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Left: Lady beetle on red clover. Right: Cabbage looper on broccolini.

Friends and Foes of Brassica Crops

Brassica crops are a group of plants widely cultivated for their nutritional value and versatility in agriculture. Understanding their relationship with beneficial and detrimental insects is crucial for maintaining healthy crops and productive harvests.

wheat field

2018 Field Plot Summaries for Wheat Disease Management Trials

The wheat disease management field experiments conducted in the 2018 growing season evaluated several experimental and commercially available fungicides for managing foliar, head or root diseases of spring wheat. Foliar and spike/head diseases incidence and severity were assessed. The field experiments were implemented at Volga Research Farm and Northeast Research Farm (NERF) near South Shore, SD. Results of the same experiment may vary between Volga and Northeast due to environmental differences between the two locations.

Rows of vegetables are shown

SDSU Extension, SD Specialty Producers Association to host soil, cover crop field day

August 23, 2024

South Dakota State University Extension and the South Dakota Specialty Producers Association invite the public to attend a Soil Health and Cover Crop Field Day for vegetable growers.

A patch of switchgrass growing at the edge of a field.

Farm Practices That Improve Soil Health: Planting Switchgrass on Marginal Lands

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a tall, native, prairie grass that is often seeded on marginal lands in South Dakota. It has gained growing popularity over the past decade not only as a source of biofuel and feed, but also as a method to improve soil properties.

Three photos: Man mowing lawn, crab grass growing on lawn, sprinkler watering lawn.

Summer Lawn Care: Mowing, Weed Control and Watering Practices

During a summer of drought, the extreme heat, lack of rainfall and invasion of pests can really take a toll on our turf. Learn some general concepts of summer lawn care and techniques to help your lawn through difficult summer months.

Diseased sunflower head, showing sclerotia bodies that have replaced seeds.

Sclerotinia Concerns in Sunflower

Sclerotinia diseases are a concern in sunflowers, because the fungus can infect the plant through the root, mid-stalk or the head. Wet weather and cool temperatures two-to-three weeks prior to and during flowering favor disease development.

Small moth with orange, black, and white markings.

Monitor Soybean for Soybean Tentiform Leafminer

In 2022, researchers detected soybean tentiform leafminer in McCook, Minnehaha, and Moody counties in South Dakota. The extent of the distribution of this pest in South Dakota is unknown and is currently being investigated.

variety of garden catalogs laying on a blue background

Choosing Vegetable Varieties for Your Area

Spring is coming and will be here before we know it. Gardeners are reading through catalogs, looking at that new variety of green bean, or maybe a gorgeous new tomato. The catalogs are written to hook you in by making these varieties look as good as possible. The photos are generally mouthwatering and the descriptions often seem a bit over-the-top.

an oat field with healthy, green oat plants growing throughout

Plant Growth Regulator Reduces Height, Lodging in Oats

With the goal of reducing lodging in oats, SDSU Extension and a research team initiated a multi-location trial in 2018 growing season to study the effects of plant growth regulator (PGR) on oat performance.

Healthy soil with ample organic matter throughout.

Why Is Carbon So Important to Agriculture and Society?

Carbon is not only vital to soil health—it’s the foundation of our long-term food security. Learn some incredible facts about the role carbon plays in our soil and environment.