Archives for June 2015

June 29, 2015

Wine Grape Alert: Assess Protection Against Grape Berry Moth

Grape berry moth is one of the key direct pests of grapes in NJ. Females lay their eggs on the berry and the larvae makes a small entry hole and then feeds inside the berry. Webbing may be observed as the larvae move between berries.

A threshold of 10% webbing has been used in NY grapes.The MSU model predicted degree-day timing for Intrepid or Altacor applications against grape berry moth to be last Thursday in South Jersey (Bridgeton).

Due to the storm and the rains last week, applications may have reduced efficacy or were not able to be applied. If you have a history of grape berry moth pressure, today would be the tail end of timing for conventional materials. These include pyrethroids, like Bifenture or Danitol, or Imidan. Please read the label carefully as Imidan has a long re-entry interval. Also as a reminder, phytoxocitiy has been observed with using “EC” formulations of insecticides, such as Danitol, with Captan.

Filed Under: Fruit, Wine Grape
June 28, 2015

Phytophthora Control During Wet Weather

Most of New Jersey has been plagued by heavy rains and pop-up thunderstorms these past few weeks making conditions ideal for pathogens such as Phytophthora blight (P. capsici) on pepper, eggplant, tomato, and cucurbit crops. Unfortunately, Phytophthora blight can be found on most farms in the southern part of the state. Poor crop rotations with susceptible hosts only make matters worse. The pathogen has an increasing host range that also includes snap and lima beans, and all crops, other than a few resistant bell pepper cultivars, lack any resistance to the pathogen. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With:
June 28, 2015

Preparing for Pepper Anthracnose

Heavy rain and wind can cause pepper anthracnose to flare up quickly!

Growers with peppers in fields with a history of pepper anthracnose should scout on a daily basis and initiate a fungicide program as soon as small fruit begin to develop. Pepper anthracnose can be very difficult to control once established. All bell and non-bell peppers are susceptible. Strip picking and removing all fruit from ‘hot spots’ when they first appear may help suppress spread of the pathogen.

Preventative fungicide applications should begin at flowering or fruit set. Use a heavy volume of water and make sure coverage is extremely good. Apply high rates of chlorothalonil or Manzate weekly and tank mix and/or rotate weekly with one of the following FRAC group 11 fungicides: Priaxor (fluxapyroxad + pyraclostrobin, 11), Quadris (azoxystrobin, 11), or Cabrio (pyracolostrobin, 11).
Please see the 2015 New Jersey Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations Guide for more information.

Mature bell pepper fruit infected by pepper anthracnose. (Each spot is the result of a single spore landing on the fruit causing an infection. The pinkish-orange masses developing in the centers of lesions are millions upon millions of spores that will be splashed via rain and wind resulting in new infections.)

Mature bell pepper fruit infected by pepper anthracnose.

Anthracnose on Mature Bell Pepper Fruit: Each spot is the result of a single spore landing on the fruit causing an infection. The pinkish-orange masses developing in the centers of lesions are millions upon millions of spores that will be splashed via rain and wind resulting in new infections.

Filed Under: Vegetable Crops Tagged With:
June 28, 2015

Vegetable Disease Briefs – 6/28/15

  • Phytophthora blight on pepper and cucurbit crops have been reported. The heavy rains that have been around lately have been ideal for P. capsici development. All growers need to scout on a regular basis and applied preventative fungicides on a regular basis as well as remain proactive by removing infected plants from field, making sure water is able to drain away from beds/fields, and cutting plastic to help dry out beds.
  • A new, more aggressive form of Black leg has been reported in potato in southern New Jersey.
  • Bacterial leaf spot is being reported on pepper and tomato.
  • Basil downy mildew remains active. All basil growers should continue to scout and be proactive.
  • Late blight has been reported on potato as far north as North Carolina near the Virginia border. There have been no reports of late blight in the region to date. To track late blight in the US please visit http://usablight.org/
  • Cucurbit downy mildew has been reported on cucumber, butternut, acorn, and yellow summer squash as far north as central South Carolina and was reported on cucumber in Michigan this past week. To track the progress of CDM in the US please visit http://cdm.ipmpipe.org/. Fungicide maintenance programs should focus on cucurbit powdery mildew control until CDM is reported in the region.
Filed Under: Vegetable Crops
June 26, 2015

Audit Ready: Heads Up on Handwashing Stations, Well Water Sampling, & Traceability

Handwashing Stations

Auditors have noted that on handwashing stations some have a label which says “Not potable water.” If a grower is doing the USDA GAP or Harmonized audits, the water in handwashing stations must meet the “Microbial standard for drinking water.” If a label is on the wash station marked not potable, the grower is not in compliance. Check G-9 in the GAP or 2.2.5 in the Field Operations and Harvesting Harmonized Food Safety Standard for more details.

From Grower Self Audit for USDA GAP Audit General Questions G-1 to G-15:
G-9. All toilet/restroom facilities are clean and properly supplied with single use towels, toilet paper, and hand soap or anti-bacterial soap and potable water for hand washing.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Blueberry, Food Safety, Fruit, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops
June 26, 2015

Fruit IPM Report 6-24-2015

Peach

Oriental Fruit Moth (OFM): Second generation flights are very low in most areas. By all indications this generation should produce much lower pressure than the 1st generation. Any insecticides which are applied now should target this generation. Growers who have trap counts that are less than 6 moths per trap can skip insecticides that are intended for OFM. If trap counts are higher, then time your sprays according to the following table:
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Blueberry, Fruit, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape