OVERTON — El Nino, aided and abetted by La Nina, will mean fewer peach trees producing a crop and perhaps even limb loss and tree death in some orchards. Last month, horticulturists were worried that a late freeze would damage the peach crop in East and Central Texas. It now appears the freeze did little…
OVERTON — County extension agents are reporting that fire blight attacks on pear trees are early and unusually severe in East Texas this year. Bob Armentrout, Polk County agent with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, said fire blight damage is the worst he has seen in 15 years. “We have pears which are so infected…
WESLACO — Improving fruits and vegetables grown in Texas will be the topic for a two day meeting of the Texas A&M Vegetable Improvement Center. Membership will tour area fruit and vegetable entities and hear updates on research in progress. March 8 will open the meeting with a day of tours, according to Dr. Leonard…
COLLEGE STATION — When people talk about the risk for cancer, one product — tobacco — gets all the attention. “About 35 percent of the risk factors associated with cancer are attributed to tobacco,” said Dr. Ed Miller, Baylor School of Dentistry. “But about another 35 percent of the risk factors are associated with diet….
HEREFORD — The Texas High Plains can be a profitable place to grow such niche crops as alternative corns, chiles and grapes, university specialists told growers attending the annual West Texas Vegetable Conference here recently. George Dickerson, New Mexico State University Extension horticulturist, said growers could enhance their profit potential by producing seasonal alternative crops…
COLLEGE STATION — A ground-covering plant has shown up in several Houston yards and scientists at Texas A&M University warn that the exotic species though attractive — will make itself at home and not leave. Efforts to control this trailing weed, a South American plant called Lysianthes asarifolia, have failed in one trial yard in…
HEREFORD — West Texas vegetable growers were briefed on new marketing initiatives and potato research Jan. 19 at the annual West Texas Vegetable Conference here. Ray Prewett, executive vice president of the Texas Vegetable Association (TVA), explained the workings of the Texas Vegetable Initiative — a grassroots effort designed to help the industry regain lost…
HEREFORD Drip-irrigation systems are perhaps the most water-efficient way to irrigate vegetable crops, but producers need to plan carefully and do some homework on available resources before they install a drip system, said a Texas Agricultural Extension Service irrigation specialist at the recent West Texas Vegetable Conference here. “You have to do a lot of…
HEREFORD — Potato producers who handle seed tubers properly will reap higher yields of high-quality, marketable tubers, said a Colorado State University potato scientist speaking to producers at the recent West Texas Vegetable Conference here. “Proper seed handling is the single most important factor in producing high yields and high quality tubers,” said Dr. Asunta…
OVERTON — The East Texas Fruit and Vegetable Conference program on Feb. 16 will include an update on USDA’s expanded crop insurance umbrella for growers of peaches, nursery and citrus crops as well as the latest news on production techniques. Set at the Rose Garden Center in Tyler, the conference is designed primarily for those…
