Thursday, April 17, 2025 from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, Webinar
Pre-registration is required (coming soon)
Legumes as cover crops: Cover and nitrogen to the soil.
Presenter: Dr. Jaime Garzon, Assistant Extension Professor and Forage Educator, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Legumes, such as clovers and birdsfoot trefoil, offer significant benefits as cover crops for soil protection. Using the right varieties, they can homogeneously cover the soil and thus prevent weed establishment. At the same time, their roots have the unique ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, converting it into a form usable by plants. This natural fertilization reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers, benefiting both soil health and the environment. This presentation seeks to show partial results of nitrogen fixation and cover of different varieties of alfalfa, clovers, and birdsfoot trefoil, as a product of the 2024 Maine Legume Trial with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
Balsam gall midge update: scouting and timing of insecticide application
Presenter: Brett Johnson, Assistant Extension Professor, Sustainable Agriculture and Farm Business Management Educator, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Balsam gall midge is an economically important pest of balsam and Fraser fir grown for Christmas trees in the New England region of the U.S. It causes loss of quality in both Christmas trees and wreath brush through gall formation on needles in current year growth and premature needle drop. Economical control can be achieved through a single well-timed insecticide application to manage adult female gall midge during the egg-laying period corresponding with early bud break. This presentation will report results of a 2024 balsam gall midge insecticide efficacy trial in Southern Maine, as well as describe an integrated pest management approach to prevent economic injury while conserving biological control agents in the plantation.