Fruit Crops Edition

Seasonal updates on diseases, insects, weeds impacting tree fruit and small fruit (blueberry, cranberry, and wine grape). Fruit Pest Alerts are also available via this category feed.
 
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July 25, 2022

Pesticide Applicators Seminar – Credits Available

Over the past two years in-person trainings for pesticide applicators to obtain recertification credits have been a challenge. To educate licensed pesticide applicators and help them to receive credits, a 3-hour seminar will be held on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 from 9:00AM to 12:00PM at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension office in Gloucester County, 254 County House Rd, Clarksboro, NJ 08020. The meeting will be in the Sullivan Room auditorium. Attendees can enter through the ramp on the far right side of the main building. 

Presenter: Michelle Infante-Casella, Agricultural Agent

Schedule:
9:00 AM……………..Pesticide Storage Facilities and Pesticide Disposal

10:00 AM……………Pesticide Record Keeping, Notification, and Posting

10:30 AM……………Insect Identification and Life Cycles for Proper Control Strategies in Landscapes, Turf, and Farm Fields

11:00 AM…………….Weed Identification: Annuals and Perennials: Know Your Weeds in Landscapes, Turf and Farm Fields

11:30 AM…………….Common Plant Diseases of Major Crop/Plant Groups

12:00 PM …………….Pesticide Credits and Adjourn

The following credits have been assigned by NJ DEP:
3 – CORE Credits 
3 – PP2 Credits 
3 – 3A Credits 
3 – 3B Credits 
3 – 1A Credits 

Call 856-224-8040 ext. 1 or email jmedany@co.gloucester.nj.us to pre-register or for more information.

There is a $50.00 fee per participant. Only checks or cash will be accepted. Please make checks payable to “Rutgers the State Univ. of NJ”

Pre-registration is appreciated, and walk-in participants are welcome and can pay at the door. To find more information see: https://go.rutgers.edu/Oct18PesticideSeminar

 

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Organic Production, pesticide credits, Plant Diagnostic Lab, Vegetable Crops Tagged With:
July 19, 2022

FDA Proposes Compliance Date Extension for Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water Requirements

On July 18, 2022 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking to extend the compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water provisions as outlined in the recent 2021 agricultural water proposed rule.

The 2021 agricultural water proposed rule, if finalized, will require farms to conduct annual systems-based agricultural water assessments to determine and guide appropriate measures to minimize potential risks associated with pre-harvest agricultural water. The FDA is now proposing extended compliance dates for those proposed pre-harvest requirements and is also providing clarifying information about the enforcement discretion policy for the harvest and post-harvest agricultural water requirements.

The supplemental rulemaking proposes to establish the following compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water requirements for covered produce other than sprouts:

  • 2 years and 9 months after the effective date of a final rule for very small businesses;
  • 1 year and 9 months after the effective date of a final rule for small businesses; and
  • 9 months after the effective date of a final rule for all other businesses.

Note:  These compliance dates only go into effect when the rule is finalized which we have no information when that will occur!

Compliance Dates for Harvest and Post-Harvest Agricultural Water Requirements

The 2021 pre-harvest agricultural water proposed rule did not propose substantive changes to the harvest and post-harvest agricultural water requirements in the Produce Safety Rule; however, the FDA recognizes that prior to the proposal, stakeholders did not have clarity on whether FDA might propose to change the harvest and post-harvest agricultural water requirements. In addition, the FDA recognizes that adequate training and technical assistance are needed to fully recognize the benefits of the harvest and post-harvest requirements. Therefore, we intend to continue enforcement discretion for the harvest and post-harvest agricultural water requirements of the Produce Safety regulation until the following dates:

  • January 26, 2025, for very small businesses;
  • January 26, 2024, for small businesses; and
  • January 26, 2023, for all other businesses.

We are reopening the comment period only with respect to the proposed compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water provisions until September 19, 2022. Comments should be submitted to docket FDA-2021-N-0471 on Regulations.gov.

As has been done with other FSMA rules, the FDA plans to take an “educate before and while we regulate” posture as we begin implementing the harvest and post-harvest requirements. For the first year of compliance, the FDA intends to work closely with state, other regulatory, and industry partners to advance training, technical assistance, educational visits and on-farm readiness reviews to prepare both growers and state regulators for implementing these provisions prior to initiating routine inspections verifying compliance. The FDA will provide further communications as additional resources become available.

