Plant Information Ilex or holly is a genus of about 480 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen or deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from the tropics to temperate zones worldwide. The common ancestor of most of the extant species probably appeared […]
Category: Environmental Horticulture Program
IR-4 Project Facilitating Two Studies to Track and Mitigate Invasive Pests
Two multi-institutional research studies will soon be underway to analyze the movement and mitigation of invasive pests negatively impacting plants in North America. The IR-4 Project Environmental Horticulture program is facilitating studies funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (USDA APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine program to mitigate the [...]
Botrytis Efficacy Summary – 2021
At the IR-4 Environmental Horticulture Program Workshop in 2011, Botrytis Efficacy was selected as a high priority project to expand the knowledge and list of fungicides available to growers for these diseases.
SOAR Award: Nomination Deadline Extended to April 19
The IR-4 Project is now accepting nominations for the 2021 SOAR Award. This award honors external partners who exemplify the areas of Service, Outreach, Altruism and Research, while supporting specialty crop growers and the mission of the IR-4 Project. If you know someone who demonstrates excellence in these areas, we encourage you to nominate them for this award. Nominees […]
Crop Vignette: Flowering Cherry
Plant Information Ornamental flowering cherries belong to the genus Prunus in the rose family Rosacea, consisting primarily of species native to Asia. The majority of the flowering species are native to Japan and Korea, where centuries of propagation and cultivation have led to the selection of hundreds of genotypes. The most well-known ornamental cherry is […]
2020 Annual Report Now Available
The 2020 IR-4 Project Annual Report is now available. The year 2020 was like no other year in the history of the IR-4 Project. Despite a world-wide pandemic changing day-to-day aspects of how we work, funding uncertainty, and the transition of IR-4 headquarters from Rutgers University to North Carolina State University, our dedicated team of [...]
Crop Vignette: Ferns
Plant Information Ferns first appear in the fossil record about 360 million years ago in the middle Devonian period, but many of the current families and species did not appear until roughly 145 million years ago in the early Cretaceous, after flowering plants came to dominate many environments. Along with club mosses, spikemosses, horsetails, and […]
Top Global Crop Protection Needs Identified Following Virtual Workshops
The Minor Use Foundation has announced the top ten global priority crop protection needs to focus funding and research on during 2021 and 2022. The top priorities were narrowed down following a process that started earlier this year with a list of more than 4,000 new crop protection needs from 56 countries. In September, the […]
Scale and Mealybug Efficacy – 2020
Managing scale and mealybug insects presents unique challenges. Products with contact modes of action must be applied at specific timings in order to reach the most susceptible crawler stages.
Prodiamine Crop Safety Summary – 2020
Prodiamine has been registered in the United States for many years for uses in and around ornamental plants in production nurseries and in landscapes. There have been several label