Archives for March 2021

March 23, 2021

Control of Nuisance Fungi in Landscape Mulch

Overview:

When used properly, mulches and composts can improve soils and provide many beneficial effects to plant health and vigor. Undesirable nuisance fungi, however, may also occur when different types of mulches or composts are used under certain conditions. Some of the more common examples of these nuisance fungi include the shotgun or artillery fungus (Sphaerobolus), slime molds (Physarum), stink horns (Mutinus), bird’s nest fungi (Crucibularium), toadstool mushrooms, and several plant pathogens. Although these nuisance fungi are mostly natural decomposers of organic matter and most of them are harmless, this blog discusses how the various nuisance fungi sometimes associated with mulches and composts can be controlled or minimized.

Organic mulch

Organic landscape mulches & composts under certain conditions can promote nuisance fungi. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)

Stone mulch

Although stone mulch will certainly eliminate any growth of nuisance fungi, it does not benefit plant health. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Plant Diagnostic Lab
March 23, 2021

Start Early for Pear Psylla Control

Pear psylla adults are among the earliest pests to appear in tree fruit crops, and indeed adults are already active in southern counties. The first eggs have been observed in southern counties over the past two weeks and oviposition will continue through bloom. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tree Fruit Tagged With:
March 22, 2021

Nursery Pest Scouting Guide: 25-60 Growing Degree-days (Southern NJ will hit approx. 45 GDD by Friday)

Please print or download the two resources of this post (click on them): 

The information provided in the downloads gives early season 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:

  • This document supports scouting, it does not replace it. Keeping good notes on pest development will help dial in scouting and treatment efforts at your local level.
  • It is important to note that these GDD50 are not exact, rather provide a range of GDD and subsequent calendar dates that can be used to scout for, and treat for, insect pests.
  • The pests listed here will be listed again in future scouting range announcements as they undergo further developmental life stages or are vulnerable to management options.
  • If you need more information, OR you are regularly seeing specific pest development stages at growing degree-days different than those listed here, please contact Tim Waller at twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu

 

Projected GDD50 accumulation as of
NJ – Region Location March 1st April 1st May 1st June 1st July 1st
Southern Upper Deerfield (NJ50) 0 48 157 564 1241
Central Howell / Freehold (NJ10) 0 26 107 455 1076
Northern High Point (NJ59) 0 5 11 224 676
Forecast: NOAA NCEP Coupled Forecast System model version 2 (CFSv2) forecast system (3.5 months) (USPEST.ORG)

 

Pest Scouting – Growing Degree-day Ranges  (25-60 GDD50) 
CROP TYPE Common Name Scientific Name GDD Min (50F) GDD Max (95F) Reference Developmental / Target Stage
Conifer Eastern spruce gall adelgid Adelges abietis 25 100 3 Spring control of overwintering stage
Conifer Northern pine weevil Pissodes approximatus 25 100 4 1st adults active
Conifer Zimmerman pine moth Dioryctria zimmermani 25 100 3 1st larvae active
Conifer Cooley spruce gall adelgid Adelges cooleyi 25 120 3 Spring control of overwintering stage
Conifer White pine weevil Pissodes strobi 25 220 4 1st adults active
Shade trees European fruit lecanium Parthenolecanium corni 35 145 2 Spring control of overwintering stage
Many, evergreen Euonymus scale Unaspis euonymi 35 120 2 Spring control of overwintering stage
Conifer European pine sawfly Neodiprion sertifer 35 145 1 Hatched larvae
Conifer Fletcher scale Parthenolecanium fletcheri 35 148 2 Spring control of overwintering stage
Conifer European pine shoot moth / borer Rhyacionia buoiana 50 220 4 1st larvae active
Maples Maple bladdergall mite Vasates quadripedes 58 148 2 Spring control of overwintering stage
Honeylocust Honeylocust plant bug Diaphnocoris chlorionis 58 246 2 Nympths / adults active
Conifer Pine tortoise scale Toumeyela parvicornis 58 148 2 Cralwer activity
Conifer Pine bark adelgid Pineus strobi 58 618 2 Spring control of overwintering stage
Conifer Balsam twig aphid Mindarus abietinus 60 100 4 Egg hatch
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

 

(Please note: we will be providing pest GDD ranges regularly throughout the season for our green industries)

