LSU AgCenter agricultural engineers Randy Price and Steven Hall are developing robotic boats that will keep winged predators out of commercial ponds.

A new wheat variety developed specifically for Louisiana growers and adapted to Louisiana and surrounding states has been released by the LSU AgCenter.

Most people don’t think about mosquitoes much during the winter, but LSU AgCenter faculty members aren’t like those people.

Sometimes uninvited guests just don’t know when to leave. That’s the case with two invasive plants in the state, giant salvinia and hydrilla. But LSU AgCenter scientists are trying to give the eviction notice to these two aquatic weeds with herbicide and biological controls.

Russell bermudagrass hay is proving to be a profitable crop for Rex Wilhite of Ringgold.

LSU AgCenter scientists are gearing up to participate in the search for alternatives to termite-preventing wood treatments. The search has become critical because the most predominate treatment – chromated copper arsenate, also known as CCA – soon will be taken off the market.

Off-flavor in pond-cultivated catfish is a problem for Louisiana catfish producers. One of the compounds most commonly cited as responsible for earthy and musty tastes and odors in water and the cause of off-flavor in catfish is geosmin, which is a substance produced by blue-green algae and bacteria. Although it is not a health hazard, geosmin in water can be absorbed in fish tissue, making fish taste bad and impossible to sell.

Southern blight, caused by the fungus Sclerotium rolfsii, is a serious disease that attacks many plant species, including most vegetables grown in home gardens. The most obvious symptom of the disease is the sudden wilt or collapse, near or at mid season, of all the above-ground parts of the plant (Figure 1). The mycelium of the fungus is often visible as a white, cottony growth around the base of the stem near the soil line (Figure 2).

Thousands of acres of vegetables and strawberries are planted every year in the southern United States on black polyethylene-mulched and drip-irrigated beds. Black mulch increases early spring crop yield by retaining heat and moisture, conserving fertilizer and retarding weed growth.

Difficulty in obtaining and maintaining an adequate stand in direct-seeded cabbage led to the investigation of possible culprits such as herbicides, insects and diseases. We hypothesized that use of Treflan (trifluralin) during periods of high soil temperature and low soil moisture would reduce germination and seedling vigor.

An important feature of a precision seeder’s performance is its ability to place seeds singularly a given distance apart. Manufacturers of precision vegetable seeders promote their products as more accurate at seeding uniformity than typical agronomic seeders. Based on previous research with vegetable seeders, we decided to compare the seeding uniformity of precision vegetable seeders with agronomic seeders.

Roundup and other glyphosate-containing products are nonselective, postemergence herbicides that control many annual and perennial weeds. Roundup was initially evaluated in the South for preplant weed control in reduced tillage systems, but the role has expanded with the development of herbicide-resistant crops.

The LSU AgCenter honored four individuals and a team of research and extension faculty members during its 2002 annual conference in December.

Predatory birds cause problems for aquaculture farmers because they eat their crops. In Louisiana, birds such as cormorants and pelicans prey on young catfish and crawfish, which costs producers thousands of dollars each year in lost revenue.

Each year diseases adversely affect soybean profitability. In 1999, for example, 4.37 million bushels were lost to disease in Louisiana. This was more than 17 percent of the total yield.

The heat is a winter crop that is often part of a double-cropping system, most often followed by soybeans. There is considerable interest in double-cropping cotton and grain sorghum with wheat. In North Louisiana wheat is planted in mid October to mid November and harvested from mid May to early June.

Consumer use of farmers’ markets has been steadily increasing in the last few years. The number of markets in the United States has grown by 63 percent since 1994. As of 2002, there were 2,868 farmers’ markets.

The number of annual bedding plant species and varieties available for residential and commercial landscape has increased dramatically in the last five to 10 years.

Vol. 46, No. 1