Vegetable Crops Edition

Seasonal updates and alerts on insects, diseases, and weeds impacting vegetable crops. New Jersey Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations updates between annual publication issues are included.
 
Subscriptions are available via EMAIL and RSS.
 
Quick Links:

NJ Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations

Rutgers Weather Forecasting - Meteorological Information important to commercial agriculture.

August 19, 2020

CFAP Webinars for Additional Eligible Commodities

Join the USDA Farm Service Agency this afternoon, Wednesday August 19th at 3 pm, for the “Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Producer Webinar: Additional Eligible Commodities Added.” USDA Farm Service Agency will discuss additional commodities that are now eligible for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), providing detailed examples on nursery crops, specialty crops, cut flowers, eligible aquaculture, and more. Registrations for this webinar are being accepted here.

The New Jersey Farm Service Agency (FSA) will be hosting an informational Nursery/Cut Flowers Stakeholders Webinar on Thursday, August 20th at 10 am regarding nursery and cut flowers eligibility for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). This webinar will be held by a virtual Teams Meeting. Instructions on how to enter a Teams meeting using a computer or smartphone can be viewed here. If you are unable to attend virtually via Teams, you may dial in to hear the presentation. Slides to be presented are available here, although they are subject to modification prior to the event.

Please contact Lindsay Caragher at Lindsay.Caragher@usda.gov or 609-438-3133 with any questions about Teams Meeting or the webinar in general.

USDA’s Farm Service Agency is accepting applications through September 11, 2020 for the CFAP program which helps offset price declines and additional marketing costs because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , ,
August 12, 2020

Vegetable IPM Update 8/12/20

Note:  Cucurbit downy mildew has now been identified on cucumber in southern and northern NJ.  See the pumpkin and winter squash section below for more information.

 

Sweet Corn

European corn borer (ECB) adults remain very low, and no map will appear in this edition.

The highest nightly trap catches of ECB for the week ending 8/12/20 are as follows:

Califon   1 Farmingdale   1
Cinnaminson   1 Medford   1
Downer   1 Tabernacle   1


Fall armyworm (FAW) larval infestations continue, although at low to moderate levels around the state, with infestations as high as 26% in Cape May County.   FAW could increase dramatically in the late summer, resulting in significant injury to whorl and even seedling stage corn.  Injury from newly hatched larvae shows up as “window panes” or areas where leaf tissue has been eaten down the the lower epidermis (see photo at far left).  This injury leads down into the whorl.  As larvae gain size, they begin to consume leaf tissue in its’ entirety, creating ragged holes and lots of droppings (see photo at near left).  FAW can be tough to manage because it is resistant to synthetic pyrethroid insecticides (IRAC 3A) and because larvae are often covered by their own droppings, making contact with the insecticide more difficult.  Treat when 12% or more plants exhibit FAW injury alone, or in combination with ECB injury.

 

 

Corn earworm (CEW) moth captures are increasing gradually in blacklight traps.  This moderate mid-Summer population poses a significant risk to silking corn.  Catches remain somewhat variable (see map at left), with blue areas on this map representing a 4-5 day spray schedule.  Note that there is disagreement between blacklight and pheromone trap maps with regard to the southwestern counties.  See pheromone trap information below.

 

 

The highest nightly trap catches of CEW in black light traps for the week ending 8/12/20 are as follows:

Morristown   3 Green Creek   2 Farmingdale   1
Allamuchy   2 Bellemeade   1 New Egypt   1
Califon   2 Downer   1 Old Bridge   1
Georgetown   2 Elm   1 Princeton   1

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops
August 12, 2020

Additional “Guidance and Compliance Assistance on Farmworker Safety & Pay During the Pandemic” Offered by US Dept of Labor – Wage & Hour

The following message was shared by Shavonne Person, Community Outreach & Resource Planning Specialist (CORPS), and Steven Risko, Assistant District Director, U.S. Department of Labor – Wage & Hour Division, Southern New Jersey District Office in Lawrenceville:

“The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division enforces some of our nation’s most comprehensive labor laws for agricultural workers, [Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
August 12, 2020

Vegetable Disease Update – 8/12/20

  • No reports of Late blight in region. To track the progress of Late blight in the US please click here.
  • Cucurbit downy mildew remains active on cucumber in southern and northern New Jersey. There have been no reports of CDM in other cucurbit crops in the region to date. For a review of CDM control please click here. To track the progress of CDM on your phone or PC please visit the CDM forecasting website.
  • Cucurbit powdery mildew (CPM) season is here. For a review of CPM control strategies please click here.
  • All cucurbit plantings that are no longer in production should be destroyed immediately after the last harvest by mowing or with herbicide to reduce the risk of harboring of CDM, CPM, and virus.
  • Septoria leaf spot, also known as Celery late blight (Septoria apiicola) has been reported in celeriac, or turnip-rooted celery. It is a fungal pathogen that can be seed-borne and can also survive in the soil for up to 18 months. For more information from UC-IPM please click here.
  • Hail damage has been reported in various crops.
  • Bacterial wilt, Plectosporium blight, and Virus have been reported in cucurbit plantings. For more information on Plectosporium please click here and for more information on bacterial wilt please click here.
  • Pepper anthracnose has been reported in southern New Jersey and is a serious problem in all bell and non-bell peppers, especially in fields with a history of the disease. For more information on controlling pepper anthracnose please click here.
  • Bacterial leaf spot is extremely active in in bell and non-bell peppers. For more information on BLS and copper resistance please click here.
  • Phytophthora blight and Pythium cottony leak has been reported in pepper fruit, and Phytophthora blight in cucurbit crops. For more information please click here.
  • Basil downy mildew (BDM) remains active. Hail damage has been reported in basil. All growers are encouraged to initiate preventative fungicide programs on DMR and non-DMR basil. For control options and to follow the progress of BDM in the US on your phone or PC please click here.
  • With the on and off again heavy rains we have been getting, along with warmer weather, all growers should consider applying at-transplanting fungicides for root rot control. Please click here to see these articles.
  • For a quick review on managing fungicide resistance development using tank mixes and fungicide rotations, and information on FRAC group 4, FRAC group 7, and FRAC group 3 and FRAC group 11 fungicides please click on hyperlinks.
  • For more information on the control of the diseases mentioned above please see The 2020/2021 Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations Guide which is available for free online! With many county offices running reduced hours or being closed this is the easiest way to obtain the newest recommendations.
Filed Under: Vegetable Crops
August 11, 2020

USDA Announces More Specialty Crops, Nursery Crops, Cut Flowers Eligible for CFAP Payments

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that additional specialty crops, including nursery crops and cut flowers, are covered by the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) and that the deadline to apply for the program is extended to September 11th. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
August 9, 2020

The Show Must Go On(line) – 2020 Ag Progress Days Virtual Experience

Continuing a 50-year tradition, Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, brought to you by their College of Agricultural Sciences, is a one-stop shop this week, August 9-12, 2020, for the latest research, management practices, and regulations in agriculture.

This year, Penn State Extension educators and faculty have come together to provide a FREE virtual learning program filled with the latest in Ag research and best practices. This event is being offered at no charge to participants, but registration is required to receive the link to access a webinar. Even if you missed a day or a session, all registrants will receive access to the webinar recordings.

Online registrants can choose from more than 46 live webinars and get questions answered by the experts. Just check out the the live webinar schedule and register online. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , ,