On May 12, NJ Governor Murphy signed Executive Order #241 eliminating the requirement for wearing masks in outdoor spaces taking effect immediately. Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher has summarized the changes that may impact agriculture operations. The full text of his letter can be read in this attached file.
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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May 18, 2021 Rick VanVranken
Letter from Secretary Fisher Regarding Governor’s Executive Order #241 Eliminating Requirement for Masks in Outdoor Spaces
May 18, 2021 Anne Nielsen
Spotted Lanternfly Hatch
photo by Autumn Angeles
Spotted lanternfly nymphs are hatching throughout the state and first instars are present in multiple vineyards. Lanternfly overwinters in the egg stage and hatch is quite protracted, likely depending on the microhabitat where eggs are laid. In our surveys in 2019-2020, we identified a 2 year delay from the time SLF adults are first identified in the woods bordering vineyards and movement of the adults into the vineyard and laying eggs at levels that require management.
While it may seem counterintuitive, management is not needed as soon as SLF hatches. There is currently no evidence that the nymphs cause any yield loss or plant injury. However, this is an invasive species that requires management and there is no threshold for management against the nymph stage.
Best management practices against SLF nymphs in vineyards are to time management with other key insect management such as grape berry moth or Japanese beetle. This will not only save on insecticide costs but will also allow for all of the nymphs to hatch from the egg masses. See the table below on efficacy of materials targeting multiple vineyard pests.
| Trade name | Active ingredient | Class | Rate per acre | Days of activity | SLF | GBM | JB |
| Brigade 10WSB | bifenthrin | Pyrethroid | 16 oz. | 14 | E | E | |
| Actara 25WDG | thiamethoxam | Neonicotinoid | 3.5 oz | 7 | E | G | |
| Assail 30SG | acetamiprid | Neonicotinoid | 5.3 oz | <7 | G | G | F |
| Carbaryl 4L | carbaryl | Carbamate | 2 qt | 7 | E | G | G |
| Avaunt 30DG | indoxicarb | Oxadiazine | 6 oz | 7 | E | G | G |
| Danitol 2.4EC | fenpropathrin | Pyrethroid | 21.33 fl oz | 7 | E | E | E |
| Belay | clothianidin | Neonicotinoid | 6 oz. | – | G | G | G |
| Baythroid | cyfluthrin | Pyrethroid | 3.2 oz | 7 | E | E |
E = excellent control
G = good control
F = fair control
May 17, 2021 Cesar Rodriguez-Saona
Managing Blunt-nosed Leafhoppers in Cranberries
Blunt-nosed leafhoppers (BNLH) continue to be an increasing threat to cranberries in NJ. BNLH has one generation a year. It overwinters as
Picture 1. BNLH nymph. Photo by Elvira de Lange.
eggs, which begin to hatch in early May. The nymphs (Picture 1) will go through five instars in about a month. The adults (Picture 2) begin to appear by the end of June and are most abundant in mid-July. Numbers of this species start to diminish by the end of July. The adults have a characteristic blunt head and vary from light yellowish-gray to dark brown. Eggs are laid in June-July. Nymphs and adults get their food by sucking the juices of the cranberry vines with their piercing-sucking mouthparts. This direct injury is, however, not noticeable. They are most important as vectors of false blossom disease (Picture 3). Typical disease symptoms include distinctive branching of the upright shoots (witches’ broom) and malformed flowers where flowers stand erect and petals are redder than normal.
Here are some guidelines to consider when managing BNLH in cranberries:
- The most important point in BNLH control is locating the sites of infestation. Monitoring for this insect is accomplished best with an insect sweep net. Nymphs should be monitored before bloom using sweep nets (this time of year). Nymphs before bloom are small; thus, you may need to freeze the samples (to kill them), and then count the number of nymphs under a microscope or using a magnifying lens.
- To monitor, perform sweep sets of 25 sweeps each. The recommended number of sweep sets is: 1–3 sweep sets per 1–
Picture 2. BNLH adult. Photo by Elvira de Lange.
10 acres, at least 10 sweep sets per 10–20 acres, and 1 sweep set per 2 acres for more than 20 acres.
- A challenge for managing BNLH is the fact that they vector a phytoplasma that causes false blossom disease. For this reason, it is difficult to establish economic thresholds for this pest because we do not know the proportion of individuals that are infected in the population. Moreover, this proportion can vary depending on the variety. For instance, we have observed higher incidence of infection in the newer varieties even when populations of leafhoppers are low.
- Although they need to be tested, based on experience, I came up with the following tentative treatment thresholds: An average of 20 nymphs per sweep set if it is a new variety bed, bed with young plantings, and/or a bed that has a recent history of false blossom. Or, an average of 40 nymphs per sweep set if it is an older bed and older variety with no previous history of false blossom.
