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News from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Jena Johnson studies insects as a lab manager in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' entomology department and includes them in her photography. (Photo by Peter Frey/UGA) CAES News
Lab Manager, Insect Photographer
Most people try to swat them away, but Jena Johnson welcomes the beauty in the wings of a mosquito. Johnson, a lab manager in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ entomology department, fell in love with the study of insects during her junior year of college at Nicholls State University.
The tiny Asian longhorned tick (left) compared to the common Lonestar tick. CAES News
Asian Longhorned Tick
As of Sept. 21, an invasive and dangerous pest, the Asian longhorned tick, has been confirmed in north Georgia. Experts are warning livestock producers and the public to be on the lookout, as the ticks can kill an animal by attaching to a host by the hundreds.
Cotton seedlings planted over a rye cover crop. After harvest, cotton fields are planted with a cover crop. Before cotton is planted the next season, the cover crop is killed and rolled , then the cotton seeds are planted using either a no-till or strip-till system. The resulting "mulch" provided by the cover crop residue provides insect habitat, moisture retention and some weed suppression. CAES News
Crop Ecology
The use of cover crops has risen among both traditional and organic producers for a variety of reasons — to control erosion, choke out weeds, improve soil health and enhance water availability. Now research by University of Georgia scientists is examining which cover crops also may provide important habitat for predatory insects that could help control disease- and damage-causing pests in cotton.
Joro1 tiny MG 1294 CAES News
Spiders, Spiders Everywhere
Millions of palm-sized Joro spiders have suspended themselves in three-dimensional golden webs on porches, power lines and mailboxes in roughly 25 counties in the state — and counting. Although their numbers are a nuisance, the spiders are not considered a particularly harmful invasive species.
“To my knowledge, this is the all-time highest funding amount the UGA IPM program has received, which is incredible because this is a highly competitive national grant,” said Ash Sial, coordinator of UGA's integrated pest management program. CAES News
IPM Grant
An impressive team of University of Georgia researchers has received $765,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Crop Protection and Pest Management Program to support the continuation of integrated pest management (IPM) programming throughout the state over the next three years.
peaches CAES News
Pigskin and Peaches
Georgia and South Carolina share a border, a passion for football and pride in their peaches. With the University of Georgia and Clemson University campuses separated by a mere 70 miles, the Bulldogs and Tigers began fighting it out on the football field in 1897, with the teams set to meet for the 65th time on Sept. 4. As pitched as the battle is on the football field, there’s an even deeper rivalry between the two states when it comes to their peaches.
Like many other mosquito species, the larvae of Culex pipiens, commonly referred to as the common house mosquito, require certain vitamins to grow. These nutrients are extremely unstable in aquatic environments, and UGA researchers have found that gut microbes have to produce these components continuously in order for organisms like mosquito larvae to develop. CAES News
Mosquito Microbiota
To most people, mosquitoes are a nuisance. To University of Georgia entomologist Michael Strand, learning about their development processes could lead to new approaches in mosquito control.
The UGA cotton research team identified 24 Georgia counties where the presence of cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV) has been confirmed from commercial fields and UGA research farms during 2018-2019. CAES News
Cotton Leaf Roll Dwarf Virus
While aphids aren’t a direct threat to cotton plants, they can carry a persistent virus that is difficult to control and can cause significant losses in one of Georgia’s most important crops.
After molting into adults, periodical cicadas will move or fly to nearby vertical structures, especially shrubs and trees. The females will eventually lay their eggs on the ends of tree branches. CAES News
Tree Flagging
The emergence of Brood X exceeded expectations in north Georgia, as those of us who happen to reside in the “cicada zone” observed droves of periodical cicadas during the peak of the event. Over the past weeks, the song of the male periodical cicada has faded and fewer of these fascinating insects remain, but a sign of their passing is still evident.
Blubaugh Lab manager Katherine Hagan and master’s student Allison Stawara scout squash for various beneficial and pest insects as part of a living mulch study at the Durham Horticulture Research Farm in Watkinsville, Georgia. CAES News
Organic Pest Control
The hot, humid climate in the Southeast lends itself to nearly year-round insect, weed and disease pressure, and growing is especially tough if you’re an organic farmer.