LONDON, Ohio -- Pests of both the rare and the familiar will be part of the C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic activities during Ohio State University's Farm Science Review.
The event will take place Sept. 22-24 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio. Specialists from the Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic will be on hand throughout the show to analyze submitted samples of insects, pests and diseases; answer questions related to field crops and landscape and garden plants; and share information on the identification and management of a variety of pests. The C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic will be located on Friday Avenue of the FSR exhibit grounds.
Soybean cyst nematode will be specifically emphasized.
"With soil sampling required in the fall to test for soybean cyst nematode, Farm Science Review is the perfect venue to remind farmers that soybean cyst nematode is out there and needs to be managed," said Nancy Taylor, diagnostic clinic director.
SCN is a severe pest of soybeans that damages the crop by feeding on plant roots and robbing the plant of nutrients. It also opens the doors for infection as it provides wound sites for fungi to enter. The severity of crop damage and yield loss is dependent on crop rotation and the soybean variety planted. The most effective means of managing SCN is to conduct soil samples for nematode eggs, and adjust crop management depending on the number of eggs present.
Deemed the "silent robber of yields," SCN is the No. 2 soybean pest in Ohio.
Visitors to Farm Science Review are invited to submit samples of pests or plants suspected to have diseases to the C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic during the show. For more information on the clinic and how to properly submit samples, log on to http://ppdc.osu.edu.
The clinic, located on Ohio State's campus of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences in Columbus, is a state-of-the-art facility that specializes in diagnosing a myriad of pest and plant health problems. Clinic diagnosticians test over 2,500 plant samples a year.
Farm Science Review is sponsored by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. It attracts upwards of 140,000 visitors from all over the country and Canada, who come for three days to peruse 4,000 product lines from 600 commercial exhibitors, and learn the latest in agricultural research, conservation, family and nutrition, and gardening and landscape.
Tickets are $8 at the gate or $5 in advance when purchased from county offices of OSU Extension or participating agribusinesses. Children 5 and younger are admitted free. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 22-23 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 24.
For more information, log on to http://fsr.osu.edu. Farm Science Review is also on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/OhioStateFSR), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/FarmScienceReview), and Ning (http://fsrosu.ning.com).