News Stories - Page 250

The National Center for Home Food Preservation has distributed 1,300 copies of the "Put it Up! Food Preservation for Youth" curriculum since it was launched in 2014. CAES News
Put it Up!
With more and more students growing their own produce through community and school gardens, it only makes sense that many students are ready to take the next step and “put up” some of those hard-earned veggies and fruits.
The 2014 UGA Radon Education Program Poster Contest first place entry. CAES News
Radon Awareness Contest
Household radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, but the hazards of this dangerous gas are still relatively unknown to many Georgia families.
Rows of cotton at a farm on the University of Georgia Tifton Campus in 2013. CAES News
Plant Growth Regulators
A University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agronomist says managing vegetative growth is key for cotton farmers. Yields and profits may be at risk without the use of plant growth regulators (PGRs).
CAES News
Hidden Trans Fats
Long known to be linked to higher levels of cholesterol and heart disease, artificial trans fats are now being slowly removed from the food supply.
Becky Griffin, UGA Extension community and school garden coordinator, speaks to a group of teachers at a school garden curriculum training at UGArden in Athens, Georgia. CAES News
Community and School Gardens
A recent survey found there were more than 360 community and school gardens across the state. With that many Georgians gardening, there are bound to be questions about picking the right crops, identifying insects and improving garden soil. To that end, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension is expanding its already existing community and school garden outreach efforts.
Brown patch disease in fescue. CAES News
Lawn Soil Tests
In home lawns, a routine soil test will help reveal any underlying issues relating to soil nutrition or pH. This is often the first step to ruling out any problems like thin spots and dead patches.
Oak leaf blister (Taphrina caerulescens). www.ipmimages.org CAES News
Oak Leaf Blister
Most fungal pathogens that infect leaves prefer cool, moist conditions during leaf expansion in early spring. The leaf spot disease seen most often on oak trees this year is caused by a fungus known as Taphrina caerulescens, or oak leaf blister.
Cotton roots infected with root-knot nematodes swell in response to the infection. These knots serve as feeding sites where nematodes (microscopic worms) grow, produce more eggs and stunt the plant's growth. CAES News
Nematode Management
In addition to low prices, controlling nematodes is top priority for Georgia cotton farmers. But with one effective control method being taken away and a new one in short supply, University of Georgia researchers and Cooperative Extension agents are working quickly to help farmers find a solution.
Echols County 4-H'er Brent Mashburn works on his team's ROV during Georgia 4-H's HughesNet Tech Takeover Day in June. Two of his team-mates, Brooks County 4-H'ers Chris Spires and Jack Perry, wait to try out the robots modifications. CAES News
4-H Robots
Pipe insulators, check. Fishing weights, check. PVC pipe, check. That’s all it took for about 50 fourth- and fifth-grade campers at Rock Eagle 4-H Center to turn a set of water-proof electric motors into fully operational underwater robots — well that, and some solid engineering principles and a heavy dose of curiosity.