Rutgers Cooperative Extension
Tree Fruit Phenology:
Tree fruit phenology is about normal based on historical observations. In southern counties some early blooming varieties are at Pink to about 20% bloom. Redhaven was at bud swell on March 29, about 6 days later than the median observation date. Plums are in bloom and Pears are at Green Cluster. Red Delicious is at 1/2 Green Tip, which is about a week early. So it is time to start applying delayed dormant and blossom protection applications. [Read more…]
As part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) the New Jersey Department of Agriculture in coordination with Rutgers Cooperative Extension are again offering an OFRR to any operation that has taken the Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Training. The PSA training is required for fresh produce operations to comply with FSMA with sales over $25,000. We have been doing OFRRs over the last two years (approximately 100) and want to continue this service during 2021. So, what is the OFRR? It is a walkthrough of the farm operation to assess where it may need for make changes to comply with FSMA prior to an inspection. Generally, two individuals will be on the assessment team one from Extension and one from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. These reviews take approximately 2 hours and is scheduled to fit into the grower’s time. To schedule a review email Charlotte Muetter at charlotte.muetter@ag.nj.gov. She will then contact the farm operation to schedule the review.
The Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety Team has developed three video presentations. Clip on Three On The Go Webinars For the Busy Grower to view the three videos listed below.
Introduction to Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and USDA Audits. Find out the differences between FSMA inspections and USDA audits. Who do they apply to and who does the inspection or audits?
Building Your One-Way Street: Backflow Prevention and Your Farm. Learn what backflow is, how to evaluate your operations and how to prevent problems with backflow to protect your packed produce.
How to Use Best Practices for On-Farm Recordkeeping. Tried and true strategies for organized record keeping that complies with FSMA and will prepare you for USDA audits.
Pest Scouting:
Please print or download the two resources of this post (click on them):
The information provided in the downloads gives scouting ranges (in growing degree days, base 50F) for specific insect pests harming nursery crop production and maintenance. Additionally, forecasting predictions (GDD50 accumulation) for calendar dates of multiple regions of New Jersey (S,N,C) are provided.
To determine your local growing degree-days, please review this post “Obtaining your local growing degree-day information”
Scouting Ranges:
GREAT RESOURCE from Steve Rettke: “Landscape Pest Notes: Some Early Spring Insects/Mites”
| Projected GDD50 accumulation as of 3/29/2021 | ||||||
| Region | Location | April 1st | May 1st | June 1st | July 1st | August 1st |
| Southern | Upper Deerfield (NJ50) | 75 | 185 | 591 | 1269 | 2111 |
| Central | Howell / Freehold (NJ10) | 61 | 142 | 490 | 1111 | 1906 |
| Northern | High Point (NJ59) | 24 | 30 | 242 | 695 | 1301 |
| Forecast: NOAA NCEP Coupled Forecast System model version 2 (CFSv2) forecast system (3.5 months) (USPEST.ORG) | ||||||
| Pest Scouting – Growing Degree-day Ranges | (60-150 GDD50) | |||||
| CROP TYPE | Common Name | Scientific Name | GDD Min (50F) | GDD Max (95F) | Reference | Developmental / Target Stage |
| Many | Southern red mite | Oligonychus ilicis | 69 | 157 | RU | Spring hatch |
| Conifer | Eastern pine shoot borer | Eucosma gloriola | 75 | 200 | 4 | 1st adults active |
| Malus, Prunus, many | Eastern tent caterpillar | Malacosoma americanum | 90 | 190 | 2 | Larvae treatment before tents apparent |
| Many | Gypsy moth | Lymantria dispar | 90 | 448 | RU | Larvae treatment (early instars) |
| Conifer | Cooley spruce gall adelgid | Adelges cooleyi | 90 | 180 | 4 | 1st adults active – Douglas fir |
