Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri), a member of the "pigweed" family, is one of the most troublesome weeds in many southern row crops. Seed can germinate all season and plants can grow to over 6 feet in height. Plants have either male flowers that shed pollen or female flowers that can produce up to 600,000 seed per plant. One Palmer amaranth per 30 foot of row can reduce cotton yield by 6 to 12%.

The Virginia Pest Management Guide (PMG) series lists options for management of major pests: diseases, insects, nematodes, and weeds. These guides are produced by Virginia Cooperative Extension and each guide is revised annually. PMG recommendations are based on research conducted by the Research and Extension Division of Virginia Tech, in cooperation with other land-grant universities, the USDA, and the pest management industry.

This guide lists vegetable varieties that are available and are adapted to the mid-Atlantic region, gives an overview of cultural practices, and list chemicals recommended to manage pests, diseases and weeds in vegetable crops. New varieties of vegetables are constantly being developed throughout the world. While all efforts are made to have comprehensive lists, not all varieties that are adapted will be listed.

This handbook represents a joint effort among Extension specialists and researchers from 15 land-grant universities in the U.S. who work in the area of vegetable production. These specialists and researchers represent a wide array of disciplines: agricultural engineering, agribusiness, entomology, food safety, horticulture (vegetable production), plant pathology, postharvest physiology, soil science, and weed science. This handbook comprises up-to-the-minute information developed from research and Extension projects conducted throughout the southeastern United States. The key idea behind this handbook is to provideyou with a practical resource that conveniently fits on your dashboard. It contains the information that you need to manage your vegetable crops, including which varieties to plant, planting dates, fertilizer recommendations, cover crop selection and conservation tillage options, pesticide selection, grafting, fertigation, plasticulture, postharvest handling, alternative pest management tools and suggestions, as well as many other topics.

This guide describes peanut production practices including cultivars, planting, management, and harvest. Under management, information is provided on the optimum time for nutrient and irrigation applications; describes rotations effect on yield; soil preparation, etc. It also identifies major pests for the region including weeds, insects and disease, and how those should be controlled.

The Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Virginia Tech organized the Mid-Atlantic Spray Drone workshop on July 23-24, 2024 in Painter, VA. The workshop highlighted benefits of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), also known as aerial drones, emphasizing their role in crop protection and comparing efficacy and economics with traditional spraying methods. Over the two-day workshop, federal regulators, university researchers, industry personnel, and custom pesticide applicators (Figure 1) examined the current status of the technology, and debated drift issues, and management strategies. The workshop was attended by participants from Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Italian ryegrass (Lolium perenne L. ssp. multiflorum) is the most common weed reported in wheat fields in Virginia. It is a winter annual weed and germinates when day/night temperatures range from 50/41°F to 77/41°F, which coincides with wheat germination. The emergence of this weed can occur both in fall as well as spring seasons. Controlling Italian ryegrass in wheat with herbicides becomes challenging as both are grass species, and limited herbicide options are available, especially when it is herbicide-resistant. In Virginia, Italian ryegrass populations are resistant to ALS-inhibitors (Group 2), and/or ACCase-inhibitors (Group 1) herbicides. Experiences from on-station and on-farm research indicate that postemergence herbicides alone cannot provide complete control of Italian ryegrass. A combination of preemergence and postemergence herbicides ensures effective control of this troublesome weed.

The Accomack and Northampton counties in the Eastern Shore of Virginia produce about 80% of Virginia’s total potato crop (Northampton County, 2023). Keeping the weeds under check is one of most important prerequisites in achieving satisfactory potato yields. Weed infestation and herbicide resistance are continuously haunting the growers owing to the lesser number of viable herbicide options than before. The menace of weeds in the upcoming season depends to a larger extent on the practices being followed over the previous years and can be prevented by certain practices planned well in advance.

Spray drones also known as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) are receiving increasing interest in agriculture because they may help address several practical challenges, including labor shortages, rising production costs, limited field access, and the need for timely application of crop protection products. Modern spray drones are equipped with GPS-guided navigation, advanced sensors and data-processing capabilities that support site-specific management. Their ability to operate in small, fragmented fields and difficult terrain makes them particularly valuable where conventional ground or aerial equipment is limited. This article provides an accessible overview of spray drone technology, operational components, regulatory frameworks, agricultural applications, environmental implications and future prospects, with the goal of supporting extension audiences, practitioners and decision-makers.

Spray drift is the movement of pesticide droplets or vapors away from the intended target during or after application (Fig. 1). Drift can reduce the effectiveness of pest control while increasing the risk of injury to neighboring crops, sensitive vegetation, water resources, wildlife, and human health. Although spray drift cannot be eliminated completely, it can be minimized by understanding the factors that influence droplet movement and by following proper application practices. Temperature inversions are one of the most overlooked causes of off target pesticide movement. During an inversion, a stable layer of cool air near the ground can keep fine spray droplets suspended for an extended period, allowing them to travel long distances before settling and increasing the risk of injury to neighboring crops, sensitive vegetation, water resources, and other non-target areas. These risks are particularly important for aerial drone (Unmanned Aerial Systems; UAS) applications as they have lower downwash thrust than the manned aircraft and aerial drones are therefore more susceptible to off-target movement under certain conditions. The best way to minimize inversion related spray drift is to recognize the weather conditions that favor inversion.