Additional Information

 

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
July 18, 2022

Tree Fruit IPM Report for July 19, 2022

Peach:

Oriental Fruit Moth: A biofix point for OFM was set on 4/11 in southern counties, and on 4/14 in northern counties. The third generation timings are updated below.

Insecticide Type
County/Region Degree Days by  7/8 base 45 Conventional

2000-2100 2350-2450

 Diamide

2025–2150 2375-2450
Gloucester – Southern 1772 1st –7/16-7/18

2nd –7/26-7/28

 1st –7/16-7/19

2nd –7/26-7/28
Middlesex – Northern 1701 1st –7/17-7/20

2nd –7/26-7/28

 1st –7/17-7/21

2nd –7/26-7/28

 

 

 

 

Japanese Beetles: Japanese beetles have emerged and have been observed in some orchards. Products containing imidacloprid (Admire Pro, etc.) are effective and have a short preharvest interval. See the Tree Fruit Production guide for more information.

Tarnished Plant Bugs; and Other Catfacing Insects: Catfacing insect activity is increasing with the arrival of hot weather and is present at moderate to high levels in some orchards.

Scale Insects: First generation San Jose Scale crawler emergence is over. The next crawler emergence will start in late mid to late July for both San Jose and White Peach scale and will last well into August. White Peach scale has a third generation in September and San Jose scale may have a third generation in October. Esteem, Centaur and Movento are all good scale materials. Esteem and Centaur should be applied at the start of crawler emergence. Movento should be applied before the start of the crawler emergence and needs to be applied with a penetrant. Observations over the years indicate that Movento may not work well as we move into late summer especially on Pome Fruit. Other options include the neonicitinoids (Assail, Belay, Actara), Closer, Sivanto and Venerate. Some may need more than one application.

Apples and Pears:

Diseases: Summer scab, rots and sooty blotch and fly speck are the main targets at this stage. Where scab is present rely primarily on protectant fungicides. Last year Captan plus a phosphorous acid like Prophyt was observed to slow scab development as well as provide good summer disease control. Bitter Rot symptoms are now appearing in susceptible varieties.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs: Brown Marmorated Stink bugs are present at low to moderate levels in orchards statewide. See the NJ Tree Fruit Production guide for effective materials.

Codling Moth (CM): Timings for the second generation are updated below.  A biofix was set for CM on April 25th in southern counties, and May 6 in Northern counties (Middlesex County). Estimated timings for the second generation are updated below.

Codling Moth Degree Day Timing
Application and Insecticide Type
County Area Biofix Intrepid; Diamides – Altacor, Voliam mixes:

1150-1200 +

1450-1500 DD

 

 Cyd-X, Madex

1250 DD + every 7-9 days during brood hatch (later if first spray is an IGR)

 Standard Insecticides –  Delegate, Avaunt, OP’s, carbamates, pyrethroids

1250 DD +

1550-1600 DD

 
DD 1150-1200 1450-1500 1250 1250 1550-1600
Southern April 25 Past 7/15-7/17 Past Past 7/19-7/21
Northern May 6 Past 7/17-7/19 Past Past 7/21-7/23

Scale Insects: For San Jose scale see the peach section above.

Grape

Grape Berry Moth: The next timing for Grape Berry Moth will be on or about 5/24 for Intrpeid or Diamides, or a few days later for other insecticides.

Japanese Beetles: Japanese beetle pressure is high compared to other years. Many insecticides are effective for JB. See the NJ Commercial Grape Production Guide for more information.

Tree  Fruit Trap Counts – Southern Counties

Weekending STLM TABM-A CM BMSB OFM-A DWB OFM-P TABM-P LPTB PTB
4/9/2022 2 0 0
4/16/2022 0 2 3
4/23/2022 11 0 0 28 5 0 0
4/30/2022 5 0 1 31 4 0 0
5/7/2022 5 1 3 50 4 0 0
5/14/2022 8 5 3 19 2 0 0
5/21/2022 3 5 5 20 2 7 3
5/28/2022 0 19 3 13 0 11 36
6/4/2022 0 10 3 5 1 13 49 0
6/11/2022 0 9 2 6 36 0 8 47 3
6/18/2022 0 4 1 0 62 0 3 13 1
6/25/2022 16 0 0 6 3 16 0 0 18 4
7/2/2022 24 0 0 6 3 24 0 0 18 4
7/9/2022 10 4 2 15 6 31 0 0 15 3
7/16/2022 2 0 7 1 5 12 0 0 5 7

 

