Wordless Wednesday

Can plants actually sun scald?

Yes, they can!

The sun can damage plants in several ways; the most obvious is when you see actual brown, burned spots on the leaves. The intense heat of the sun simply bakes the leaf tissue, killing it.  You may also see sun scald on the fruit of peppers and tomatoes, if the fruit is exposed to the intense light of the late afternoon sun.
 
Another common sun injury is on the southwest side of the trunk of young trees. When trees are young, their bark is not very thick and can be easily damaged by the intense rays of the sun.  The bad news is there’s nothing to be done for sun scald once it’s occurred. Dead plant tissue cannot be repaired.
 
But the good news: sun scald can easily be avoided. First, you should know whether or not your plant can take full sun. The label that accompanied the plant when you bought it may or may not be correct on this issue, so do a little extra research.
 
Also, even plants that can take the full sun need to be acclimated to it if they haven’t ever experienced it. A plant that has been on your porch for several weeks, out of the direct sun, will no longer be able to handle those bright rays, so start by moving the plant into the full sun for a few hours in the morning, slowly lengthening the time to all day before you actually put it in the ground.

Facts on Canning

Interesting facts
In 1809 and after 14 years of experimentation, a Frenchman, Nicolas Appert, produced the first shelf-stable canned food products. His development included air exclusion (hermetically sealed) and a prolonged thermal treatment that rendered the food shelf stable for years. The endeavor was rewarded with a prize from Napoleon who recognized that an “army travels on its stomach” and that there was a great need for transportation of stable foods to troops that were nutritious, safe and flavorful.

Appert went on to use the winnings to start a commercial canning operation. He subsequently wrote the first canning guide, called “The Art of Preserving All Kinds of Animal and Vegetable Substances For Several Years.” In those days, water bath processing was the only type available and foods were processed for hours in hot water. Glass jars and metal cans (developed in 1810) have become the standard, with little changing except for the types of closures.
During Appert’s time, jars were sealed with a cork, sealing wax, and wire; we now use specialized polymers that act as glues to hold the lid onto the glass jar.

Canning has changed
Our understanding of bacteriology has improved. Pressure vessels shorten the time required to kill the most durable bacteria found in foods such as vegetables and meats. The shortened processing time also improved the quality of the product.

In evaluating recipes for preserving foods by canning, it is important to understand that acidic foods such as fruits require milder processing than acid neutral foods such as vegetables or meats. Thus, a pressure vessel (reaching temperatures of 241°F or higher) is required for vegetables and meats, while fruits (jams, jellies, juices) and many pickles require only a boiling water bath (212° F at sea level). Some recipes that are a combination of acid foods and low acid foods require either additional acid in the form of lemon or lime juice or vinegar and/or are pressure processed.

Recipes that require a pressure vessel are relying upon the higher temperature to kill the common soil bacterium Clostridium botulinum. While water bath processing will not kill botulinum, it does kill many other spoilage bacteria and relies upon the higher acidity of the food to prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum.

Botulinum produces a very potent and deadly toxin in improperly canned foods. It is extremely important to rely upon scientifically sound recipes when canning foods that are low acid or a combination of acidic and low acid foods. Guides such as the Ball Blue Book “So Easy to Preserve” and the recipes at the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia (http://www.uga.edu/nchfp) are of assistance when choosing recipes

Integrated Pest Management for August 13, 2012

Cotton

Cotton is maturing rapidly with nodes  above white flower ranging from 0 to  7, with many fields now at 5 nodes or less. This means that most fields are  now in “cut out’. Dryland, limited irrigation

and early planted cotton now range from 0 to 3 nodes above white flower. Many fields have adjusted

fruit loads due to heat and are shedding many squares and small bolls.  Dryland has been hit hard by  recent heat wave and no rain. These fields  are completely wilted in the heat of the day and have only retained a few bolls per plant. Well irrigated cotton has bolls set from top to bottom and most first positions have been retained to form a boll.  Insect pressure remains light. Lygus have been reported at 5 per 100 plants and boll damage has been light. Cotton bollworm, beet armyworm and loopers remain light.  Beneficials are excellent with spiders  being the most common. Lacewing larvae and big eyed bugs have been on the increase.

