Yellow leaf disease was first reported in the Louisiana sugar industry in the late 1990s. It is caused by the sugarcane yellow leaf virus, which is transmitted by the sugarcane aphid (Melanaphis sacchari). Since then, the incidence of yellow leaf disease has remained low, primarily because of Louisiana’s healthy seedcane program.
Read MoreA quick glance at Peggy Martin’s Gonzales, Louisiana, home, and it’s clear she loves plants. Paintings and prints of flowers line her walls, tablecloths pop with colorful flora, potted plants fill corners and bouquets dot shelves and end tables. Her yard is an oasis of greens, pinks, reds and purples.
Growing along her garden gate is an extraordinary plant with a storied past, a prolific blooming vining rose that bears her name, the Peggy Martin rose.
Read MoreFarmers were attempting to return to the fields Monday after weekend weather events dumped one- to two-inches of rain on some parts of Concordia Parish, according to Kylie Miller, LSU AgCenter extension associate.
Unusual amounts of summer rain have helped corn during its growing period, but the harvest has been “stop and go, stop and go” due to continued afternoon and evening showers, Miller said.
Read MoreFarmers are in their fields throughout Franklin Parish, busy harvesting their corn crop.
This year’s yields are expected to be good, barring any unforeseen weather events, according to LSU AgCenter Extension Agent Carol Pinnell-Alison.
“I think we are going to have a good year with both corn and soybeans,” she said.
Read MoreThe first meeting of LSU’s presidential search committee, which will select the university’s next president after former President William Tate IV departed earlier in the summer, will be Aug. 19.
The meeting will be held in the LSU Foundation Board Room at 9 a.m. It’ll kick off the process to select a new leader of Louisiana’s leading institution.
Read MoreRight past the dock on Calcasieu Lake, Megan La Peyre stared at an ominous rain cloud she and her team were driving straight into.
On this boat, La Peyre, an adjunct professor at the LSU AgCenter and unit leader of the U.S. Geological Survey Louisiana Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit, was joined by Seth Blitch, the director of conservation for the Nature Conservancy in Louisiana.
Read MoreLSU AgCenter scientists showcased conservation practices in sugarcane farming at a field day July 22.
The event was held at Keith Dugas’ farm in Assumption Parish, which is a model farm in an AgCenter best management practices program funded by a Patrick F. Taylor Foundation Project.
Read MoreLouisiana strawberry farmers regularly contend with a multitude of challenges, including labor costs, unfavorable weather conditions, insect and mite pests, and plant diseases.
Read MoreFrom June 23 to June 26, Southern University hosted the Creating Healthy Enjoyable Foods, or CHEF Camp, for Baton Rouge-area students. The camp taught participants how to find, prepare and cook healthy foods along with important safety and cooking tips in the kitchen.
Read MoreFrom July 15 to 18, Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program brought together four dedicated school teams for a multi-day educational retreat at the Wesley Center in Woodworth, LA.
This year’s teams represent the Diocese of Lafayette, Breaux Bridge Elementary School, Central Community School System and Einstein Charter Network.
Read MoreThis year’s annual field day at the LSU AgCenter Sugar Research Station featured a stop that highlighted several conservation practices.
Kenneth Gravois, AgCenter sugarcane specialist, joined Brenda Tubaña, AgCenter soil scientist, and Bruno Nicchio, AgCenter postdoctoral researcher, to explain how sugarcane farmers can benefit from implementing these practices. The July 16 event drew a record-breaking audience of more than 300 people.
Read MoreFrom turfgrass to tea production and rain gardens to robotics, there was something for just about everyone at the LSU AgCenter’s annual horticulture field day July 18.
Cloudy skies and occasional mist provided a cool backdrop for the event at the Hammond Research Station, which is devoted to improving the horticulture industry through research and plant evaluations.
Read MoreThe announcement of a new variety and the arrival of a potentially troublesome weed highlighted the LSU AgCenter’s annual Sugar Research Station field day.
AgCenter breeder Michael Pontif announced a new U.S. Department of Agriculture variety release, HoCP 18-803.
Read MoreToday on Louisiana Living, Ashley Doughty is joined by Kerry Heafner discussing the Watermelon Interior Quality Contest.
Read MoreRaj Singh administers a genetic test to a diseased patient, hoping to confirm the cause of death. He starts by carefully getting the sample before exposing it to the test strip, letting it lay under the bright white lights of his exam room while he waits for the result.
It’s inevitably positive. His patient has a pathogen that’s sweeping through a rural South Louisiana community. Having confirmed his diagnosis, Singh stuffs his patient into a black trash bag and into a storage bin.
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