The registration deadline is fast approaching for our December 5 and 6, 2024 Remote Food Safety Modernization Act: Produce Safety Rule Training. This training fulfills the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration that at least one person from each farm that produces fresh fruits and vegetables needs to receive a standardized curriculum recognized by the FDA. This class runs from 9:00-1:00 EST and both days are required to receive the certificate. The deadline to register is Sunday, November 17, 2024, exceptions to this deadline cannot be made due to the nature of the remote program and the need for participants to have a copy of the Growers Training Manual prior to the training. Without the manual at the time of training participants will not receive a certificate. Manual will be mailed to all registered participants. For more information and to sign up for the class go to https://onfarmfoodsafety.rutgers.edu/trainings.
Organic Farm Advisory
The Plant & Pest Advisory serves NJ growers by reporting on important pests and recommending responses that are grounded in reproducible trials.
Articles in this section contain information helpful to the NJ commercial organic grower.
Sharing organic practice trial results between land-grant universities is a cost effective way to create a common knowledge base built on the strengths of individual programs. In the sidebar, find institutions with programs in organic agriculture which augment knowledge developed at the Rutgers New Jersey Ag Experiment Station.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension Field Guides: These concise guides help with decision making from pre-planting to harvest. For each crop listed, learn what pests to proactively look for as the season progresses, how to look for them, and when to take action.
Vegetable IPM Program – Corn Earworm Monitoring
Corn Earworm Monitoring – Moving Forward
It is likely that blacklight trapping will not be continued in the Rutgers Vegetable IPM Program beginning in 2025, due to the unavailability of the specific bulb that has been the standard for blacklight traps for decades. Under these circumstances, the IPM Program will rely on pheromone trapping to determine levels of important crop pests such as the corn earworm (CEW).
The 30” Hartstack trap (see photo at right by K. Albright of Purdue Univ.), also called the Texas pheromone trap (TPT), which is used in the Rutgers IPM Program, as well as many insect monitoring programs in other states, is the best tool for determining spray intervals on silking sweet corn to limit CEW injury. A number of New Jersey sweet corn growers already have one or more TPTs on the farm, but we encourage all growers of this crop to obtain at least one.
Deploying Traps
The TPT is mounted on ½” rebar set at a height of approximately 4’. The trap is baited with one Hercon Luretape Corn Earworm Lure, available from Great Lakes IPM®. An additional lure is added every two weeks, and the trap should always be deployed directly adjacent to sweet corn expressing fresh silks. This means that the trap should be moved frequently during the season.
Building or Buying Traps
The TPT is relatively simple to manufacture, and the University of Kentucky has posted the plans and parts list for making these traps in the growers’ shops. The UKy site for trap design is: https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef010
For those who wish to purchase this trap rather than making their own, TPTs are available from Mike “O” Olsowski in Geneva, NY. Mr. Olsowski has made a number of TPT tops for the Rutgers IPM Program and is willing to make and ship these traps to New Jersey growers. Contact information for Mike “O” Olsowski :
Mike “O” Olsowski
3510 Sutton Rd.
Geneva, NY 14456
Phone: 315-651-5929
Recording Catches
Current silk spray intervals based on corn earworm catches in the 30″ Hartstack trap were developed by the Univ. of Delaware some time ago, and are represented on the following chart, which may be printed and posted in a convenient site on the farm so that growers can record the catch and determine a silk spray schedule. This trap record also includes spaces for other insects for which commercial pheromones are available, including beet armyworm and fall armyworm. Contact information for Rutgers Vegetable IPM Program staff (currently, Amanda Quadrel) is also included on the chart.
Vegetable IPM Update 9/18/24
Sweet Corn
Corn earworm (CEW) moth captures from northern and central blacklight and pheromone traps continued to decrease with an extended period of cooler night temperatures. Pheromone trap information is available from all northern and central sites, but is limited from southern New Jersey. With little information from South Jersey, growers there would be wise to assume numbers at least as high as those represented in the central and northern traps. Should night time temperatures rebound, we should expect increases in CEW catch from both trap types. We will use a combination of pheromone and blacklight trap types to derive silk spray schedules by region. Silking corn is at risk of CEW infestation at this time. Be sure to access information from this publication in the upcoming weeks to determine how frequently you should treat silking sweet corn to protect it from CEW infestation.
