Archives for August 2015

Potato | Tomato Disease Forecast 8-11-15

Click to View | Download Report 8-11-15

Potato Disease Forecasting Report

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.

Tomato Disease Forecasting Report

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.

Conditions Result in Grasshopper Population Explosion

This summer we’ve had a number of grasshopper infestations in the areas of Tuckahoe and Goshen, Cape May County. Commercial growers have called to report swarms of grasshoppers in their nurseries and hay fields. On farm visits, I’ve seen them covering telephone poles, farm equipment, and all kinds of vegetation. This is an unusual and devastating event for the plants they come into contact with since they essentially chew the plants down to the ground before moving on to fresh foliage en masse.
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Potato | Tomato Disease Forecast 8-7-15

Click to View | Download Report 8-7-15

Potato Disease Forecasting Report

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.

Tomato Disease Forecasting Report

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.

Fruit IPM Report 8-6-2015

Peach

Oriental Fruit Moth (OFM): While overall pest pressure in peaches is very low for oriental fruit moth, we are at the proper time to treat if your farm has trap captures above 6 males per trap. Timing for third brood OFM applications are as follows:

OFM Third Generation Timing
Insecticide Type
County/Region Degree Days by 8/6
base 45
Conventional
Complete
Intrepid/IGRs
Complete
Diamides
Complete
Gloucester-Southern 2803 All 3rd brood sprays completed. Treat if trap counts exceed 6 moths per trap. All 3rd brood sprays completed. Treat if trap counts exceed 6 moths per trap. All 3rd brood sprays completed. Treat if trap counts exceed 6 moths per trap.
Hunterdon-Northern 2511 1st – Past
2nd – 8/4-6 (Past)
1st – Past
2nd – 8/3-5 (Past)
1st – Past
2nd – 8/2-4 (Past)

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Audit Ready: Handling Unwritten Policies

Writing Your PlanIn both the GAPs and Harmonized audits there are standards that focus on policies, yet the checklist does not indicate that a written policy is required.

You can choose to not write these policies in your plan but you and your employees need to be prepared to answer questions from the auditor about these policies.  Your answer to the auditor needs to be the same as your employees; they will verify this!

If the auditor does not find the policy or the employee answer satisfactory, you will receive a “CAN” (corrective action needed).

Vegetable IPM Quick Update

There has been little change in the corn earworm (CEW) situation over the past week. Very few individuals have been captured north of Camden County.

For silking sweet corn, the following spray schedules are warranted.
Silking Spray Schedules:
South – 3-5 days
Central –4-6 days
North – 6 days