Tree  Fruit Trap Counts – Northern Counties

Weekending STLM TABM-A CM BMSB OFM-A DWB OFM-P TABM-P LPTB PTB
4/9/2022
4/16/2022 0 0 1
4/23/2022 0 0 2 0
4/30/2022 0 0 2.5 0
5/7/2022 0 1 4 0
5/14/2022 1 2 0 5 0.5 0 0
5/21/2022 6 8 4 27 2 5 6 5 0
5/28/2022 34 19 3 6 13 1 23 15 0
6/4/2022 17 21 4 4 11 1 27 17 0
6/11/2022 22 25 2 1 4 0 30 9 0
6/18/2022 66 20 2 2 2 5 2 27 7 0
6/25/2022 58 21 1 8 8 2 4 22 4 0
7/2/2022 55 7 1 1 14 15 2 9 4 1
7/9/2022 60 3 1 2 8 20 2 4 5 1
7/16/2022 64 1 1 3 2 19 3 1 4 3

 

Pest Event or Growth Stage Approximate Date 2022 Observed Date
 Bud Swell (Redhaven)  March 23 +/- 15 Days March 20
1/4″ Green Tip Red Delicious March 31 +/- 13 Days March 21
Pink Peach (Redhaven) April 4 +/- 15 Days March 31
Tight Cluster Red Delicious April 9 +/- 13 Days March 31
Full Bloom Peach (Redhaven) April 9 +/- 14 Days April 10
Pink Apple (Red Delicious) April 14 +/- 12 Days April 14
Full Bloom Apple (Red Delicious) April 22 +/- 11 Days April 21
Petal Fall (Redhaven) April 22 +/- 10 Days April 14
Petal Fall (Red Delicious) April 27 +/- 13 Days May 3
Shuck Split (Redhaven) April 30 +/- 11 Days April 26
Pit Hardening June 15 +/- 9 Days June 10

 

Filed Under: Tree Fruit, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
July 8, 2022

Tree Fruit IPM Report for July 8, 2022

Peach:

Oriental Fruit Moth: A biofix point for OFM was set on 4/11 in southern counties, and on 4/14 in northern counties. The third generation timings are updated below.

Insecticide Type
County/Region Degree Days by  7/8 base 45 Conventional

2000-2100 2350-2450

 Diamide

2025–2150 2375-2450
Gloucester – Southern 1772 1st –7/14-7/16

2nd –too far off

 1st –7/14-7/17

2nd –too far off
Middlesex – Northern 1701 1st –7/16-7/18

2nd –too far off

 1st –7/16-7/19

2nd –too far off

 

Japanese Beetles: Japanese beetles have emerged and have been observed in some orchards. Products containing imidacloprid (Admire Pro, etc.) are effective and have a short preharvest interval. See the Tree Fruit Production guide for more information.

Tarnished Plant Bugs; and Other Catfacing Insects: Catfacing insect activity is increasing with the arrival of hot weather and is present at moderate to high levels in some orchards.

Scale Inesects: First generation San Jose Scale crawler emergence is just about over. The next crawler emergence will start in late mid to late July for both San Jose and White Peach scale and will last well into August. White Peach scale has a third generation in September and San Jose scale may have a third generation in October. Esteem, Centaur and Movento are all good scale materials. Esteem and Centaur should be applied at the start of crawler emergence. Movento should be applied before the start of the crawler emergence and needs to be applied with a penetrant. Observations over the years indicate that Movento may not work well as we move into late summer especially on Pome Fruit. Other options include The neonicitinoids, Closer, Sivanto and Venerate. Some may need more than one application.

Apples and Pears:

Diseases: Summer scab, rots and sooty blotch and fly speck are the main targets at this stage. Where scab is present rely primarily on protectant fungicides. Last year Captan plus a phosphorous acid like Prophyt was observed to slow scab development as well as provide good summer disease control. Bitter Rot symptoms are now appearing in susceptible varieties.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs: Brown Marmorated Stink bugs are present at low to moderate levels in orchards statewide. Eggs are hatching and nymphs are present. See the NJ Tree Fruit Production guide for effective materials.

Codling Moth (CM): Timings for the second generation are updated below.  A biofix was set for CM on April 25th in southern counties, and May 6 in Northern counties (Middlesex County). Estimated timings for the second generation are updated below.