- If BNLH populations are increasing compared to previous years and the beds have not been treated for BNLH for 2-3 years, growers should consider treatment.
- If growers have treated for BNLH in the previous year and populations are low (average of less than 10–20 BNLH per sweep set), there is no need to treat again. Keep a record of the BNLH numbers and check those same beds again the following year to see if the numbers increase.
Picture 3. False blossom-infected cranberry vine.
- In most cases, there is no need to apply broad-spectrum insecticides (organophosphates, carbamates) to control BNLH for two or more consecutive years. These insecticides will disrupt the biological control of other pests such as Sparganothis fruitworm and therefore cause increases in insecticide use.
- If treatment is necessary, we have limited options to manage BNLH. The best timing for insecticide treatment is before bloom to target the young nymphs. We recommend the use of organophosphates such as Lorsban (chlorpyrifos) and Diazinon (diazinon), and carbamates like Sevin (carbaryl). The neonicotinoid Assail (acetamiprid) also works well against nymphs, but we do not recommend the use of neonicotinoids before bloom due to potential negative effects on bees-neonicotinoids are systemic insecticides that can accumulate in the pollen and nectar. A new registered insecticide, Closer (sulfoxaflor), is also effective against BNLH nymphs. Although Closer has a similar mode of action as the neonicotinoids, it belongs to a different class of insecticides. Closer use is prohibited during bloom (between 3 days prior to bloom and until after petal fall).
- Trials will be conducted this year at the Rutgers P.E. Marucci Center with existing and new insecticides against BNLH nymphs.
May 14, 2021 Nick Polanin
USDA Expands Disaster Assistance to Include Fish Raised for Food
In response to catastrophic aquaculture losses due to major winter storms that hit states along the U.S. Gulf Coast in February, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced a policy change that makes food fish and other aquatic species eligible for the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP). Previously, only farm-raised game and bait fish were eligible for death loss ELAP benefits. Beginning June 1, eligible aquaculture producers can request ELAP assistance for 2021 losses. This policy change is for the 2021 and subsequent program years.
ELAP provides financial assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish for losses due to disease, certain adverse weather events or loss conditions, including blizzards and wildfires, as determined by the Secretary.
To be eligible, losses must have occurred on or after Jan. 1, 2021. For farm-raised fish and other aquatic species death losses only that occurred prior to June 1, 2021, FSA is waiving the requirement to file a notice of loss within 30 calendar days of when the loss is apparent. An aquaculture producer will still need to be able to provide contemporaneous records upon request to document the eligible loss event and demonstrate the beginning and ending inventory. The deadline to file an application for payment for the 2021 program year is Jan. 31, 2022.
USDA offers a comprehensive portfolio of disaster assistance programs. On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Discovery Tool can help producers and landowners determine all program or loan options available for disaster recovery assistance. For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners should contact their crop insurance agent. For FSA and NRCS programs, please contact your local USDA Service Center.
May 14, 2021 Michelle Infante-Casella
3rd Agritourism Webinar: Visitor Incidents and Media Communication
Rutgers Cooperative Extension is working with other extension professionals in the northeastern states to deliver weekly, one-hour webinar programming for agritourism and on-farm direct market operators. The 3rd session will focus on what to do in the event of an confrontation, accident, or injury, and how to communicate with the media in a crisis. Registration is being handled through the University of Vermont. See information below to join the webinars. There are separate registrations for each event.
Session 3: What to Do when Something Goes Wrong, Incident Response and Media Relations, When: May 18, 2021 7:00-8:00 PM Eastern Time. Presenters: Bill Bamka, Stephen Komar, Bill Hlubik, Rutgers Cooperative Extension – Register HERE
Session 4: Liability Insurance, When: May 25, 2021 12:00-1:00 PM Eastern Time. Presenter will be an insurance agent from VT: – Register HERE
Recorded past sessions will be posted to this website if you missed any sessions: https://www.uvm.edu/extension/vtagritourism/safety-and-liability-farms-during-covid-19
To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Christi Sherlock at 802-476-2003 or Christi.Sherlock@uvm.edu for assistance.
May 13, 2021 Rick VanVranken
Letter from Secretary Fisher Regarding Governor’s Executive Order #239 Easing of COVID-19 Restrictions
On May 12, NJ Governor Murphy signed Executive Order #239 regarding the easing of COVID-19 restrictions which will become effective on May 19. Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher has summarized the changes that may impact agriculture operations. The full text of his letter can be read in this attached file.
