Rutgers University | New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station | Pesticide User Responsibility

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.

May 17, 2015

Vegetable Disease Update – 5/17/15

Pepper

 
Bacterial leaf spot – Symptoms of bacterial leaf spot on pepper leaves include small, brown water-soaked lesions that turn brown and necrotic in the centers. Spots may coalesce and form large blighted areas on leaves and premature defoliation can occur. On fruit, brown lesions can form which have a roughened, cracked wart-like appearance. High temperatures, high relative humidity and rainfall favor Bacterial spot development. Loss from Bacterial spot can be reduced somewhat by maintaining high levels of fertility, which will stimulate new growth. Applying a fixed copper (M1) at labeled rates or may help suppress spread. Quintec (quinoxyfen, 13) at 6.0 fl. oz/A is now labeled for the suppression of bacterial leaf spot in pepper in the mid-Atlantic region. Please see the 2015 New Jersey Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations Guide for more information.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops
May 13, 2015

Veg IPM Update: Week Ending 5/13/15

Sweet Corn

ECB-5-13-2015

ECB May 13, 2015
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The black light trap network has been deployed and is being monitored by IPM Program personnel. The corn earworm (CEW) pheromone trap network is currently being deployed. As adult European corn borer (ECB) and CEW begin to arrive in traps, population maps of these pests will be published in the Plant and Pest Advisory on a weekly basis. Additionally, maps of the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) will also appear in this publication.

A few European corn borer (ECB) adults have been captured in New Jersey over the past week. At this time, the highest number of moths captured has been from Salem County (see ECB map). As warmer weather becomes consistent, catches should increase across the state. Night time temperatures in the low 50°F range or lower will cause catches to develop more slowly. Larval infestations should not occur for some time yet. We will first see a significant increase in the number of traps registering catches. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops
May 10, 2015

Early-season Phytophthora blight control in pepper

Phytophthora blight typically develops in low-lying areas after a heavy rain and can spread quickly throughout the entire field.

Cultural Recommendations

Planting on a ridge or raised, dome-shaped bed will help provide better soil drainage. Use a minimum 3-year crop rotation with crops other than pepper, cucurbit, lima and snap beans, eggplant, or tomato. In fields with low-lying or wet areas, plant only Phytophthora-resistant/tolerant bell pepper cultivars such as ‘Paladin’, ‘Turnpike’,  ‘Aristotle’, ‘1819’, ‘Intruder’, ‘Archimedes’, or ‘Revolution’. In heavily-infested pepper fields with a known history of Phytophthora blight, plant only tolerant cultivars to help reduce plant losses. If mefenoxam-insensitivity is known to exist in a field/farm, plant only tolerant cultivars. Do not apply mefenoxam or metalaxyl in fields where insensitivity is known to exist.
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Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: ,
May 4, 2015

Angular Leaf Spot in Strawberries

Often considered a minor pathogen, angular leaf spot caused by the bacterium, Xanthomonas fragariae, can cause serious leaf and calyx infections ruining the marketability of fruit if left uncontrolled. Like all bacterium, the pathogen will infect leaves and the calyx through natural openings or wounds.

Fig. 1. Water-soaked lesions caused by angular leaf spot on infect strawberry leaf. Photo by P. Nitzsche

Infections can often start in production operations and come in on infected bare root transplants or cuttings. Symptoms on leaves include initial small, irregular water-soaked lesions (Fig. 1).
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Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: ,
May 4, 2015

Strawberry Fruit Rots 2015

Anthracnose fruit rot of strawberry

Anthracnose Fruit Rot of Strawberry

Fruit rots in strawberry can cause significant losses if not recognized early and controlled. The use of good cultural practices such as: keeping fields weed-free and promoting good drainage; long crop rotations, and preventative fungicide applications are critical.

Pathogens such as anthracnose, gray mold (Botrytis), and leather rot can become systemic problems in strawberry plantings once established. All three fungal diseases are soil-borne and once in fields can be difficult to manage over the lifetime of the planting.

The use of mulch (matted rows) to prevent/reduce soil splashing and keeping fruit from coming into direct contact with the soil surface can be beneficial in organic production systems where conventional fungicides cannot be used. Use of long crop rotations and staying away from areas of the farm with known instances of any of these pathogens is also important. Remember that same species of Colletotrichum that causes fruit rot in pepper and other crops can also infect strawberry.

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Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With:
April 23, 2015

Damping-off: Important Early-season Pathogens

It is extremely important to know which pathogen is causing damping-off problems and which fungicide to properly apply. The key to controlling damping-off is being proactive instead of reactive. Always refer to the fungicide label for crop use, pathogens controlled, and application rates.

Damping-off is caused by a number of important vegetable pathogens and is very common during the spring. Damping-off can kill seedlings before they break the soil line (pre-emergent damping-off) or kill seedlings soon after they emerge (post-emergent damping-off). Common pathogens that cause damping-off include Pythium, Phytophthora, Rhizoctonia and Fusarium spp.

Control of damping-off depends on a number of factors. First, is recognizing the conditions which may be leading to the problem (i.e., weather/greenhouse growing conditions) and second, identifying the pathogen causing the problem.

Conditions Favoring Damping-off

Although all four pathogens are associated with damping-off, the conditions which favor their development are very different. In general, Phytophthora and Pythium are more likely to cause damping-off in cool, wet or overwatered soils that aren’t allowed to dry out due to cloudy weather or cooler temperatures. Conversely, Rhizoctonia and Fusarium are more likely to cause damping-off under warmer, drier conditions especially if plug trays are kept on the dry side to help reduce transplant growth. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops