CONTACT: Dr. John Mueller, (803) 284-3343, ext. 223; jmllr@clemson.edu

DATE: 8/3/2007

WRITER: Tom Lollis, (803) 284-3343, ext. 241; tlollis@clemson.edu

Fall Field Day is Sept. 6 at Clemson’s Edisto REC

BLACKVILLE – The latest on beef cattle, peanuts, precision agriculture, cotton and soybeans, melons and vegetables will be on the agenda Sept. 6 during the annual Fall Field Day at Clemson University’s Edisto Research and Education Center.

“This is a great opportunity for South Carolina farmers to pick up information that could help them make decisions to boost productivity, efficiency and profitability,” said John Mueller, Clemson, Extension nematologist and event chairman.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. with participants having a choice at 9:30 of three concurrent sessions: beef cattle, peanuts and precision ag. After a noon lunch the afternoon cotton/soybean program, the fall watermelon and vegetable program, and a tour of the Edisto Forage Bull Test facilities will run concurrently from 1:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The beef cattle program will include presentations on using by-products for winter supplementation, using winter annuals to stretch hay supplies, forage evaluations and tours of Edisto research plots.

Peanut producers will get a look at six variety trials, including tests of newly released lines, unreleased experimentals, and screenings of Virginia type peanuts for disease resistance. The program will also include tests of digging date by variety, disease management, calcium sources and timing of application, and spotted wilt/thrips control for early and late-planted peanuts. Other topics will include inoculants and inoculant additive response on rotated land, plus test plots of foliar nutrient supplements.

The precision ag program will offer presentations on variable rate nitrogen applications for wheat, corn and cotton and variable rate applications of plant growth regulators and harvest aids. Clemson scientists will also show how sensors can be used to schedule cotton irrigation and how to measure crop growth using remote sensing and aerial imaging. Soybean and corn trials will also be on display.

The cotton/soybean portion of the field day will provide the latest information on cotton and soybean insect management, tips on cotton defoliation, and a comparison of cotton seed treatments for thrips and nematode control. An update on Asian soybean rust will be presented and producers will get a look at new soybean cultivars from Clemson University. Other topics include the official Clemson University variety trial results for corn, cotton and soybeans, plus tips for nematode management in field crops.

In the watermelon/vegetable program participants will hear final results from spring watermelon projects, including trials for seedless varieties, mini-watermelon varieties, hollow heart in melons, grafted watermelon rootstock and planting density, and organic watermelon production.

Participants will also learn about fall pumpkin varieties, fall watermelons, and nutrient and water application programs for double-cropped bell peppers. Other topics to be included are fall organic double-cropped bell peppers and virus resistance in selected gourd plants for grafted watermelons.

Edisto REC is on U.S. Highway 78, three miles west of Blackville in Barnwell County.

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