Sweet basil used to be considered a relatively easy fresh market culinary herb crop to grow. Growers saw it as a popular and profitable enterprise. When sweet basil was later hit by Fusarium wilt, conventional growers were able to turn to fumigation, while organic growers were able to turn to emerging resistant varieties.
Where Did the Asian Longhorned Ticks in the U.S. Come From?
The invasive population of Asian longhorned ticks in the United States likely began with three or more self-cloning females from northeastern Asia, according to a Rutgers-led study. Asian longhorned ticks outside the U.S. can carry debilitating diseases. In the United States and elsewhere, they can threaten livestock and pets. The new study, published in the […]
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind and Rutgers University Deploy Wind Data Collection System
The Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership (RUCOOL) and the Rutgers University Marine Field Station (RUMFS) have collaborated with Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind to install a wind LiDAR (light detection and ranging) instrument alongside the causeway leading to RUMFS in Tuckerton, NJ. This fully autonomous sensor platform, owned and operated by Atlantic Shores, will […]
USDA Awards $149,000 to Climate Change Adaptation Fellowship Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NE-SARE) program has awarded $149,000 to the University of Maine School of Food and Agriculture. The award will support a yearlong fellowship program, of which Rutgers is a part, for agricultural advisers and farmers working in vegetable and small fruit industries to adapt to […]
Dangerous Tick-Borne Bacterium Extremely Rare in New Jersey
The mystery behind the rise in spotted fever cases continues There’s some good news in New Jersey about a potentially deadly tick-borne bacterium. Rutgers researchers examined about 1,000 ticks in the Garden State and found that none were carrying Rickettsia rickettsii, the bacterium that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever. But cases of tick-borne spotted fevers have […]
The Rutgers Equine Science Center Announces Research Fundraising Initiative for Veterans with PTSD
The Equine Science Center at the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station has announced its fundraising initiative kick-off for a large-scale research project focusing on Equine Assisted Activities & Therapies (EAAT) for veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which coincides with the June’s “Month of the Horse” in New Jersey. The research project, conducted by […]
Oyster Farming and Shorebirds Likely Can Coexist
Scientists find oyster aquaculture has little impact on red knots, three other species Oyster farming as currently practiced along the Delaware Bayshore does not significantly impact four shorebirds, including the federally threatened red knot, which migrates thousands of miles from Chile annually, according to a Rutgers-led study. The findings, published in the journal Ecosphere, likely […]
Ethnic Crops in New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic
By Albert Ayeni, ethnic crops research specialist, Department of Plant Biology Reprinted with permission from HortiDaily. Ethnic (or exotic) crops present new opportunities for growers, produce marketers and consumers in New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic. The rapidly changing demographics compels a new look at the crop content of the region with a focus on responding […]
“Killer” Hornet NOT Found in the Northeastern U.S.
Although media reports have triggered panic over the Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia), there are no reports this pest is present anywhere else in North America besides the Pacific Northwest. Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) personnel in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources have received inquiries to identify hornets found by the public. In New […]
FIC and Specialty Foods Association Bring Taste and Nutrition to Those in Need
Since early February, thousands of specialty food products have been arriving at the Food Innovation Center (FIC) at Rutgers University in Bridgeton, NJ, in preparation for the Specialty Food Association’s “specialty outstanding food innovation” sofi™ Awards – the most prestigious competition in specialty foods. Due to the pandemic, the judging has been delayed, leaving a large […]