 

Important notes about growing degree-day models:

  1. These models do not replace scouting. They should guide scouting efforts and pest management programs, once the vulnerable life stage or economic threshold of a pest is recorded. Observations at a local level for specific pests is critical to IPM efforts and further refinement of degree-day-based predictions.
  2. GDD50 values for pest development are not exact, rather they should be viewed as a range. 
  3. The growing degree-day model (GDD50) is general by design. Some insect pests have specific formulas for their growth and development (some examples here). However, the GDD50 model is useful for many pests and plant species.
  4. Many GDD50 target values were developed in other parts of the country and should be ‘ground truthed’ at a local level. Blind applications of pesticides, without truthing pest development, may not deliver desired outcomes.
Filed Under: Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Turf
March 22, 2021

RCE Animal Ag, Field and Forage Working Group Webinar Recordings

In case you missed one of the RCE Animal Ag, Field and Forage Working Group Webinars this past year, here are the recorded video links to access them in the future.

Basic Pasture Management: https://go.rutgers.edu/sz36rbvt

  • Assessing Pastures
  • Soil Sampling and Yields Expected
  • Basic Pasture Management and Fertility

Horse Pasture Management: https://go.rutgers.edu/239mnwb5

  • Stretching Your Hay using Pasture
  • Importance of Pasture for Horse Nutrition

Livestock Pasture Management: https://go.rutgers.edu/uepljvmj

  • Forage Quality
  • Nutrition
  • Grazing Systems

Pasture Renovation: https://go.rutgers.edu/qn74rjj5

  • Update on COVID-19 Resources for Equine Farmers
  • Pasture Renovation
  • No-Till Drills and Renovation

Pasture Management: https://go.rutgers.edu/mw0l8wd1

  • Weed Identification and Control
  • Manure Management with Pastured Animals
  • NRCS Programs for Pasture Management

Manure Management: https://go.rutgers.edu/19bim643

  • Using a Stress Lot to Maximize Pasture Utilization
  • Incorporating Fertility in a Manure Management Plan
  • Pasture Fertility

Selecting Hay for Horses and Other Livestock Session 1: https://go.rutgers.edu/q9teoewg

  • Current Hay Market Quantity & Quality
  • Testing Your Hay for Nutrient Quality

Selecting Hay for Horses and Other Livestock Session 2: https://go.rutgers.edu/bfsqi1zv

  • What Hay is Best for Horses
  • Winter Feeding for Ruminants
Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
March 22, 2021

Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week: March 29 – April 2

Every year hundreds of employees are injured or die from preventable hazards while working in grain storage and handling. Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week, sponsored by the OSHA Alliance Program, is a coordinated industry effort to raise awareness of grain handling hazards and educate industry members to prevent injuries and incidents associated with grain handling.

Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week 2021 will feature daily educational events which are virtual and free to attend. Be aware that the events begin at 10am CDT (11am EST).

  • Monday, 3/29 – Kick-Off Event
  • Tuesday, 3/30 – Near Miss Reporting
  • Wednesday, 4/1 – Impact of Quality on Safety
  • Thursday, 4/2 – Bin Safety
  • Friday, 4/3 – Emergency Action Plans

Assert your commitment to grain safety by registering for these educational events via the Grain Handling Safety Coalition EventBrite page. For additional information and resources on grain safety, visit the Stand Up 4 Safety Week website at https://standup4grainsafety.org.

The OSHA Alliance Program includes the Great Plains Chapter of the Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS), the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA), and the Grain Handling Safety Council (GHSC). 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock Tagged With: , ,
March 21, 2021

Bird damage to crops a focus of APHIS Wildlife Services

“On March 17, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) wildlife damage management program, Wildlife Services (WS), posted its annual Program Data Reports (PDR) for fiscal year (FY) 2020. The reports are available on the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) webpage, representing the 25th year that WS has shared this information about its wildlife damage management activities….

…APHIS Wildlife Services’ activities seek to reduce or eliminate more than an estimated $232 million in livestock loss due to predation and $150 million in bird damage to crops caused by native and invasive wildlife annually”  – APHIS Stakeholder Registry, March 21, 2021

To read the full report, go to https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/newsroom/stakeholder-info/stakeholder-messages/wildlife-damage-news/ws-post-pdr

 

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock