Pulling Perennial Pepperweed

On Saturday June 7th, from 1-4pm, the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge will host an information and training session on the identification and control of Perennial Pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium). The training will be in Newburyport, MA at PRNWF Headquarters (6 Plum Island Turnpike). The first hour will be spent indoors learning about Pepperweed and control techniques, then participants are invited to gain hands-on experience by pulling Pepperweed at a site along the Plum Island Turnpike. This meeting is open to the public with no obligation to volunteer.

Perennial Pepperweed is an invasive plant that occurs in wetland habitats along coastal areas of Massachusetts, including salt marshes, and is also found along roadsides. In the western part of the USA, it is a major agricultural weed. It can be spread through soil or water movement, or as a contaminant in hay bales.

Throughout the summer, Parker River NWR and the Massachusetts Audubon society will be leading Pepperweed pulls at sites throughout Essex County. The goal is to control or eradicate pepperweed before it becomes as pervasive as other wetland invasives, like Phragmites or purple loosestrife. If you are interested in volunteering for this project but cannot make the June 7th training session, you can contact Sarah Janson (sarah_janson@fws.gov).

When it comes to firewood, go local

With camping season in full swing, this is an important reminder to avoid transporting firewood to or from camping sites. Using local firewood sources is an important way that you can prevent the spread of introduced pests, from plant diseases to boring insects such as the Asian longhorned beetle or the emerald ash borer. Research has shown that more than 75% of the infestations of emerald ash borer in the Midwest were caused by the transporting of firewood. Read more about the reasoning behind using local firewood sources in this article in The Jamestown Press, or on this page from the Maine Forest Service.

Know Your Weeds

If you are involved in weed management, the nursery industry in general, or are a landscaper or master gardener, consider signing up for one of UMass Weed Identification Workshops. Held at both the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain and at the UMass Amherst campus, the workshops are all-day affairs, incorporating a potted herbarium, walks outdoors, and the opportunity to bring in your own mystery weeds for identification.

Weed workshops are held in July and August, and have a registration fee of $95 each. They can be used as credits for Massachusetts Certified Landscape Professionals (MCLP) or Massachusetts Certified Horticulturists (MCH), or can count as 5 pesticide contact hours (for categories 29, 36, 37, and Applicators License). For more details, visit this UMass Extension website, or contact the UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery, & Urban Forestry Program at 413-545-0895 (email: eweeks AT umext.umass.edu).

Success against the ALB

Last month, the state of Illinois and the USDA claimed a big victory in the battle against the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis or "ALB"), officially declaring it "eradicated" in Illinois. This declaration follows more than four years of active surveys during which no signs of the beetle were found.

The ALB was first discovered in Chicago, Illinois in 1998. Between then and 2006, more than 1700 maple trees (the preferred host for this species) in and around Chicago had to be removed. You can read more about the ALB success story in this USDA press release.

The Asian longhorned beetle has never been found in Massachusetts, but the Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey program, from which the MIPOP website and blog are derived, continues to actively survey nurseries to ensure that they do not become vectors for this dangerous pest.

Learn about Sudden Oak Death

Since Sudden Oak Death (Phytophthora ramorum, also known as Ramorum Blight) was first seen in California back in 1995, the wide host range of this pathogen has had the nursery industry on high alert. Now Oregon State University has put together an online training course aimed at teaching nursery growers about P. ramorum and other disease-causing pathogens in the genus Phytophthora. The course is free and non-credit, but for an optional $100 fee you can take an online exam to receive a Certificate of Mastery. It is offered in three modules, with the third section entirely devoted to P. ramorum. Read more about the course here, or jump right in to the training.

Update on Honeybees and CCD

This week's ARS Newslink, produced by the Agricultural Research Service, has an update on work being done to understand the causes and impacts of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). A survey done this year indicated that more than a third of beekeepers in the USA had at least one honeybee colony where all adult bees were lost, a key symptom of CCD. Unfortunately, the cause behind these losses continues to elude biologists. To address this, the ARS Bee Research Laboratory in Maryland has enlisted beekeepers to allow regular sampling of healthy hives, with the hope that studying these hives will help researchers understand what causes CCD when it does occur.

For more information about Colony Collapse Disorder, check out the full article in the May/June 2008 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.

Flies on the Attack

If you are in Wellesley, MA tomorrow, keep your eyes peeled for swarms of tiny but powerful (and beneficial!) flies. A team of researchers at UMass Amherst, led by Joe Elkinton, is set to release 1,000 parasitic flies (Cyzenis albicans) in Wellesley in an effort to combat the winter moth caterpillars (Operophtera brumata) currently defoliating deciduous trees across the eastern part of the state. Read more in this story from The Boston Globe.

Update 5/12/08:WBZ Radio 1030 put up this YouTube video report by Carl Stevens, showing the actual release.

News for Growers

If you are a commercial grower of greenhouse crops or flowers, check out the New England Greenhouse Update. Produced by Cooperative Extension specialists around New England, this weblog will keep you informed with timely information, from advice about when and how to move greenhouse plants outdoors, to dealing with plants pests and pathogens.

The New England Greenhouse Update has been posting helpful information for growers on the internet since 2005. Because the articles are posted in a "blog" format, you can subscribe to the feed with your favorite news/RSS reader and make sure you never miss an update.

Seeking Healthy Hemlocks

Have you spotted any healthy hemlock trees in your walks through the forested land of this state? If so, researchers at the University of Rhode Island may be interested in your find. An effort is underway to find eastern hemlock trees (Tsuga canadensis) resistant to two introduced pests, woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) and elongate hemlock scale (Fiorinia externa), with the goal of raising healthy new trees from cuttings taken from resistant individuals.

You might have found a good candidate tree if it meets the following requirements:

• in a forested setting
  
• at least 10 feet tall
  
• relatively free of signs of the woolly adelgid
  
• has deep green needles on full, thick branches
  
• surrounded by dead, mature hemlock trees
  
• naturally resistant (not treated using insecticides or other control measures)

Report possible sightings to URI grad student Laura Ingwell by phone, at 401-874-4083, or by email at: hemlock AT etal DOT uri DOT edu.

Read more about the search for healthy hemlocks in this article from the Providence Journal, or this URI press release. If you want to learn more about how to identify the eastern hemlock, try this site or this one.

Update: Gladiolus Rust

The April Pest Alert for Gladiolus Rust (Uromyces transversalis) has been updated to reflect information about the recent discovery of this fungal pathogen on gladiolus plants in Minnesota (check out a map of the US distribution here, courtesy of the National Agricultural Pest Information System). Until this past April, the only US records for this species were in California and Florida. The Minnesota record represents the most northern US location where the rust fungus has been found, by far - more information will be posted when it become available.

Gladiolus rust remains a problem mainly for nurseries that grow gladiolus for sale as cut flowers. But if you grow gladiolus (or related tropical plants in the Iris family [Iridaceae], including Crocosmia, Tritonia and Watsonia species) or know someone who does, it is worth checking out the links at the bottom of the pest alert so you know what to look for in case you ever encounter this destructive pathogen.