Crop Protection

Washington eradicates first Asian giant hornet nest of 2021

The Washington State Department of Agriculture eradicated the first Asian giant hornet nest of the year on Wednesday, Aug. 25. The nest was located in the base of a dead alder tree in rural Whatcom... more »

Use netting to control birds in vineyards

Vineyard managers should take care to control birds at this time when sugar contents are peaking in grapes, making them a highly desirable food source. Netting is probably the most effective control method, followed by... more »

Growers: Neonicotinoid evaluation does not reflect actual product use

Grower organizations representing a variety of crops are voicing disappointment with EPA's Endangered Species Act-required draft biological evaluation (BE) for several neonicotinoid products, including imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and clothianidin. The groups representing farmers across the country... more »

Stemilt first tree fruit company to achieve full EFI certification

Stemilt received new Equitable Food Initiative certifications in August to become the first apple, pear and cherry company to achieve EFI certification of its entire operation. The new certifications bring Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) standards... more »

Southern blight of apple new disease for Pennsylvania fruit growers

The 2021 growing season has been producing a couple of surprises, the latest being increased incidences of southern blight on apple. Southern blight of apple was first observed in Pennsylvania in 2018 and, unfortunately, is... more »

USDA to survey fruit growers about chemical use

In the next few weeks, the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service will survey fruit growers in 12 states, including Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey, for its biennial Fruit Chemical Use Survey. This survey will... more »

Research into grapevine leafroll disease in top 10 most cited annual papers

Past research by Washington State University plant pathologist Naidu Rayapati earned recognition among most cited papers in the journal PLOS One. Rayapati, a professor in plant pathology and director of the WSU Irrigated Agriculture Research... more »

Washington’s 2021 cherry pesticide residue study now available

The Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission Internal Program recently completed its 2021 study in cherry which included 12 insecticides/acaricides and seven fungicides, including a few new products. The results of that study are available, as... more »