The highest nightly blacklight trap catches of CEW for the week ending 9/18/24 are as follows:
| Denville 3 | Flanders 2 | Califon 1 | Lawrenceville 1 |
| Blairstown 2 | Hackettstown 2 | Farmingdale 1 | Long Valley 1 |
| Chester 2 | Sergeantsville 2 | Georgetown 1 | Pennington 1 |
The highest nightly pheromone trap catches of CEW for the week ending 9/18/24 are as follows:
| Woodstown 68 | Berlin 16 | New Egypt 7 |
| Georgetown 20 | Bellemeade 10 | Chester 6 |
| Snyder Farm (Hunterdon) 19 | Green Creek 10 | Hackettstown 6 |
| Califon 18 | Middle Valley 10 | Dayton 5 |
Thanks to Joe LaForest of Univ. of GA, and the Southern IPM Center for producing maps from our NJ CEW data!
Using our current pheromone- based thresholds (30″ Hartstack trap) developed by the Univ. of Delaware, nightly corn earworm moth catches translate to:
0 moths – 6-7 day spray schedule
1 moth – 5 day spray schedule
2-20 moths – 4 day spray schedule
>20 moths – 3 day spray schedule
Silking Spray Schedules*:
South – 3 days
Central – 3-4 days
North – 3-4 days
*These recommendations are based on regional catches. Adhere to tighter spray schedules if indicated by local trap catches. Synthetic pyrethroids alone should NOT be used for corn earworm (CEW) protection on silking corn, or for fall armyworm (FAW) management at any stage. Control with these materials is very inconsistent.
Beet Armyworm
Beet armyworm (BAW) numbers in pheromone traps in the Woodstown area of Salem County have dropped over the past week, but remain relatively high. Thanks to a grower cooperator in that area, we know that catches range from 31 – 67/night over the past week in local traps. This pest can cause significant injury on peppers as well as leafy greens like swiss chard, and kale. Larvae are beginning to appear as far north as Hunterd
on County, although it is likely that serious infestations are or will occur in southern NJ now. Monitor pepper fields weekly for signs of feeding. BAW larvae (photo at left) feed in the developing foliage in terminal growth of pepper plants. Initially, leaves are skeletonized, but as larvae grow, they will move onto fruit and damage these as well. In northern NJ, BAW is an occasional, and typically low level pest of cole crops. Infestations tend to be very local for unknown reasons. As with other armyworms, BAW is difficult to control with pyrethroid insecticides. Effective materials include spinosyns (IRAC 5) and diamides (IRAC 28).
Corn Earworm Traps – 30″ Hartstack type
Growers wishing to purchase corn earworm pheromone traps to conduct their own on-farm monitoring should contact:
Mike “O” Olsowski
3510 Sutton Rd.
Geneva, NY 14456
Phone: 315-651-5929
Mike O manufactures these 30″ Hartstack traps in his shop. These traps are the same as the ones we use currently in the IPM Program, and spray thresholds are based on this type.
Lures currently used in the Rutgers Vegetable IPM Program corn earworm pheromone traps are:
Hercon Luretape, available from Great Lakes IPM
Lures are placed in the clip at the base of the large cone, and a new one is added at two week intervals.
Welcome!
The Vegetable IPM Program welcomes Amanda Quadrel as the new Program Coordinator for southern New Jersey! Amanda received her MS. from our Rutgers Entomology Department, working with spotted wing drosophila. She has an excellent background in IPM tactics, and is currently meeting with growers and becoming familiar with some of our activities (though very late in the season) in the field. Welcome, Amanda and good luck!
Resistance-breaking Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus present in tomato in New Jersey
Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) has caused significant problems for some fresh-market tomato and pepper growers in New Jersey the past few growing seasons. Although not uncommon, economic losses these past few years have been extensive on some farms.
TSWV is vectored by various species of thrips, a common vegetable insect pest that seems to be on the incline and very difficult to control in vegetable production throughout the state. The most important vector of TSWV is the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis. It’s mode of transmission is persistent propagative, meaning that thrips nymphs have to feed on an infected plant, whereby followed by a short incubation period (lasting from hours to days), the virus is then persistently transmitted throughout the rest of the insect’s life span.
TSWV cannot be passed from infected females to eggs; and TSWV is not transmitted in seed.
The western flower thrips and TSWV both have a wide host range! Western flower thrips host range includes: tomato, pepper, onion, celery, cucumber, lettuce, potato, basil, strawberry; a wide range of herbaceous ornamentals (e.g., impatiens, geranium, marigold, petunia, dahlia, gerbera daisy, carnation) as well as many common weeds (e.g., pigweed, chickweed, lambs quarter, thistle, galinsoga). TSMV can infect over 1,000 plant species from more than 90 plant families.
In California and other tomato production regions, resistance-breaking (RB) strains (C118Y, C118F, T120N) of TSWV have recently been discovered that can overcome the single gene resistance (Sw-5b) bred into widely-grown processing and fresh-market tomato varieties. Recent research in TX has also shown that RB TSWV strains may increase western flower thrips fitness (ability to reproduce) by prolonging the adult period and increasing fecundity (i.e., a measure of an insect’s reproductive success, often expressed as the number of eggs or offspring produced by an insect) compared to non-RB and non-viruliferous controls. Unfortunately, the breakdown of genetic resistance along with the potential increase in TSWV-infected thrips reproduction rates, may lead to significant problems in thrips and TSWV control in New Jersey and elsewhere.
