In southern counties there is a significant risk for fire blight from Thursday through the weekend for any Pear or Apple orchards with blossoms open. If your orchards are at risk apply antibiotics at the first opportunity. The forecast rain will also be the first significant scab infection for apples. Growers can personalize their risk by visiting the NEWA website. Enter your zip code and follow the links for fire blight and apple scab. You will be prompted to enter phenology information for your location. Using April 6th for 50% McIntosh green tip, the model indicates approximately 40% ascospore maturity on April 20th for South Harrison Township Gloucester County.
Archives for April 2013
April 15, 2013 Meredith Melendez
Food Safety Considerations for Direct Market Growers: Assessing Risk
Growers who sell 100% of their product through direct market methods will likely never have to deal with a third party audit, but food safety is a critical component of producing a quality product. Food safety should be a part of every farms risk management plan. If you have not attended training on Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and do not yet have a farm food safety plan in place the process can seem overwhelming. Look for future articles on food safety here in the PPA and information on GAPs trainings this fall.
April 12, 2013 Norman Lalancette
Integrated Fungicide Programs for Early Season Apple Disease Control
Early season season disease control on apple, which is defined in this article as the period from 1/2″ green to second cover, consists of simultaneous management of apple scab, powdery mildew, and cedar apple rust. Of these three diseases, the primary target is typically apple scab. During this period, the initial scab inoculum in the form of ascospores infects both leaves and young fruit. [Read more…]
April 12, 2013 Wes Kline and Meredith Melendez
Food Safety: Listen to FDA Q&A on Proposed Water Regs
Food Safety Modernization Act – here is some information on new FDA water rules for water used for growing and packing produce and values for pathogens in water and the questions and how FDA answers them including:
- What changes are required for water
- What uses are not exempt anymore
- Which water sources have to be tested
- How often is water testing required
This is a recorded session in MP3 format produced by the Produce Alliance.
April 11, 2013 Andy Wyenandt
Vegetable Disease Update: 4/11/2013
- Asparagus: Phytophthora crown and spear rot
- Cabbage: Damping-off
- Cole crops: Downy Mildew and Alternaria
- Leeks (overwintered, spring transplanted): Purple blotch
- Lettuce: Bottom Rot/Drop
- Parsley: Septoria Blight/Bacterial (blight) leaf spot
- Strawberry: Anthracnose fruit rot; Botrytis (Gray Mold) and Blossom blight
April 10, 2013 Dave Schmitt
Tree Fruit IPM Report: week ending 4/6/2013
- Peach
- Pear
- Apple
- Scouting Calendar
