The third edition of a booklet to help identify noxious and invasive weeds in New Mexico is now available. “Noxious and Troublesome Weeds of New Mexico” provides information on about 67 plant species that are ranked in five categories – noxious weeds categories A, B and C, watch list, and troublesome weeds not included on the noxious weeds list. New …

University of Georgia Viticulture Extension — We collected our first grape root borer adults today in one of our pheromone traps in White and Lumpkin Counties, Georgia. This means that the adults have started to emerge from the soil out of their pupal stage. For the next few weeks the adults will emerge, mate, and the females will lay their eggs …

Michigan State University — Last week began cool with highs in the low 60s and lows in the 40s. A storm system entered Michigan on Thursday, bringing rain and very humid conditions. Northern grape-growing areas also saw high temperatures in the mid-70s and lows in the lower 60s. Southern areas were 5-10 degrees warmer. The heaviest rains came on Friday …

Contents of the July Issue: UV Treatment Could be “Game Changer” WAVEx Addresses Powdery Mildew Fungicide Resistance RBA Gathers Strength Post-Pandemic Raisin Growers Anticipate Better Year & Prices Protecting Vineyards with Drones The Modern Scarecrow The American Grapevine Grape Industry News Briefs California Georgia North Carolina Oregon Washington

The time is upon us once again. Japanese beetles are showing up in vineyards around the state. In large enough numbers, Japanese beetles can be a severe pest of grapes during the summer, feeding mainly on foliage and (thankfully) rarely on the berries. More problematic is Japanese beetles feeding on new plantings. Older, established vines can withstand some feeding damage, …

Just a quick note that recent rain events were risk events for downy mildew based on the NEWA DMCast model. It seems that northern Virginia received more and longer rain events. In addition, we may see more rain toward the end of next week. Since we have been experiencing a very dry season, I was not really thinking about downy …

Since the past winter was more or less steady and mild, in terms of temperature fluctuations, there are less likely that many of us saw the minimum temperature at 15F or lower. For example, at Winchester, we saw 14.5F on the 21st of February, and that’s it for this winter. The risk of Pierce’s disease will increase with a warmer …

It looks like our Chardonnay buds are swelling, which probably means that growers in the south and central Virginia either start to see bud break. Then the forecast is calling for rains next week. I guess it is a typical Virginia spring. One of the diseases you need to consider soon after bud break is Phomopsis cane and leaf spot. …