EXTENSION CORNER: Trapping insects provides key data for crop growers
Earlier this week I was able to visit some of our area vegetable producers with our Commercial Horticulture Regional Extension Agent Eric Schavey. Eric supports these farmers year round, but this time of year is a busy time as many valuable vegetable crops are at key growth stages right now.
All your favorite summer veggies that you see at local farmers markets and grocery stores are growing and putting on fruit. These plants and their fruit are targets for a variety of pests who can make short work of a crop, so staying ahead of these pests and equipping growers with the right tactics to battle with them is key.
Depending on the pest or disease, a farmer or regional agent like Eric can often diagnose something in the field and make a recommendation using our integrated pest management guides, https://bit.ly/3maLfLs.
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These guides share the research-based best practices for a specific pest on a specific crop. If the issue needs lab work to diagnose, we often send samples or photos to the pathology lab where specialists can run tests to identify a specific disease or pest.
As part of this process, the commercial horticulture team also keeps surveillance traps on several farms throughout the state. On our recent trip, we went out and collected data from these specialized traps. These traps are sticky glue traps loaded with bait that is targeted at specific pests. They catch any insects — and errant fingers — that land on them.
Using these traps, we can map and track the flights of pests as they make their way through the area. This can help us know how intense the pest pressure may be, and what preventative measures producers may take to save their tomatoes, squash, zucchini, peppers or whatever crop they are growing.
There are many pests that really want to eat up these delicious summer fruits and vegetables, so any help we can give farmers to help protect their harvest is huge. Most of these pests are flying moths, which lay eggs and hatch hungry worms.
We also set up some traps inside the high tunnels, where many crops, like tomatoes, are grown. By setting up traps inside and outside, our researchers can figure out how well certain pest management practices, like barrier cloth, may work compared to others.
This hands-on actionable research helping growers on their farms, and sharing that knowledge with other producers and researchers, is what makes Extension so fun. So next time you bite into a juicy summer tomato or pick out another fresh, locally grown fruit or vegetable at the store, think about the farmers who raised it, and the extension agents helping them fend off pests and other issues that might crop up through the season.
If you want to learn more download our Farming Basics app on the app store which can help you get directly to our integrated pest management guides. You can sign up for a regular newsletter with all of the current and emerging issues at www.aces.edu/ipmcommunicator.
If you have questions about these programs or any other area under the Extension umbrella, please reach out or stop by our office at 3200A W. Meighan Blvd., or visit us on Facebook at https://bit.ly/3otwUdl or online at https://bit.ly/3yniPCx.
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Everyone is welcome! Please let us know if you have accessibility needs.
Eric Wright is extension coordinator for the Etowah County Extension Office.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: EXTENSION CORNER: Controlling pests that damage crops
