News Stories - Page 202

News from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Lettuce, a high-value cash crop, was among the highest yielding crops in a University of Georgia organic trial incorporating cover crops into a high-intensive crop rotation model at a UGA farm in Watkinsville, GA. The crop yielded a net return of over $9,000 per acre over the three-year study period. CAES News
Wash Produce
An outbreak of E. coli linked to romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Arizona, has been linked to one death, 52 hospitalizations and 121 case reports in 25 states across the U.S. Judy Harrison, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension food safety specialist, says washing produce won’t guarantee it’s free of pathogens, but it will help.
Cotton plants blown over from Tropical Storm Irma's winds on the UGA Tifton campus. CAES News
Cotton Crop
Researchers project that Georgia’s cotton farmers will plant more than 1.45 million acres this year, an increase from 1.28 million acres in 2017, according to Jared Whitaker, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension cotton agronomist.
Too much water can hurt lawns and crop production just as much as not enough water would do. CAES News
Lawn Irrigation
Georgia has had a fairly mild spring this year, but the summer heat is right around the corner and with it comes thirsty, thirsty lawns. 
Temperatures in April were about 2 to 4 degrees below normal across the state. CAES News
Cool Spring
Going into the start of the growing season, a wetter, cooler-than-normal April helped to reduce drought conditions across the northern three-quarters of Georgia, but drought conditions remain in the southeastern corner of the state.
Members of the UGA-Tifton 2018 spring and summer graduation classes pose for a picture outside the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center on April 29, 2018. CAES News
UGA-Tifton Graduation
The University of Georgia Tifton campus recognized 32 College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences spring and summer graduates at a special ceremony held on Sunday, April 29, at the Tifton Campus Conference Center.
To maintain a healthy compost pile, you need to maintain the proper moisture level. Compost organisms need water to survive and function at their best. Inadequate water will inhibit the activities of compost organisms, resulting in a slower compost process. If the pile is too moist, water will displace air and create anaerobic conditions. The moisture level of a compost pile should be roughly 40 to 60 percent. CAES News
International Compost Week
Use a compost bin to turn fruit and vegetable scraps and lawn debris into rich compost to feed vegetable gardens and landscape plants.
Graduating seniors Gracie Row (left to right), Meghan Mitchell and Brittany Clark, from UGA, will participate in the 2018 UGA Extension summer internship program. Row and Mitchell will work in the 4-H programs in their respective counties, and Clark will work in the Agriculture and Natural Resources program. CAES News
Extension Interns
This summer, 23 students will intern in University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices throughout the state. They’ll work with Extension agents, gain hands-on experience in the office and field, and observe UGA Extension at work, serving Georgians.
When collecting wild raspberry seeds in Australia, University of Georgia scientist Rachel Itle first had to “calibrate” her eyes to search for the tiny, red berries. This, made finding them easier, but the wild berries were not plentiful. Some were bright red, some dull red and some golden, and the fruit is about a half or a fourth the size of commercial berries sold in the U.S., she said. CAES News
New Fruit
University of Georgia horticulturists Rachel Itle and Dario Chavez recently travelled to Australia to collect seeds from wild raspberries and peaches to bring back to the UGA Griffin campus. As scientists in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Itle and Chavez research Georgia-grown fruit.
Angelita Acebes is the new Extension pecan entomologist on the UGA Tifton campus. CAES News
New Pecan Entomologist
New University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan entomologist Angelita Acebes hopes to find more effective, sustainable solutions for Georgia farmers managing pest insects.
Cook County ANR Agent Tucker Price holds up a watermelon plant infected with gummy stem blight disease. CAES News
Watermelon Research
Georgia watermelon growers who have a targeted, informed disease management plan for gummy stem blight disease could save money and lessen the environmental impact of producing this favorite summertime fruit.