Choosing a ripe watermelon at the market is easy if you know what to look for.  (Photo credit: Jonathan Parrish/Cindy Callahan)

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A new moth has become a serious pest to the greenhouse and nursery industries since it entered the state in 2010.

Blake Layton, an entomologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said the European pepper moth was detected in California in 2004 before showing up in Mississippi six years later. Its caterpillars attack a wide range of ornamental plants and vegetables.

CRYSTAL SPRINGS, Miss. -- The Southern Region of the American Society for Horticultural Science recognized what Mississippi gardeners already knew: Rick Snyder’s monthly gardening column is informative, entertaining and high quality.

 Snyder, a vegetable specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, received a Blue Ribbon Extension Publication Award in February for his work. Since 2005, Snyder’s column has appeared monthly in Mississippi Gardener magazine.

ELLISVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State University representatives met with agricultural clients in Ellisville recently to discuss research and education needs for 2018. More than 115 individuals attended this year's event.

Agricultural clients met with Mississippi State University personnel to discuss research and education needs during the annual Producer Advisory Council Meeting for the southwest region February 20.