| Conifer | Balsam twig aphid | Mindarus abietinus | 100 | 150 | 4 | Stem mothers present (control target) |
| Conifer | Pine engraver (Ips bark beetle) | Ips spp. | 100 | 150 | 4 | 1st adults active |
| Conifer | European pine sawfly | Neodiprion sertifer | 100 | 195 | 4 | 1st larvae active |
| Pieris | Andromeda lace bug | Stephanitis takeyai | 115 | 279 | RU | Nymphs (1st generation) |
| Azalea | Azalea lace bug | Stephanitis pyrioides | 118 | 372 | RU | Nymphs (1st generation) |
| Conifer | Larch casebearer | Coleophora laricella | 120 | 150 | 4 | Egg hatch |
| Conifer | Nantucket pine tip moth | Rhyacionia frustrana | 121 | 448 | RU | 1st generation egg hatch |
| Birch | Birch leafminer | Fenusa pusilla | 123 | 290 | RU | Adults – egg laying |
| Many | Gypsy moth | Lymantria dispar | 145 | 200 | 4 | Egg hatch, 1st larvae |
| Holly | Holly leaf miner | Phytomyza ilicis | 147 | 265 | RU | Adults – egg laying |
| Many | Cankerworms, inch-worms, loopers | (many) | 148 | 290 | 2 | Larvae treatment |
| Lilac, ash, privet, many | Lilac / Ash Borer | Podosesia syringae | 148 | 299 | 2 | Adult flight |
| Yews, Rhododendrons, many | Black Vine Weevil | Otiorhynchus sulcatus | 148 | 400 | 2 | Pupation / Adult emergence |
| Dogwood, many | Dogwood Borer | Synanthedon scitula | 148 | 700 | 2 | Adult activity |
| Conifer | Spruce spider mite | Oligonychus ununguis | 150 | 175 | 4 | 1st egg hatch |
| Conifer | Spruce needleminer | Endothenia albolineana | 150 | 200 | 4 | 1st larvae active |
| Conifer | Balsam gall midge | Paradiplosis tumifex | 150 | 300 | 4 | Adults laying eggs |
| References | RU | Rutgers Cooperative Extension – IPM Notes | ||||
| 2 | http://ccetompkins.org/resources/using-growing-degree-days-for-insect-management | |||||
| 3 | https://extension.psu.edu/ipm-basics-for-christmas-trees#section-2 | |||||
| 4 | https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/agriculture/christmas_trees/gdd_of_conifer_insects | |||||
| 5 | https://www.agriculture.nh.gov/publications-forms/documents/landscape-pests.pdf | |||||
| 6 | https://extension.umd.edu/ipm/pest-predictive-calendar-landscapenursery | |||||
| 7 | https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/agriculture/christmas_trees/gdd_of_landscape_insects | |||||
Boxwood Blight risk-model information, considerations, and links:
| Boxwood Blight Risk Assessment as of 3/29/2021 | |||||||
| Region | Location | CODE | 29-Mar | 30-Mar | 31-Mar | 1-Apr | 2-Apr |
| Southern | Upper Deerfield | NJ50 | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| Central | Howell / Freehold | NJ10 | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| Northern | High Point | NJ59 | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| Please check your local boxwood blight risk at (https://uspest.org/risk/boxwood_app) | |||||||
Considerations:
Become a Boxwood Blight Advocate to receive quarterly updates (through the Horticultural Research Institution)
The accumulation of heat units (Growing Degree Days (GDD)) is increasing rapidly across many areas of New Jersey as we soon enter into the early weeks of April. If past histories or present-day monitoring indicate the need for interventions, then the best control windows for an increasing number of insect/mite pests are beginning to occur. The following is an incomplete listing of a handful of some of our early season landscape pests that may need to be scouted & possibly controlled. The insect/mite pests included here are: Hemlock Rust Mites; White Pine Weevils; Native Holly Leafminers; European Pine Sawflies; Honeylocust Spider Mites; White Pine Aphids; and Eastern Spruce Gall Adelgids.
As our landscapes start to “wake-up” with warming temperatures, the insect & mite pests will begin activity. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)
When monitoring indicates controls are warranted, then pesticides can prevent early spring pests from building-up. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)