Codling Moth Degree Day Timing
Application and Insecticide Type
County Area Biofix Intrepid; Diamides – Altacor, Voliam mixes:

1150-1200 +

1450-1500 DD

 

 Cyd-X, Madex

1250 DD + every 7-9 days during brood hatch (later if first spray is an IGR)

 Standard Insecticides –  Delegate, Avaunt, OP’s, carbamates, pyrethroids

1250 DD +

1550-1600 DD

 
DD 1150-1200 1450-1500 1250 1250 1550-1600
Southern April 25 7/3-7/5 7/14-7/16 7/7 7/7 7/18-7/20
Northern May 6 7/6-7/7 7/17-7/19 7/9 7/9 7/21-7/23

Scale Insects: For San Jose scale see the peach section above.

Tree  Fruit Trap Counts – Southern Counties

Weekending STLM TABM-A CM BMSB OFM-A DWB OFM-P TABM-P LPTB PTB
4/9/2022 2 0 0
4/16/2022 0 2 3
4/23/2022 11 0 0 28 5 0 0
4/30/2022 5 0 1 31 4 0 0
5/7/2022 5 1 3 50 4 0 0
5/14/2022 8 5 3 19 2 0 0
5/21/2022 3 5 5 20 2 7 3
5/28/2022 0 19 3 13 0 11 36
6/4/2022 0 10 3 5 1 13 49 0
6/11/2022 0 9 2 6 36 0 8 47 3
6/18/2022 0 4 1 0 62 0 3 13 1
6/25/2022 16 0 0 6 3 16 0 0 18 4
7/2/2022 24 0 0 6 3 24 0 0 18 4

 

Tree  Fruit Trap Counts – Northern Counties

Weekending STLM TABM-A CM BMSB OFM-A DWB OFM-P TABM-P LPTB PTB
4/9/2022
4/16/2022 0 0 1
4/23/2022 0 0 2 0
4/30/2022 0 0 2.5 0
5/7/2022 0 1 4 0
5/14/2022 1 2 0 5 0.5 0 0
5/21/2022 6 8 4 27 2 5 6 5 0
5/28/2022 34 19 3 6 13 1 23 15 0
6/4/2022 17 21 4 4 11 1 27 17 0
6/11/2022 22 25 2 1 4 0 30 9 0
6/18/2022 66 20 2 2 2 5 2 27 7 0
6/25/2022 58 21 1 8 8 2 4 22 4 0
7/2/2022 55 7 1 1 14 15 2 9 4 1

 

Pest Event or Growth Stage Approximate Date 2022 Observed Date
 Bud Swell (Redhaven)  March 23 +/- 15 Days March 20
1/4″ Green Tip Red Delicious March 31 +/- 13 Days March 21
Pink Peach (Redhaven) April 4 +/- 15 Days March 31
Tight Cluster Red Delicious April 9 +/- 13 Days March 31
Full Bloom Peach (Redhaven) April 9 +/- 14 Days April 10
Pink Apple (Red Delicious) April 14 +/- 12 Days April 14
Full Bloom Apple (Red Delicious) April 22 +/- 11 Days April 21
Petal Fall (Redhaven) April 22 +/- 10 Days April 14
Petal Fall (Red Delicious) April 27 +/- 13 Days May 3
Shuck Split (Redhaven) April 30 +/- 11 Days April 26
Pit Hardening June 15 +/- 9 Days June 10

 

Filed Under: Tree Fruit Tagged With: , , , , , ,
July 8, 2022

Update on Status of Dacthal Herbicide

DCPA (dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate) is a selective preemergence herbicide used for control of annual grasses (foxtail, crabgrass, barnyardgrass, goosegrass, fall panicum) and some broadleaved weeds (purslane, common lambsquarters, pigweeds) in vegetable crops and ornamental turf. Commercial formulations of DCPA include Dacthal® Flowable herbicide. Dacthal® Flowable is labelled for use on the following vegetable and fruiting crop groups: cole leafy vegetables, seeded melons (cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon), collards and mustard greens, horseradish and radish, onions, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants, strawberries.