Recent work in Texas has shown that RB-TSWV can break resistance (conferred by the commonly deployed TSW-mediated single gene resistance) in TSWV-resistant pepper (Capsicum annuum) with varying levels of symptom development in both resistant and susceptible cultivars; with none being completely immune.
In October 2022, samples of a TSWV-infected fresh market tomato variety with Sw-5b resistance were collected in southern New Jersey and sent for analysis. Results determined that RB (C118Y) TSWV was present in the state; and the strain found in New Jersey was similar to the RB TSWV found in fresh-market tomato from Mexico and processing tomato in California suggesting a high potential for its widespread movement.
So, where do we go from here? Based on the isolated report of TSWV being found on resistant fresh-market tomato in New Jersey in 2022, and the more recent reports of it this year, it does not appear that RB TSWV is currently widespread throughout the state. However, this may likely change.
All vegetable growers, those who produce their own transplants or bring them in, need to carefully evaluate their thrips monitoring and mitigation programs this winter.
- Start fresh. Prior to the transplant production season, clean and disinfect the greenhouse or any other structure where you might be holding transplants. Remove any weeds within and around the structure. Use sticky cards to monitor the potential carryover thrips population during the winter months, especially if you have any plant material in the greenhouse during those months.
- Never produce or keep tomato or pepper transplants you start yourself or bring in, in the same greenhouse with any ornamental plants.
- Segregate any transplants that are brought into your operation from your own transplants, as well as segregate different source of transplants as best you can.
- Evaluate all incoming transplants for thrips damage.
- Treat all incoming transplants with an insecticide immediately.
- Use yellow sticky cards to continually monitor for thrips populations in the greenhouse from the start of the transplant season until the end.
- Consider using biological or natural control(s) in the greenhouse.
- The use of silver reflective mulches have been shown to reduce thrips populations in fields.
- Develop a season-long insecticide program prior to the production season; from applying an insecticide at transplanting through cover sprays until harvest.
- Monitor thrips populations and feeding damage in the field with regular scouting and sticky cards.
- Closely monitor thrips feeding injury on pepper and tomato fruit during the production season.
- Proper weed control is essential since many weeds may harbor the virus or infected thrips. This includes areas around the production field.
- Rogue out any suspicious looking plant(s) prior to transplanting, or any suspicious looking plant early in the production season (e.g., any plant that starts to stunt out early) to help mitigate the within field spread.
Growers should continue to utilize TSWV-resistant tomato and pepper varieties realizing the effectiveness of those in limiting TSWV is becoming compromised. All growers need to continue to follow best management practices (such as those listed above) and pay careful attention to current weaknesses in their production practices and thrips control programs and adjust their management practices heading into 2025 growing season.
by: Andy Wyenandt and Kris Holmstrom
References:
Macedo MA, Melgarejo T, Cespedes M, Rojas M, Lazicki P, Turini T, et al. (2024) An all-out assault on a dominant resistance gene: Local emergence, establishment, and spread of strains of tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV) that overcome Sw-5b-mediated resistance in fresh market and processing tomatoes in California. PLoS ONE 19(7): e0305402.
Tomato spotted wilt virus on pepper and tomato. Inga Meadows and Andy Cooper, NCSU 2024
Gautam et al., 2022. First report of a resistance-breaking strain of tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus infecting Capsicum annuum with Tsw resistance gene in Texas. Plant Dis. 107:1958.
Vegetable IPM Update 9/11/24
Sweet Corn
Corn earworm (CEW) moth captures from northern and central blacklight and pheromone traps decreased substantially with cooler night temperatures over the past week. Pheromone trap information is available from all northern and central sites, but is limited from southern New Jersey. With little information from South Jersey, growers there would be wise to assume numbers at least as high as those represented in the central and northern traps. Should night time temperatures rebound, we should expect increases in CEW catch from both trap types. We will use a combination of pheromone and blacklight trap types to derive silk spray schedules by region. Silking corn is at risk of CEW infestation at this time. Be sure to access information from this publication in the upcoming weeks to determine how frequently you should treat silking sweet corn to protect it from CEW infestation.
