May 3, 2002
Control of Tomato Blights in the Home Garden
Tomatoes are the most popular crop in the home vegetable garden. While tomatoes are relatively easy to grow, foliar diseases often occur in the home garden.
Sooty Mold
Sooty mold fungi cause needles, branches, or leaves of trees or shrubs to appear black. The common name "sooty mold" is descriptive of the black coating or crust that is formed on these plant surfaces.
Several different species of fungi often exist together to cause the sooty appearance. These fungi don't infect plants, but grow on the sugary honeydew excreted by aphids, scales, mealybugs, and other insects.
The growth of these fungi is primarily an aesthetic problem, although they can be detrimental to plant health by blocking sunlight and interfering with photosynthesis.
Beehive Registration in Iowa
The Iowa Bee Rule was established in June 1980 to protect honey bees in Iowa from unnecessary insecticide poisoning. This rule created a mechanism for beekeepers to voluntarily register the location of their beehives. In turn, the state provided the beehive location information to pesticide applicators so they could communicate with beekeepers in advance of application of pesticides toxic to bees in the vicinity of registered hives.