Blog Archives

Avoid Post-harvest and Storage Molds: Fusarium Bud Blight and Head Blight Contamination in Stored Hemp

Fusarium head blight (FHB, also called scab in wheat and Gibberella ear rot in corn) is a serious disease of cereals and corn around the world. The disease also affects other cereal grains and grasses. Losses result from combinations of

Posted in Hemp

Minute Pirate Bugs were Active in Hemp Fields

Minute pirate bugs were observed on hemp plants during the 2022 growing season in several open fields and indoor structures (tunnel or greenhouse) in Kentucky. Minute pirate bugs are generalist predators of white flies, aphids, mites, thrips, and moth eggs.

Posted in Hemp

The wasp Campoletis sonorensis Detected Parasitizing Corn Earworm in Hemp

The corn earworm (CEW), Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a key pest on hemp in the United States. Caterpillars actively feed on hemp flowers, fruit, and seeds; less commonly on leaves. Although this insect is considered to be of economic

Posted in Hemp

Corn Earworm and Yellow-striped Armyworm Have Started their Feast on Hemp

As a growing industry in the United States, hemp (Cannabis sativa with <0.3% of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) has exponentially increased, not only in its number of licensed acres (approximately 500,000 across 45 states), but also in its capacity to diversify into at

Posted in Hemp

Southern Blight of Hemp

The fungal disease southern blight affects a wide range of plant species, including hemp. When stems and roots become infected, plants can wilt, decline, and/or die, resulting in yield loss. The southern blight pathogen survives in upper soil layers for

Posted in Hemp

Carolina Grasshopper Consumed Hemp Seedlings in High Tunnels

Description of Problem The current absence of rains has been affecting hemp transplants in Kentucky. In research plot transplants at the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center, more than 100 plants were lost out of nearly 600 hundred transplants.

Posted in Hemp

Septoria Leaf Spot of Hemp

Hemp (Cannabis sativa) is grown both outdoors and in greenhouses.  Outdoor-grown hemp is susceptible to infection by leaf spot fungi that affect other crops and nearby plants, especially during periods of extensive rain or high humidity.  There are three primary

Posted in Hemp

Sanitation Recommendations for Small-Scale Field Hemp Plantings

Hemp is often considered a disease-free plant. However, research is being done to determine whether certain pathogens can increase to problematic levels in the field. Should disease become a significant problem in field-planted hemp, the result can be premature leaf

Posted in Hemp

Powdery Mildew of Hemp

Powdery mildew can affect numerous plants, including fruit, vegetable, and agronomic crops, as well as woody and herbaceous ornamentals. Kentucky hemp is also susceptible to this disease. Plants infected early in the season can be seriously damaged, while those affected

Posted in Hemp

Last Year’s Hemp 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 Hemp

Hemp Greenhouse Sanitation: Cleaning Up Today May Keep Disease Away

Diseases are a major concern for greenhouse hemp growers, and they can be a factor that limits the profitable production of plants. The warm, humid greenhouse environment provides optimal conditions for reproduction of many pathogens. A good sanitation program can

Posted in Hemp

Twice Stabbed Stink Bug Observed in Maturing Hemp

While conducting studies in hemp at the University of Kentucky’s Spindletop Farm in Lexington, the twice stabbed sting bug (Cosmopepla lintneriana, formerly C. bimaculata) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) was observed in hemp grown for grain (Figure 1) during the first week of

Posted in Hemp

What are the Tiny Mud Pots on Hemp Petioles?

The Mud Pots While scouting for caterpillars and budworms in a commercial hemp field in Princeton, KY, we found three pot-shaped mud structures on a hemp petiole (Figure 1). There is a great number of wasp species that build nests

Posted in Hemp

Outbreak of Fall Armyworm Did Not Affect Hemp but Corn Earworm and Tobacco Budworm Might Make their Move Soon

Problem The outbreaks of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda; Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) during mid-July to late-August has affected double-crop soybeans and forages, and lately alfalfa in many areas of Kentucky. Fall armyworm is a polyphagous pest, that feeds in many plant species

Posted in Hemp

Last Year’s Hemp 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 Hemp