Archives for August 2016

August 31, 2016

Livestock Auction Updates

Below are the latest livestock auction updates from the Hackettstown Livestock Auction.  The Livestock Auction has a sale every Tuesday.  This auction sells lambs, sheep, goats, calves, beef cattle, pigs, rabbits, and all types of heavy fowl.  The auction begins at 10:30 am and ends with the last sale at 5:30 pm.  This auction serves central and northern New Jersey as well as bordering areas of New York and Pennsylvania. (Market Report 8-30-2016).

Market Report 8-30-2016

 

 

Michael Westendorf    e-mail: michael.westendorf@rutgers.edu

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock Tagged With:
August 31, 2016

Veg IPM Update: Week Ending 8/31/16

Sweet Corn 

16ecb0831aA few European corn borer (ECB) adults have been captured this past week.  At the present time, highest activity is in the Cape May-Cumberland County border area (see ECB map). Earlier ECB catches were extremely low, and these moths, likely representing a partial third flight, will not present much of a threat to host crops.  This is particularly true in light of the dominance this year of fall armyworm (FAW). FAW will probably remain the larger threat, and treatments for this pest will eliminate ECB in the process.  As always, consider treating when the number of infested plants in a 50 plant sample exceeds 12%. Any planting remaining at or above threshold as it proceeds to full tassel should be treated, as this is the last stage at which ECB larvae will be exposed and vulnerable to insecticidal sprays. See the 2016 Commercial Vegetable Recommendations Guide for insecticide choices.

The highest nightly ECB catches for the previous week are as follows:

Eldora   2 Georgetown   1
Allentown   1 Lawrenceville   1
Crosswicks   1 Little York   1
Folsom   1  Pennington   1

 

There has been no change in the fall armyworm (FAW) situation.  Infestations continue throughout NJ, with high infestation rates in all parts of the state.  This pest is devastating to small corn plants, and in fact the worst infestations are currently in shorter whorl stage plantings.  Fields down to seedling stage should be scouted weekly for signs of infestation.  We should expect this pest to be with us for the remainder of the sweet corn growing season.  Treat when FAW alone or in combination with ECB damage exceeds 12% plants infested.  FAW do not respond well to pyrethroid insecticides.  The most useful products are those in the IRAC group 28 class (Coragen, Exirel) or the IRAC group 5 class (Radiant, Entrust), or combination products including these classes.  See the 2016 Commercial Vegetable Recommendations Guide for insecticides effective against FAW.

  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , ,
August 30, 2016

Constriction Canker of Peach: Orchard Rehabilitation

Peach and nectarine orchards in New Jersey continue to sustain considerable shoot death and fruit loss from constriction canker, caused by the fungal plant pathogen Phomospis amygdali. Many of our research orchards at RAREC this season had an above average number of cankers. The majority of infections that took place last fall and this past spring have girdled the shoots, resulting in dead or blighted branches. Any fruit distal to the cankers on these shoots have already fallen off or remain attached, slowly drying up and shriveling. This yield loss directly impacts your bottom line.

Breaking the Disease Cycle

Cankers on infected shoots are the source of inoculum. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tree Fruit Tagged With:
August 30, 2016

DIY Hand Washing Stations

You have heard us say it many times, hand washing is one of the most important ways of reducing the risk of human pathogen contamination of produce.  Hand washing stations should be easy to use, and they do not need to be expensive to be effective.  Portability is important for field work that may take place away from fixed hand washing locations.  A build your own model can cost less than $25.  You need potable water, soap, single use paper towels, a trash receptacle and a method of catching the grey water.  There are lots of options out there, you just need to be a little creative to figure out what will work best for your operation.  The Rutgers info sheet below shows the materials needed to build one portable model.  Other options, such as the pictured hands free clip on station, are available online.

DIY Hand Washing Station

Clip on spigot

Filed Under: Food Safety
August 29, 2016

Potato | Tomato Disease Forecast 8-30-16

Click to View | Download Report 8-30-16

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 NJ. An early season application of a protectant fungicide such as mancozeb (Dithane, Manzate, Penncozeb) or Bravo (chlorothalonil) as soon as the field is accessible is suggested. Please be vigilant and keep a lookout 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 choose 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.

Reports generated by Ryan Tirrell

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Filed Under: Disease Forecasting Tagged With: ,
August 26, 2016

Potato | Tomato Disease Forecast 8-26-16

Click to View | Download Report 8-26-16

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 NJ. An early season application of a protectant fungicide such as mancozeb (Dithane, Manzate, Penncozeb) or Bravo (chlorothalonil) as soon as the field is accessible is suggested. Please be vigilant and keep a lookout 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 choose 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.

Reports generated by Ryan Tirrell

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Filed Under: Disease Forecasting Tagged With: ,