Boxwood blight can be devastating to American boxwood cultivars, which are common in Kentucky landscapes. Complete defoliation can occur within a week, and plants can die within a single growing season. Use of tolerant cultivars, cultural practices, and fungicides can…
Monthly Archives: April 2021
Mapping Brood X Periodical Cicadas in Kentucky
What is happening with cicadas in 2021? 2021 will feature the emergence of Brood X, one of the groups of periodical cicadas that lives in Kentucky. Brood X is a 17-year brood, meaning that the insects that will be aboveground…
Posted in Landscapes
Bacterial Wilt of Cucurbits (PPFS-VG-11)
Bacterial wilt is a common occurrence in commercial cucurbit fields and residential gardens. It is a potentially destructive disease that can result in complete crop loss even before the first harvest. This newly revised publication provides information on cucurbit hosts,…
Posted in Featured Pubs & Videos
2021 Insect Trap Counts
Trap counts for major insect pests are provided by the Kentucky IPM Program. Traps are located at the UK Research and Education Center in western Kentucky and the UK Spindletop Farm in Lexington. Below are trap counts for the current…
Posted in Insect Trap Counts
Fire Blight Alert and Risk Map Overview
Apple and pear trees are at bloom or approaching bloom across Kentucky. Infection by the fire blight bacterium occurs during bloom, thus, protectant antibiotics should be applied when risk is high. Risk for infection can be assessed using the Fire…
Posted in Fruit
Last Year’s Small Fruit Diseases Equal This Year’s Disease Risk
Disease presence last year can indicate a risk for the same disease this year. Many pathogens overwinter on infected plant material or as pathogen survival structures. Poor sanitation practices can lead to an increased risk of these diseases in the…
Posted in Fruit
Rainy Season Equals Phytophthora Disease in Ornamentals
Spring rains can create growing conditions that are devastating to most landscape plants. Wet soils are favored by a group of pathogens called water molds, or oomycetes, which cause a range of root and stem diseases. Water molds are found in…
Posted in Landscape Trees & Shrubs, Ornamentals
Prevent Cutworm Damage to Cut Losses
Cutworms are cool-weather, early-season pests of many cultivated plants. Often before crops are even planted, the small instar cutworms may be feeding on winter-annual weeds in fields. When winter-annual weeds are burned down, and spring crops are planted, half-grown cutworm…
Posted in General Pests
Diplodia Tip Blight of Pine (PPFS-OR-W-21)
Diplodia tip blight is a serious disease of landscape pines in Kentucky, resulting in needle death and dieback. Austrian (Pinus nigra), Scots (P. sylvestris), and Mugo (P. mugo) pines are most commonly affected. As branch dieback progresses upward in diseased pines, trees…
Posted in Featured Pubs & Videos
2021 Insect Trap Counts
Trap counts for major insect pests are provided by the Kentucky IPM Program. Traps are located at the UK Research and Education Center in western Kentucky and the UK Spindletop Farm in Lexington. Below are trap counts for the current…
Posted in Insect Trap Counts
Kentucky Pest News 