Archives for May 2013

May 10, 2013 Mark VanGessel

Morningglory Control in Soybeans

By Mark VanGessel, Extension Weed Specialist; mjv@udel.edu

I always get questions on what to use to control mornningglory in soybeans at about the time to spray postemergence. Morningglory control starts at planting with a preemergence herbicide with broadleaf products such as Canopy, Valor XLT, Envive, Fierce, Prefix, Sonic or the Authority products. These will need to be followed up with a postemergence application in a timely manner for effective control (to morningglory no larger than 3”). The preemergence herbicide slows the growth of morningglory plants and seems to “set them up” for better overall control. This has been more consistent for morningglory control than any tankmixtures or glyphosate additives that I have evaluated.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates

May 10, 2013 Meredith Melendez

FDA Food Safety Q&A: Growing, Harvesting, Packing & Holding Produce

The FDA Proposed Produce Food Safety Rule Q & A conference call, coordinated by the Produce Safety Alliance, discussed the growing, harvesting, packing and holding of produce.

Here are the questions and answers from that call:

1. Will growers be expected to use food grade containers? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Food Safety

May 10, 2013 Andy Wyenandt

Understanding the Strobilurin Fungicides (FRAC code 11)

The strobilurin, or QoI fungicides (FRAC code 11) are extremely useful in controlling a broad spectrum of common vegetable pathogens. You may know some of strobilurins as azoxystrobin (Quadris), trifloxystrobin (Flint), pyraclostrobin (Cabrio), or Pristine (pyraclostrobin + boscalid, 11 + 7). [Read more…]

May 10, 2013 Andy Wyenandt

NEWA Disease and Insect Forecasting System

Since 2011 the vegetable working group has teamed up with Cornell University’s NEWA to bring tomato and potato late blight and early blight forecasting to vegetable growers throughout New Jersey. Over 30 weather stations from Sussex to Cape May County now offer disease as well as insect forecasting services for 19 specific pests. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Vegetable Crops

May 10, 2013 Dave Schmitt

Tree Fruit Fire Blight Alert: Extreme

The Cougar Blight model at NEWA is predicting “Extreme Risk” for fire blight for the period May 10-15. The model is basing the prediction on the current weather forecast for both southern and northern regions. Keep a close eye on the weather. Apply antibiotics such as Streptomycin, Mycoshield, or Fireline. Streptomycin is the most effective of the antibiotics. The Terramycin products (Mycoshield and Fireline) should be rotated with strep for resistance management. See the New Jersey Commercial Tree Fruit Production Guide for rates. Keep in mind that these antibiotics are best applied under slow drying conditions (dilute applications), and have limited residual activity.

Filed Under: Tree Fruit

May 9, 2013 Administrator

Slow Green-up of Kentucky Bluegrass

By Jim Murphy

There are numerous elite varieties of Kentucky bluegrass (Compact Types) that have excellent tolerance of leaf spot, summer patch, and stripe smut diseases. Many varieties produce a very attractive, dense, compact (low growing) turf with dark green color during the summer.

Some elite varieties of Kentucky bluegrass exhibit slow spring green-up (plot in center foreground).

However, many of these Kentucky bluegrass varieties that are grown and sold as sod have the growth characteristic of long winter dormancy and slow spring green-up. The cool dry weather of this spring has certainly exacerbated this growth response. Full green-up of these varieties typically occurs by mid- to late-May.

Practices that hasten spring green-up of turf include fertilization with moderate amounts (0.4 to 0.7 pounds per 1,000 square feet) of water soluble nitrogen (WSN) and covering the turf with a growth blanket early in the spring (March and April).

Perennial ryegrass and tall fescue will often green-up several weeks earlier than these Compact Type Kentucky bluegrasses. Perennial ryegrass typically will have the earliest green-up.

Of the fine fescues used for turf, creeping red fescue will green-up earlier than Chewings fescue and hard fescue will have the slowest spring green-up. Green-up of creeping red fescue is relatively early and not too different from perennial ryegrass.

Filed Under: Turf