Sorghum
Corn earworm infestations have ranged from very light to very heavy in headed sorghum. Overall infestations have been much lighter than anticipated. Fall armyworms have been found in heads sampled, but have only constituted a small portion of the head worm complex.  Greenbugs have been on the increase in several fields and not found in others.  Where populations are on the increase

parasite activity has been found. The most common parasite has been Lysiphlebus testaceipes which produces the tan or golden brown mummy. Aphelinus parasites have also been observed attacking greenbug colonies, which produce a smaller black mummy. Once parasitized greenbugs reaches 20% of the population an insecticide treatment is usually necessary.  Stinkbugs and Lygus bugs have also been found in head samples, but would generally be classified as light at this time.

Banks grass mites generally remain light, but some have reported cases of treatment needed.  Beneficials have been excellent in head samples with pirate bug adults, crab spiders, assassin bugs and big eyed bugs commonly found.

Corn

Banks grass mites are still active in area corn. The heaviest populations have been found in corn at the dent stage.  Continue to scout corn for this pest until  corn reaches full dent with the moisture

line 50% down.  Fall armyworm remain light with an occasional  larvae found feeding on ears.

Pollinators Need Our Help

While the best-known pollinators may be honeybees and bumblebees, there are other insects that contribute to pollination. Some of the most beautiful and graceful are butterflies, and instead of noisily buzzing from flower to flower, butterflies artfully flit. Though butterflies may not be as efficient as bees in pollinating plants and crops, butterflies certainly do their fair share in bringing about seed and fruit production—and definitely are pleasing to watch.

Butterflies pollinate a wide variety of flowers that open during the day. They frequent big, beautiful, brightly colored blooms. Butterflies have good color vision sensing more "wavelengths" than either humans or bees and, unlike bees; butterflies can see the color red.

Scent is another characteristic. One study speculated that it might be "some kind of scent or marking" that attracts a butterfly. Another study found that many butterflies produce pheromones to entice the opposite sex, and this scent is similar to flowers that they are drawn to. As butterflies are perching feeders, they favor flowers with a landing platform (labellum) They gather pollen as they walk around flower clusters on their long and thin legs.
Finding the right flower is only the beginning of a pollinator's challenge. Though butterflies may not be premiere pollinators, their continual flitting from flower to flower more than makes up for the quantity of pollen they carry. Butterflies are found on every continent but Antarctica; the U. S. is home to about 700 different species.

The butterfly has a 4-stage life cycle—egg, caterpillar (larvae), pupa and adult. After mating, females typically deposit their eggs on the undersides of leaves, especially those that act as a food source for newly emerging caterpillars. Adult butterflies feed on the nectar of flowers, they lay their eggs on a limited number of native plants. This is because butterfly caterpillars are host specific. Plant-wise, the caterpillars of some butterfly species like asters, black-eyed Susan, clover, lupines, milkweed, sedum or violets. Hackberry, oak or willow trees make caterpillars of other butterfly species equally happy. Oddly enough, butterflies taste with their feet, which is where their taste sensors are located and by standing on their food, they can taste it to see if their caterpillars are able to eat it.

Butterflies have smooth, slender bodies, knobbed antennae, rest with their wings held upright, and fly during warm weather. Their bright coloring is the result of loose, powdery scales on the wings. Probably the best known of the species in the U. S. is the orange and black patterned monarch butterfly; however, butterflies come in a wide range of colors and patterns to delight the eye of the beholder. Butterflies probe blossoms with their long tongues. Each flower has nectar usually hidden in narrow tubes or spurs that is suitable in length. This tongue or proboscis works like a straw, drawing up nectar and when not in use, the proboscis stays coiled. Butterfly populations are on the decline due to humans reducing numbers of pollinators by destroying habitats and migratory nectar corridors, emitting pollution and the misuse of pesticides.

How can you help? Attract butterflies to your garden, by planting a "butterfly friendly" garden which provides the types of plants required by butterfly larvae. Butterfly friendly plants usually produce clusters of brightly colored sweet-smelling flowers and include asters, daisies, butterfly bush, butterfly weed, lantana, marigolds, purple coneflowers and zinnias. Understand that releasing non-native butterflies for special events, such as weddings, can be harmful to native butterfly populations. It’s worthwhile to become better educated in the effort to keep these extraordinary creatures among us.

Looking Ahead to Fall