  • What is happening with DCPA, the technical ingredient in Dacthal® Flowable herbicide from AMVAC?
    On April 27th the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a notice of intent to suspend (NOITS) DCPA technical registration in the U.S. The basis for this action was that AMVAC had not provided multiple studies required during the registration review.
  • How did AMVAC and key grower stakeholders respond to this action by the EPA?
    According to FIFRA (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act), AMVAC and impacted stakeholders had the opportunity to
    appeal the NOITS within 30 days, which they did on May 27th. The purpose of the appeal was to obtain a hearing that would allow
    evidence from each side to be presented in front of an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) appointed by EPA.
  • Did AMVAC and the grower stakeholders have the opportunity for a hearing?
    No. The assigned EPA administrative law judge (ALJ) ruled on Friday July 1st that the NOITS was upheld without requiring a hearing.
  • How will that impact end use formulated products like Dacthal Flowable herbicide?
    This decision does not impact formulated products (i.e., Dacthal Flowable). AMVAC’s customers can continue to sell, distribute, and
    apply Dacthal Flowable.
  • What happens now in this process concerning DCPA?
    The July 1st decision granted EPA the ability to suspend DCPA technical without requiring a hearing to examine AMVAC and
    EPA testimony. AMVAC will appeal this decision to the Environmental Appeals Board.
  • Is the registration of the end-use product Dacthal Flowable herbicide impacted by the NOITS?
    If you have used or plan to use end-use products containing DCPA, there are no consequences from that use or downstream
    consequence for the crop you applied it to, now or in the future, from NOITS activities. Applications of Dacthal Flowable end-use
    products remain legal and the established United States tolerances remain in place.
  • What are the next steps in this process? How will it impact the availability of Dacthal Flowable?
    AMVAC can continue to manufacture, sell, and distribute end-use products until notification of the appeal process has been completed. AMVAC’s customers can continue to sell, distribute, and apply Dacthal Flowable. AMVAC is commitment to continuing to exhaust all options to defend DCPA. Outside of any legal proceedings, AMVAC continues to generate and submit to EPA the data necessary to fulfill the Data Call-In (DCI) Notices required to complete registration review for DCPA, regardless of the suspension status.

 

 

Filed Under: Strawberry, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , ,
July 8, 2022

Herbicide Plant-Back Restrictions Explained: Purpose and Application

Are you crystal clear on the purpose of plant-back restrictions and on the length of time required between a herbicide application and the planting of your next crop or cover crop? If not, the guidance below should help. It was developed based on a poster presentation made during the 2022 annual meeting of the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA). For further information regarding the plant-back restrictions for vegetable crops, please refer to Pest Management section (p. 110-118) of the 2022/2023 Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations.

  • What is a plant-back interval?
    A plant-back interval is the minimum period of time between a pesticide treatment and the planting of your next crop. The EPA establishes plant-back intervals as label requirements for herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, plant growth regulators and other types of pesticides.
  • What’s the purpose of a plant-back interval?
    EPA’s primary focus in setting plant-back intervals is to protect human health by preventing over exposure to pesticide residues in crops – including fruits and vegetables. Regulatory experts include all residue sources when assessing human dietary exposure.
  • Do plant-back intervals also address crop phytotoxicity concerns?
    While pesticide registrants may choose to add label instructions to address potential crop injury or phytotoxicity concerns, these instructions are independent of EPA-mandated plant-back restrictions that focus on limiting human exposure to pesticide residues. If your crop is intended to be harvested for human or animal consumption, you must still comply with the minimum residue-based plant-back intervals, regardless of whether phytotoxicity guidance is given.
  • How are plant-back intervals established?
    EPA requires that pesticide registrants submit residue studies to document pesticide levels and related metabolites. Study data is then used to develop appropriate plant-back interval guidance based on allowed tolerance levels in the plant-back crop. All residue sources from pesticides applied within the current and previous growing seasons are included when assessing human dietary exposure. It is important to note that the plant-back intervals specified by EPA are crop specific. The interval specified for tomato, for example, might vary from that established for cole crops.
  • What should I do if I’m planting a crop that isn’t specified on the label?
    Crops that are not specifically addressed on the label fall into the “other crops” category and require the maximum plant-back interval indicated on the label.
  • Do plant-back intervals apply to both my rotational crop and my cover crop?
    If the crop is harvested for human consumption or is grazed by or fed to livestock that will be consumed by humans, the crop is considered a “rotational crop” and requires an appropriate plant-back interval to protect human health.
    Seasonal plantings that will not be consumed directly by humans or by livestock that will then be consumed by humans are considered “cover crops.” Cover crops such as ryegrass or hairy vetch are grown to improve soil quality, reduce erosion or manage weeds. Since there is no risk of dietary exposure, plant-back restrictions do not apply when planting cover crops.
  • How do I calculate the plant-back interval?
    To comply with the mandated plant-back interval, use the date of the last pesticide application as a starting point. If, for example, the crop selected has a 365-day plant-back interval, the 365-day window begins on the day after the last pesticide application to the previous crop. You can plant that next crop 365 days later.
Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,