Aaron Cato

Extension Horticulture IPM Specialist at the University of Arkansas | Herpetologist at heart| Follow #uaexHORT for updates and info | Opinions are my own

[Jackson County UAEX @jacksonctyuaex]

Thanks to our friend Bill Landreth for helping to bring a new crop to the Jackson County Extension Center this year. We have wanted to help commercial horticulture farmers by adding new research to the area. First crop will be strawberries. @AaronJCato

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

@ThatWeedsDoc @fruitveg_uaex @AginArk I guess we have a source for which growth regulator it could be: https://t.co/prb4fMryWA

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

@ThatWeedsDoc @fruitveg_uaex @AginArk I guess we aren’t going to blame the most likely candidate this time? The weed scientists spraying nearby?

[Ben Thrash @thrashnbugs]

#Acephate is under registration review. This could completely end its use in all row crops. Well thought out comments really do impact EPA decisions. It is critical that we keep this product in cotton and soybean. Link to the comment site below.

[Ed Sikora @alabamaED]

Extension Horticulture IPM Specialist Aaron Cato @AaronJCato from the University of Arkansas discussing insect management of strawberries 🍓 this morning at the Alabama Strawberry Production meeting in Jemison, Alabama. #ACES

[TN Dept. of Ag @TNAgriculture]

ALERT!! #SpottedLaternfly Detected in Middle Tennessee. TDA has confirmed the detection of spotted lanternfly (SLF) in Davidson County. Tennessee is the 16th state to detect SLF since it was first discovered in Pennsylvania in 2014.

FULL RELEASE: https://t.co/Xby7QAuOOK

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

Episode 17 of the Southern Fruitcast is out and features Dr. Jonathan Oliver from UGA. This episode is all about cane blight and other problematic diseases of blackberry.

Listen in on the Apple or Android podcast apps or follow the link below👇
https://t.co/hNa62E94JM

#uaexHORT

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

Broad mite is beginning to infest and damage blackberry and you should be on the lookout!

Broad mite often shows up in late July and we've already observed leaf necrosis and abortion as seen in pics below on 8/2.

See our blog for more info 👉https://t.co/nrj9M6y7Av

#uaexHORT

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

Corn earworm moth trap numbers are up all over the state. Pictured here is our trap near Ft. Smith.

Checkout our pest scouting map for more info @ https://t.co/VW4ZDthhS0.

If you are growing tomatoes now is the time to scout and maybe apply insecticides!

#uaexHORT

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

Pumpkins coming soon to a demo near you. #uaexHORT

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

If you aren't already spraying for SWD in AR Blackberries you may consider! We are catching flies in fields in South AR now (see below pics).

Checkout our new SWD monitoring Fact Sheet https://t.co/hO1LP5nUHL and our pest scouting page https://t.co/Ep8NmxODPo for more info.

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

@lizzystar0010 @dustingnorth Probably a southern black racer, which is what folks in eastern Arkansas call a blue racer. Nice find! https://t.co/b761zanRXH

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

Never a dull day at @uarkhort. We’re currently retrofitting a classic boom type sprayer with a 5-nozzle hoop for spraying strawberries. We’re building a how-to video for our YouTube channel, ARFruitveg, and a fact sheet so you can build your own.

#uaexHORT

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

@ArkAgResearch @AginArk Looks better now with the plants in! It’ll be over grown before we know it.

[Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station @ArkAgResearch]

Our research and extension centers are busy planting! The Southwest Research & Extension Center in Hope is putting beds in the tunnel houses for @aaronjcato 's blackberry research this summer. @AginArk
#Arkansas #Blackberries #Spring #Planting

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

Squash Vine Borer emergence is beginning in AR. We expect to see adults at 750-1000 GDD:
Ft. Smith-739
Clarksville-558
Hope-842
Little Rock-875
Fayetteville-580
Jonesboro-539
See here for more information on control and management of SVB https://t.co/OWMCpv68px
#uaexHORT

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

Peaches that made it through the freeze in SW AR were found easily by plum curculio.

We recommend an insecticide application around petal fall-shucksplit to avoid damage from first gen plum curculio. Emergence traps can be used to help time this app as pictured.

#uaexHORT

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

Grape berry moth traps in AR went out this week. Our goal is to use moth counts along with scouting of wild grapes to determine when moths are coming into fields to time insecticides.
Check out our pest scouting page for updates https://t.co/QYVvXWthc6
#uaexHORT

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

Our model base is considered the lower development threshold, so we would substitute 50F for the low temp if it doesn't reach this threshold.
If our temp for Thursday are a high of 62F and a low of 48F as projected, we should expect 6 GDD to accumulate (62+50)/2=56. 56-50= 6 GDD

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

With the recent warm weather we are close to squash vine borer emergence. We expect to see adults at 1000 GDD (Base 50):
Ft. Smith-450
Clarksville-318
Hope-554
Little Rock-567
Fayetteville-305
Jonesboro-304

Follow our pest scouting page for future updates https://t.co/By5zT9dcek

[Aaron Cato @AaronJCato]

Squash vine borer uses a base 50F model with a January 1 biofix (when you start counting).

The high for Little Rock Monday was 82F and the low was 60F. First find the mean temp (85+72)/2=71.
Subtract your model base from the average - 71-50=21. SVB accumulated 21 GDD April 3rd.