Powdery mildew, Alternaria and Cercospora are three important fungal foliar pathogens that can cause early defoliation in carrots, thus reducing yields and making harvest difficult. Each pathogen produces distinct symptoms. [Read more…]
Archives for July 2023
July 20, 2023 Michael Westendorf
Hackettstown Livestock Auction Results for July 18, 2023
This auction sells: lambs, sheep, goats, calves, beef cattle, pigs, rabbits, and all types of heavy fowl. Auctions are held every Tuesday with the first sale beginning at 10:00 am and ending with the last sale at 5:30 pm. Hay, straw, grain, and firewood are also for sale.
Hackettstown Livestock Auction
Farm Fresh Eggs available for purchase by the case (30 doz.) or by the flat (2&1/2 doz.) in the main office Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday. Also available some Monday’s and Friday’s but please call office first (908)-852-0444.
July 20, 2023 Steven K. Rettke
Christmas Tree Pest Notes for July 2023
Cooley Spruce Gall Adelgid (1850-1950 GDD = galls open): Colorado spruce (especially green forms), Sitka and Oriental spruce, and Douglas-fir share this pest’s two host life cycles. Mature adult females lay eggs at the tips of branches. These eggs hatch and the immatures move to new growth and start feeding. The combined feeding and salivary secretions induce the development of a bright green, oval “pineapple” gall on the terminals (as opposed to galls at the base of new growth on Norway spruce from the Eastern spruce gall adelgids). By midsummer, the gall will turn brown and crack open, as the adelgids within mature and emerge as adults. These winged adults migrate to Douglas-fir (or another spruce) and spend the remainder of the summer feeding on the needles, covered with cottony wax.
During late July or early August the adult Cooley spruce gall will emerge from the opened brown pineapple shaped galls. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)
Sometimes Douglas-fir is so heavily attacked that needles are spotted, bent, or distorted. Two or more generations can occur on Douglas-fir through the following season (Christmas tree growers will treat Douglas-fir when new growth is 3-4 inches). By next fall another winged generation flies back to spruce and lays eggs for the cycle to repeat itself.
Adelgid nymph within protective cottony wax feeding on Douglas-fir needle. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)
Control by pruning out galls when seen; place sticky traps out in late summer (Douglas-fir or spruce) (1850-1950 GDD) to determine the timing to spray adults with insecticidal soap (+ sticker). Some of the tip “pineapple” galls on spruce have already opened up, and the winged adults have emerged. Except to improve the aesthetic appearance of the trees, there is nothing to be gained by picking off the galls after they have opened. Future control windows will occur during the fall or early spring months, against the overwintering females located at the bases of terminal buds. Some possible treatments include horticultural oil, carbaryl (Sevin), insecticidal soap, or imidacloprid (Merit).
The Christmas Tree Pest Notes Blog for July 2023 also contains a few additional insect pests. Those included below are pine needle scale, pitch mass borer, white pine weevil, & some comments regarding cicada killer wasp predators.
July 20, 2023 Hemant Gohil and Daniel Ward
New Peach Varieties – ‘Felicia’, ‘Evelynn’ and ‘Anna Rose’
The Rutgers/NJAES stone fruit breeding program, led by Joe Goffreda, continues to create, and release exciting new peach varieties. We, in collaboration with growers, also continue to develop the varieties by evaluating their performance in plantings in commercial orchards and at Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center. During this key time of the season, historically Redhaven season, it is important for our area to capture a substantial market share with premium fresh peaches. We are glad to feature some new and improved peach options for this season.
Felicia is a recent release from Rutgers University. It is a very attractive freestone yellow-fleshed peach variety. It has attractive red to dark red skin, little pubescence, with traces of red in the flesh. It ripens a few days before Redhaven; however, unlike Redhaven, it retains firmness for longer while maintaining the balance of sweetness and acidity (Table 1). Fruit is large and firm-fleshed, which is essential for post-harvest handling. It has low susceptibility to bacterial spot.
Though Redhaven is still the standard, yellow-fleshed, traditional peach in this season, it has a few challenges. For example, fruit can ripen faster than it changes skin color. That means it requires experience to start picking. Felicia is a good choice if one is planning a replacement for Redhaven. [Read more…]
July 20, 2023 Andy Wyenandt
Controlling Root Knot Nematode in New Jersey
The Root Knot Nematode does show up from time to time in vegetable production in New Jersey. Fortunately, for New Jersey, the distribution and damage done by the Root Knot Nematode is no where near the levels seen in regions further south of the state. There are two species involved, the Northern Root Rot Nematode (Meloidogyne hapla) and the Southern Root Rot Nematode (Meloidogyne incognito) and both species have been found in the state. [Read more…]
July 19, 2023 Kris Holmstrom
Vegetable IPM Update 7/19/23
Sweet Corn
Fall armyworm (FAW) has begun to appear in coastal areas. We have low level infestations of this pest in whorl stage sweet corn in Monmouth County, and reports of early populations in Cape May, where FAW was a significant problem last season. This pest is capable of significant injury to sweet corn plants, resulting in severe stunting and failure to produce viable ears. Importantly, FAW favors whorl, and even seedling stage sweet corn for egg laying so it is critical that growers check even recently emerged plantings for signs of FAW injury.
Newly hatched FAW larvae cause holes and scratches on leaves that are similar to European corn borer (ECB) feeding, except that they tend to be more concentrated and always lead down into the whorl (see photos at left). As the larvae grow, the feeding becomes more destructive, with large ragged holes and obvious droppings deposited in the whorl (see photo at right). 
We will provide updates on new FAW appearances and severity as reports come in. FAW are resistant to synthetic pyrethroids. Effective sprays should include IRAC grp. 5 (spinosyns) or IRAC grp. 28 (diamides). The carbamate (IRAC grp. 1A) Lannate is also still effective. Sufficient water should be used in the applications to allow the solution to penetrate the layer of droppings that may have formed above the caterpillar.
European corn borer (ECB) moth activity remains extremely low in areas where blacklight traps are operating in the northern and central counties. Many plantings exhibiting no ECB injury at all. We will report on ECB activity should numbers rebound to potentially damaging levels during the second flight. In recent years, this later flight has not required targeted control in sweet corn.
