recommendations for Professionals (2013)
• 2008 Georgia Plant Disease Loss Estimates
• Reducing Aflatoxin in Corn During Harvest and Storage
• Managing Wild Radish in Wheat
• Alternatives to Synthetic Herbicides for Weed Management in Container Nurseries
• How to Set Up a Post-Emergence Directed and Shielded Herbicide Sprayer for Cotton
• Granular Applicator Calibration Procedure
• 2001 Georgia Plant Disease Loss Estimates
• 2000 Georgia Plant Disease Loss Estimates
• 1999 Georgia Plant Disease Loss Estimates
• 1998 Georgia Plant Disease Loss Estimates
• 2005 Georgia Plant Disease Loss Estimates
• 2010 Georgia Plant Disease Loss Estimates
• Georgia FARM*A*SYST: Managing Pests on Croplands and Pastures
• Turfgrass Diseases in Georgia: Identification and Control

General Publications

• Insect Identification Guide for Southeastern Landscapes
• Identificación y Control de Lespedeza en Céspedes
• White Grub Pests of Turfgrass
• Control de Bermuda en Céspedes Residenciales del Sudeste de los EEUU
• Chipmunk Control
• Repellents and Wildlife Damage Control
• Key to Diseases of Oaks in the Landscape
• Novel Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue
• Danos Abioticos y Anomalias de Cespedes en Georgia
• Enfermedades de Cespedes Guia de Referencia Rapida
• Turfgrass Diseases: Quick Reference Guide
• Fireblight: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
• Tizón de Fuego de las Rosáceas: Síntomas, Causas y Tratamiento
• Abiotic Injuries and Disorders of Turfgrasses in Georgia
• Common Landscape Diseases in Georgia
• Enfermedades Más Comunes De Plantas Ornamentales En Georgia
• Mouse Ear of Pecan
• Cane Blight of Blackberry
• Orange Felt (Orange Cane Blotch) of Blackberry
• Blossom-End Rot and Calcium Nutrition of Pepper and Tomato

To see other publications, go to the CAES Publications site or the FACS Publications listing.

News

For the latest news about Extension, visit Georgia FACES. News you can use about Georgia family, agricultural, consumer and enviromental sciences.

• Tomato yellow leaf curl virus threat to tomato crop
• Early detection and persistence are the key to defeating Japanese beetles
• UGA-Tifton Campus holds annual Agricultural and Environmental Awareness Day
• Annual Turfgrass Conference held in Tifton
• Forage pest having major impact
• Kudzu bugs wake up, cover houses, pester homeowners
• Misuse of pesticides harmful for farmers, companies
• Technology to play key role in future of agriculture
• Reddish-brown boxwood leaves likely caused by winter
• Stink bugs costly, harmful to farmers' crops

Websites

UGA-affiliated sites

• Forages Insect Management
  Includes PDF resources on insects affecting forages.
• Impact Statements: Plant Disease
  Descriptions of Extension efforts to improve knowledge & practices related to plant disease.
• Landscape Pest Management
  Includes brief descriptions and identifying images for a variety of insect pests. Also includes brief summaries of recent research.
• Natural Enemies of Stink Bugs
  Program investigates natural predators of stink bugs as alternatives to insecticide.
• Peanuts Pest Management
  Detailed insecticide, pesticide and other pest management resources specific to peanuts.
• Pest Insect Control
  Briefly summarizes pest management benefits of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
• Plant diseases and drought
  Briefly summarizes how drought can increase disease risk and reduce the effectiveness of crop pesticides.
• Sniffing Out Stink Bugs
  News story describes program to research stink bug problem in cotton and the implications for other crops.
• Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
  Describes the disease in detail for peanut, tobacco, and other vegetable crops. Includes resources for identifying thrips.
• Widely Prevalent Bacteria of the United States
  Lists Georgia bacteria by scientific and common name.
• Widely Prevalent Fungi of the United States
  Lists Georgia fungi by scientific and common name.

External sites

• Georgia Pest Control Association
  Information for future and existing pest control professionals.
• Invasive Insects of Concern in Georgia
  Catalogs invasive species by subject and scientific name and frequently includes descriptions and identifying images.

Training

Cooperative Extension offers training within local communities on a wide array of topics. To see if there are training events in your area, please visit our calendar.

• Urban Pest Management Program-Griffin
  Training, certification and detailed information on termites and other pests.