The highest nightly blacklight trap catches of CEW for the week ending 9/11/24 are as follows:
| Hackettstown 11 | Bellemeade 5 | Farmingdale 3 | Clinton 2 |
| Denville 7 | Blairstown 4 | Georgetown 3 | New Egypt 2 |
| Allamuchy 6 | Chester 3 | Morrisotwn 3 | Oldwick 2 |
The highest nightly pheromone trap catches of CEW for the week ending 9/11/24 are as follows:
| Woodstown 59 | Sparta 36 | New Egypt 17 |
| Hackettstown 41 | Chester 31 | Dayton 10 |
| Green Creek 40 | Georgetown 27 | Matawan 10 |
| Middle Valley 36 | Allamuchy 24 | South Branch 9 |
Thanks to Joe LaForest of Univ. of GA, and the Southern IPM Center for producing maps from our NJ CEW data!
No map will appear in this addition, as data came in to late to generate an image. We will publish a map separately as soon as possible.
Using our current pheromone- based thresholds (30″ Hartstack trap) developed by the Univ. of Delaware, nightly corn earworm moth catches translate to:
0 moths – 6-7 day spray schedule
1 moth – 5 day spray schedule
2-20 moths – 4 day spray schedule
>20 moths – 3 day spray schedule
Silking Spray Schedules*:
South – 3-4 days
Central – 3 days
North – 3 days
*These recommendations are based on regional catches. Adhere to tighter spray schedules if indicated by local trap catches. Synthetic pyrethroids alone should NOT be used for corn earworm (CEW) protection on silking corn, or for fall armyworm (FAW) management at any stage. Control with these materials is very inconsistent.
Beet Armyworm
Beet armyworm (BAW) numbers in pheromone traps in the Woodstown area of Salem County have gotten extremely high over the past week. Thanks to a grower cooperator in that area, we know that catches range from 43 to 135/night over the past week in local traps. This pest can cause significant injury on peppers as well as leafy greens like swiss chard, and kale. Larvae are beginning to appear as far north as Hunterdon County, although it is likely that serious infestations are or will occur in southern NJ now. Monitor pepper fields weekly for signs of feeding. BAW larvae (photo at left) feed in the developing foliage in terminal growth of pepper plants. Initially, leaves are skeletonized, but as larvae grow, they will move onto fruit and damage these as well. In northern NJ, BAW is an occasional, and typically low level pest of cole crops. Infestations tend to be very local for unknown reasons. As with other armyworms, BAW is difficult to control with pyrethroid insecticides. Effective materials include spinosyns (IRAC 5) and diamides (IRAC 28).
Cucurbit Crops
Melon aphids (photo at left) are now appearing in some fields of winter squash and pumpkins. While not doing much damage to plants overall, these colonies can get quite large, and will deposit their sticky droppings on fruit below. This, in turn, supports the growth of sooty mold, and makes the fruit unsightly. Further, the sticky droppings attract hornets, which can be an issue for harvesting crews or U-pickers. Should melon aphid colonies appear in three or more sites in a ten site sample, consider applying an aphid specific material for control. There are multiple options in the Pumpkin and Winter Squash section of the Commercial Vegetable Recommendations that have low toxicity to bees.
Corn Earworm Traps – 30″ Hartstack type
Growers wishing to purchase corn earworm pheromone traps to conduct their own on-farm monitoring should contact:
Mike “O” Olsowski
3510 Sutton Rd.
Geneva, NY 14456
Phone: 315-651-5929
Mike O manufactures these 30″ Hartstack traps in his shop. These traps are the same as the ones we use currently in the IPM Program, and spray thresholds are based on this type.
Lures currently used in the Rutgers Vegetable IPM Program corn earworm pheromone traps are:
Hercon Luretape, available from Great Lakes IPM
Lures are placed in the clip at the base of the large cone, and a new one is added at two week intervals.
Welcome!
The Vegetable IPM Program welcomes Amanda Quadrel as the new Program Coordinator for southern New Jersey! Amanda received her MS. from our Rutgers Entomology Department, working with spotted wing drosophila. She has an excellent background in IPM tactics, and is currently meeting with growers and becoming familiar with some of our activities (though very late in the season) in the field. Welcome, Amanda and good luck!
Vegetable IPM Update 9/04/24
Sweet Corn
Fall armyworm (FAW) infestations have increased again, as per reports from south Jersey. It seems as though there was an increase in adult numbers with warm weather last week, concurrent with an increase in corn earworm (see below) . Re-infestations following treatment can and have occurred. Because FAW moths are highly mobile, it is important to monitor fields at least weekly for signs of infestation. Whorl, and even seedling stage plants are prime targets for egg laying. Delays in treating whorl stage infestations can lead to stunted plants and poor ear size.
Newly hatched FAW larvae cause holes and scratches on leaves that are similar to ECB feeding, except that they tend to be more concentrated and always lead down into the whorl (see photo at upper 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 reach larvae that are partially protected while feeding on the immature tassel (photo at lower left), and to penetrate the layer of droppings that may have formed above the caterpillars.
