Herbicide-resistant weeds are an ever increasing problem.

When most people hear herbicide-resistant weeds these days they think of glyphosate resistance. However, I think Group 2 resistance (or ALS-resistance) is just as bad, if not worse, for our area. Small grains is a crop that relies heavily on ALS herbicides for weed control, and over the years the products have been used heavily. We now have three weed species that are resistant to this mechanism of action. ALS-resistant common chickweed, annual (Italian) ryegrass, and horseweed (or marestail) are becoming more common. Before I talk about some options to control them, let’s look at how we got here. [Read more…]

State Pesticide Applicator and Dealer Certification exams are administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Pesticide Control Program (PCP).

Find information about exam prerequisites and application on the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Pest Management Office website. The complete exam application must be received by the PCP at least 14 days before exam dates chosen. Any application received after the 14 day time frame will be scheduled based on the 2nd and 3rd exam site choices; if all exam dates are after the 14 day time frame, the exam will be scheduled in the following month.

Certification Exam Schedule for 2014 [Read more…]

Flea beetles are one of the earliest vegetable pests to be seen in crop fields in spring. They attack many vegetable crops grown in New Jersey.

Several species can be found throughout the year, including the cabbage flea beetle, corn flea beetle, crucifer flea beetle, horseradish flea beetle, eggplant flea beetle, palestriped flea beetle, potato flea beetle, spinach flea beetle, striped flea beetle and the sweet potato flea beetle.

They generally have 1-2 generations per year, and overwinter as adults, usually in soil and litter or other protected areas, becoming active in early spring; early April – May in New Jersey. 

Flea beetle adults feed on the leaves, chewing small holes in the foliage. However, when feeding is extensive and the leaves become riddled, the adjacent tissue dies or dehydrates, and the leaf takes on a bronzed or burned appearance. Leaves will die and drop off the plant. Some species, such as the corn flea beetle, can completely skeletonize leaf tissue of seedling corn, often defoliating the plants. The corn flea beetle adult also transmits a disease, Stewart’s bacterial wilt of corn, which can stunt or even kill corn plants infected early in the season. Larvae are generally root feeders, and several species occasionally cause considerable damage to roots and tubers. [Read more…]

With the cold winter we have experienced this year, one of the first questions our growers are asking is what will the effect of the cold temperatures be on insect populations this spring.

Unfortunately, as with many insect questions there is no easy answer. In some cases the colder temperatures will likely reduce populations of certain pests.  Insects in the soil or under snow cover will have protection from extreme temperatures which will influence survival. Many insects migrate in over the spring from the south, so they were not here to experience our winter weather. Survival conditions for migratory insects are more dependent on their local over wintering conditions. It is difficult to generalize about the impact of cold temperatures on the crop pests we battle. There are influences of fall tillage, soil characteristics, snow cover and soil temperature that play a role.

The bottom line is that our cold winter weather will not relieve you of your scouting duties. Get out in the field on a regular basis and see what is going on, talk to others to find out what they are seeing, and check back with the Plant and Pest Advisory for updates through the season.