Basil downy mildew has been confirmed in potted sweet basil being sold by a box-store in Cumberland County in southern New Jersey. This is the second report of BDM in the state and region this growing season. All basil growers are encouraged to scout their fields or greenhouses on a daily basis and should consider initiating a preventative fungicide program. [Read more…]
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 Update 6/02/21
Sweet Corn
Attention sweet corn growers! Please take a few moments to complete this survey. Rutgers IPM personnel expect to participate in grant funded research guided by grower responses. See the brief description below. Thank you for your help!
Corn Earworm Management in Sweet Corn Needs Assessment Survey
Dr. Kelly Hamby, Associate Professor/Extension Specialist with the Department of Entomology at University of Maryland, is leading a team of researchers, including Rutgers IPM staff, who have developed a survey to prioritize research and extension efforts for improving corn earworm management in sweet corn throughout the Northeast. We appreciate your participation in this survey and will use results to develop a grant proposal to try to get federal funding to address these needs.
Survey link: https://ume.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9vRh1xHnDp4KEaa
Low numbers of European corn borer (ECB) moths continue to be captured in parts of the state. Cool temperatures over the past weekend have likely suppressed activity, and warmer weather in the upcoming week may trigger a modest rebound. The highest adult activity is currently around the Atlantic-Camden County border (see map at right). Whorl corn is the primary target for egg laying, and injury as high as 16% of plants infested has been found up to northern Monmouth County this week. Feeding levels should rise over the next 3 weeks.
Look for the characteristic “shot-hole” type of feeding (photo below at right) and consider treating when infested plants exceed 12% in a 50 plant sample. As plantings proceed to the pre-tassel stage, ECB larvae may be found in emerging tassels (see photo at left). It is a good idea to treat individual plantings as they move into the full tassel/first silk stage one time. This eliminates any ECB larvae that have emerged with the tassels as they begin to move down the stalk to re-enter near developing ears.
Useful insecticides for this particular application include synthetic pyrethroids (IRAC Grp 3), spinosyns (including OMRI approved Entrust) IRAC Grp 5), and diamides such as Coragen or Vantacor (IRAC Grp 28) or materials such as Besiege which include the active ingredient in Coragen. Synthetic pyrethroids alone should NOT be used for corn earworm (CEW) protection on silking corn. Control with these materials is very inconsistent.
The highest nightly trap catches of ECB for the week ending 6/02/21 are as follows:
Elm 2 | Denville 1 | Pedricktown 1 |
Asbury 1 | Medford 1 | Sergeantsville 1 |
Clinton 1 | Milford 1 | Tabernacle 1 |
Dayton 1 | New Egypt 1 | Woodstown 1 |
Basil downy mildew confirmed in southern New Jersey – ALERT 6/2/21
Basil downy mildew has been confirmed in a home owners garden in Atlantic County in southern New Jersey. This is the first report of BDM in the state and region this growing season and about three weeks earlier than last year. All basil growers are encouraged to scout their fields or greenhouses on a daily basis. [Read more…]
Controlling basil downy mildew in the field
For over a decade, basil downy mildew (BDM) has caused significant losses in basil grown in organic and conventional field and greenhouse production across the United States. At the time of its introduction, there were very few fungicides labeled for its control making it nearly impossible to grow a successful crop in many areas of the country. [Read more…]
Vegetable IPM Update 5/26/21
Sweet Corn
European corn borer (ECB) moths are now being captured in parts of the state. As yet, numbers are low, and the next 7-10 days will likely tell whether this flight will be of any significant size. Current “hot spots” are around Salem County and southern Hunterdon into Mercer and Ocean counties (see map at right). Whorl corn is the primary target for egg laying, but as yet, scouts have reported no signs of feeding injury. We expect to encounter feeding over the next week. .
Look for the characteristic “shot-hole” type of feeding (photo below at right) and consider treating when infested plants exceed 12% in a 50 plant sample. As plantings proceed to the pre-tassel stage, ECB larvae may be found in emerging tassels (see photo at left). It is a good idea to treat individual plantings as they move into the full tassel/first silk stage one time. This eliminates any ECB larvae that have emerged with the tassels as they begin to move down the stalk to re-enter near developing ears.
Useful insecticides for this particular application include synthetic pyrethroids (IRAC Grp 3), spinosyns (including OMRI approved Entrust) IRAC Grp 5), and diamides such as Coragen or Vantacor (IRAC Grp 28) or materials such as Besiege which include the active ingredient in Coragen. Synthetic pyrethroids alone should NOT be used for corn earworm (CEW) protection on silking corn. Control with these materials is very inconsistent.
The highest nightly trap catches of ECB for the week ending 5/26/21 are as follows:
Sergeantsville 3 | Clinton 1 | New Egypt 1 |
Allentown 1 | Crosswicks 1 | Pedricktown 1 |
Bellemeade 1 | Jones Island 1 | Pennington 1 |
Centerton 1 | Lawrenceville 1 | Princeton 1 |
FSMA Produce Safety Rule Inspections Taking Place on all Covered Farms
Are you a produce farm who has not yet had a FSMA Produce Safety Rule inspection? Have you received communication from the NJ Department of Agriculture about the Produce Safety Rule? Smaller size produce operations are currently being inspected by the NJDA for FSMA PSR compliance. If you have not yet had an inspection you may be subject to one this season. Here is what you need to know:
If you grow and sell over $25,000 in produce annually you may be subject to the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. The NJDA will contact your farm to ask several questions to understand if the rule pertains to you. What crops do you grow? How much in produce sales do you make on an average year? What percentage of your sales are made direct to consumer (farm stand, farmers market, CSA, direct to an individual grocery store, direct to an individual restaurant)? What are your total food sales (including any food for human and/or animal consumption including hay, grain, baked goods, meat, milk, honey, chewing gum, etc.) for an average year? You may have previously answered these questions via a survey that was mailed to you, or over the phone with NJDA staff.
The NJDA is currently scheduling inspections with farms across the state of all sizes. If you receive a phone call or email from the NJDA about a Produce Safety Inspection date, do not ignore the communication. The inspection will take place and warning letters can be sent to farms who are not in compliance with the rule.
Have questions about if your farm is exempt or qualified exempt from the rule? Remember that qualified exempt farms need to prove their exemption status, this can be done by using the qualified exempt review template on page 5 of the recordkeeping guidance from the Produce Safety Alliance.
Farms that need to comply with the rule are required to attend FDA approved training. The next training in NJ will be held online on September 15th and 16th. Other online trainings are available from other states, visit the Produce Safety Alliance website for more details. The approved training covers the Produce Safety Rule requirements and ways of complying with them.