Archives for June 2013

June 23, 2013

Vegetable Briefs and Update – 6/23/13

Vegetable Briefs

  • Cucurbit downy mildew was reported on cucumber in Caroline County, MD this Friday (6/21). This is the first report of CDM this year in the region. All cucurbit growers should scout their fields on a regular basis and consider adding downy mildew specific fungicides to their regular maintenance program.
  • Pith necrosis has been reported on tomato.
  • Basil downy mildew was reported near Vineland last week! All basil growers should continue to scout their fields and apply preventative fungicides.
  • Late blight was reported on tomato on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and in Montgomery County, MD this past week. These are the first reports of Late blight in the region this year.
  • To track late blight in the US please visit http://usablight.org/
  • Want more information on what’s going on, please sign up for the Jersey Vegetable Crop Ag Updates at: http://jerseyvegcropsagupdates.blogspot.com/.

Vegetable Disease Update – 6/23/13

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Filed Under: Vegetable Crops
June 21, 2013

Red Leaf Spot… or not?

Red leaf spot of creeping bentgrass is a poorly understood leaf spot disease in turfgrass. Almost all golf course superintendents think they have it at one point or another, but nobody ever really does.

Red leaf spot on creeping bentgrass. Photo: Richard Buckley, Rutgers PDL

Red leaf spot on creeping bentgrass putting green. Photo: Richard Buckley, Rutgers PDL

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Filed Under: Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Plant Diagnostic Lab, Turf Tagged With:
June 20, 2013

Tomato Disease Forecasting Report 6-21-13

6-21-13 Tomato Report – Click to Download

Disease severity values (DSVs) for early blight, septoria leaf spot, and tomato anthracnose development are determined daily based on leaf wetness (due to rainfall, dew) and air temperature.

On a daily basis DSV values can range from 0 to 4 where 0 = no chance for disease development to 4 = high chance for disease development.
DSVs are accumulated during the production season.

Fungicide applications are based on an individually determined DSV threshold. The first fungicide application for the control of these three diseases is not warranted until 35 DSVs have accumulated from your transplanting date. After that, growers can base fungicide applications on different DSV thresholds.

Filed Under: Disease Forecasting
June 20, 2013

Potato Disease Forecasting Report 6-21-13

Potato Disease Forecasting Report 6-21-13 – Click to Download

We will be tracking DSVs for Late blight development and calculating P-days for initiating the first early blight fungicide application.

The first late blight fungicide application is recommended once 18 DSVs accumulate from green row. Green row typically occurs around the first week in May in southern New Jersey. An early season application of a protectant fungicide such as mancozeb (Dithane, Manzate, Penncozeb) or Bravo (chlorothalonil) as soon the field is accessible is suggested. Please be vigilant and keep a look out for suspect late blight infections on young plants. No late blight has been reported in our region to date.

Remember the threshold for P-days is 300!  Once 300 P-days is reached for your location early blight fungicide applications should be initiated. Growers who are interested in using this model should chose the location above that is closest in proximity to their farming operation and should regularly check the Cornell NEWA website (http://newa.cornell.edu/) where this information is compiled from. Click on Pests Forecasts from the menu, select your weather station, and click on tomato diseases, set accumulation start date and a table of daily and total DSVs will be generated.

Filed Under: Disease Forecasting
June 20, 2013

Late blight Reported on Tomato on the Eastern Shore, VA and in Maryland

Late blight was confirmed on tomato on the Eastern Shore of Virginia this afternoon and on tomato in Montgomery County, MD yesterday. All tomato and potato growers in New Jersey should scout thier fields on a daily basis and consider starting a standard weekly protectant fungicide program if one hasn’t already done so. No Late blight has been found in New Jersey to date. More more information on the control of Late blight please see the 2013 Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations Guide. Organic growers should consider applying a OMRI-approved copper-based fungicide.

For more information and to track the progress of Late blight please USAblight.org.

Filed Under: Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,
June 19, 2013

Bagworm Caterpillar Egg Hatch Concluding

The common Bagworm Caterpillar (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) has undergone egg hatch throughout much of the state during the past few weeks (GDD = 600-900).  The early instar stages during the month of June can easily be overlooked. For the first few weeks after hatch, the smaller Bagworms do not produce conspicuous feeding symptoms. However, for best control results these early instars should be targeted. Although the potential hosts of the Bagworm are large, they are generally of most concern on evergreen conifers.

Unhatched Bagworm Eggs in Female Sack

Unhatched Bagworm Eggs in Female Sack
Photo by Steven K. Rettke of RCE

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Filed Under: Landscape, Nursery, & Turf