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.

Field Guide List

May 18, 2022

Vegetable IPM Update

Due to subnormal temperatures and storms, there has not been enough pest activity to warrant producing maps.

Sweet corn

European corn borer moths have now been trapped in Gloucester and Salem County blacklights.  This is the beginning of the first, over-wintering generation of moths whose numbers will increase over the next two to three weeks.  The most common strain of corn borers has two generations per year and sometimes a partial third.  Corn borers attack a wide range of crops including potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and others, as well as sweet corn.

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Filed Under: Organic Production, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops
May 17, 2022

RSVP NOW: North Jersey Fruit and Vegetable Twilight Meeting III

North Jersey Fruit and Vegetable Twilight Meeting III

May 24, 2022
4:30 PM-7:30 PM
Phillips Farms,
91 Crab Apple Hill Road
Milford, NJ 08848

4:30 PM – Registration / Light Refreshments

4:45 PM – Tree and Small Fruit IPM Updates
Dean Polk, Statewide Fruit IPM Agent, Rutgers NJAES

5:15 PM – Farm Tour of Fruit and Early Season Vegetable Production
Jason Phillips, and Marc Phillips, Phillips Farms

5:45 PM – Use of Plant Growth Regulators for Thinning and Branching of Apples
Win Cowgill, Win Enterprises International, LLC, Professor Emeritus, Rutgers NJAES

6:30 PM – Early/Mid-Season Insect Management in Tree Fruit
Anne Nielsen, Associate Extension Specialist in Entomology, Rutgers NJAES

7:00 PM – The remainder of the meeting will be held at the Phillips Farms Market
Address: 564 Milford Warren Glen Rd, Milford, NJ 08848

7:05 PM – Vegetable and Small Fruit Disease Updates
Andy Wyenandt, Specialist in Vegetable Pathology, Rutgers NJAES

7:30 PM – Pesticide Recertification Credits and Adjourn

NJ Pesticide Recertification Credits
4 Units Cat. 10 4 Units Cat. 1A 4 Units Cat. PP2

Please RSVP by 4 PM MONDAY MAY 23 for the meetings with a call to Kim Crommelin at 908-788-1338 or kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us

Filed Under: Fruit, Organic Production, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops
May 11, 2022

IPM Update 5/11/22

Sweet Corn

IPM Program personnel are finished deploying black light traps and nearing completion of the corn earworm (CEW) pheromone trap network in New Jersey.    Limited collections from traps thus far have captured one corn earworm (CEW) from Chester in Morris County.  We anticipate only limited CEW and  European corn borer (ECB) moths for the near term, and as numbers increase, look for population maps of ECB, CEW, brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB).  The resulting full-state maps will include interpretive information.

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Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops
May 4, 2022

IPM Update 5/05/22

Sweet Corn

IPM Program personnel are currently deploying black light and corn earworm (CEW) pheromone trap networks in New Jersey.    Limited collections from traps thus far have not contained any target pests.  We do not anticipate corn earworm (CEW) or  European corn borer (ECB) moths for some time yet, but as numbers increase, look for population maps of ECB, CEW, brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB).  The resulting full-state maps will include interpretive information.

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Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops
April 27, 2022

Allium leaf miner update: 04/27/22

Allium Leaf Miner (ALM)

Allium leaf miner (ALM) adults (flies) continue to be captured on yellow sticky cards in chive plantings in Hunterdon and Mercer counties.  Numbers have declined somewhat this week (Milford, Hunterdon County 21, Princeton, Mercer County 13) relative to the week prior (Milford 27, Princeton 45), but it is still too soon to stay whether the first flight has peaked.  We will report the captures over the next two weeks, with hopes for signs that the flight is ending.

Growers should consider maintaining the control method of their choice at this time.  Affected crops include chives, scallions, garlic, onions and leeks.  Look for neat rows of white spots descending from the upper tips of allium leaves (photo at left).  Initial injury often occurs on the tallest leaves.  Under warmer, less breezy conditions, adults may be seen near the tips of leaves (see photo of adult at lower right).

Floating row covers, kept on until this flight ends will help minimize access to plants.  Insecticide applications targeting adults may be helpful as well, although frequency of applications is uncertain.  Spinosyn materials (Radiant, Entrust (OMRI approved)), pyrethroids (Mustang Maxx, Warrior), neonicotinoids (Scorpion, Venom), the diamide Exirel (section 2ee recommendation) and the insect growth regulator Trigard are labeled for miner control.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,
April 21, 2022

ATTENTION: Department of Agriculture Allows Controlled Open Burns to Protect Crops

With the state continuing to experience colder spring temperatures, the Department of Environmental Protection has agreed with NJDA Secretary Douglas Fisher’s request to allow farmers to do controlled open burning or use specialized torches known as smudge pots to protect flowering crops from damage beginning today, April 20, through Wednesday, May 4.

Damage from freezing weather now can significantly reduce yields of certain fruits and vegetables that are in the flowering stage.

 

Please see the link below for more information:

NJDA Press Release 4/20/2022

 

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Fruit, Organic Production, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape