There have been several calls today regarding a form letter required for farm laborers to travel to NJ farms during the current COVID-19 shut down. A draft Letter for Employee Travel Related to Critical Infrastructureis available from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (this is in pdf format that must be retyped onto your company letterhead). The version, EmployeeTravelRelatedtoCriticalInfrastructure, is in a format that you can copy and paste onto your own letterhead and insert the appropriate company and representative information.
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.
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April 2, 2020 Andy Wyenandt
Vegetable Disease Update – 4/2/20
- White rust and Anthracnose have been reported in spinach in southern New Jersey this week.
- Symptoms of white rust include yellow lesions on the upper leaf surface and white blister-like pustules on the underside of the leaf. Generally, the upper surface of the leaves remain chlorotic, however in advanced stages, white lesions may form on the upper side of the leaf. White rust caused by Albugo occidentalis is an oomycete, or ‘water mold’, and its development is favored by cool, wet weather with extended periods of leaf wetness. Spinach leaf surfaces must remain wet for at least 2 to 3 hours or longer to allow infection to occur, with the optimum temperature for spore germination at 54°F. The disease develops most rapidly during periods of cool, humid nights and mild daytime temperatures.
- Anthracnose in spinach is caused by Colletotrichum dematium. Symptoms of anthracnose are small, circular, water‑soaked lesions on young and older leaves. Lesions enlarge, turn brown to tan in color, and become thin and papery. In severe cases, lesions coalesce and result in severe blighting of foliage. Diagnostically, tiny black fruiting bodies (acervuli) which look like small black hairs form profusely in diseased tissue and are a characteristic feature of the disease. The presence of acervuli distinguishes anthracnose from Cladosporium and Stemphylium leaf spot diseases, which also form circular lesions on infected spinach.
- Importantly, the fungicides to control White rust will be different for those used to control Anthracnose in spinach
- Anthracnose crown rot, caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, has been reported in strawberry this week. Symptoms of anthracnose crown rot include the “marbling” of the crown tissue. Cutting the crown lengthwise reveals white and reddish brown streaks, creating a marbled effect, with a dry rot-like appearance. Initial symptoms include plant stunting and flagging of young leaves due to lack of water. Initially plants wilt in the heat of the day, which is often over-looked as drought or heat stress. In advanced infections, the entire plant will die.
- For more information on White rust, Anthracnose in spinach, and Anthracnose crown rot control in strawberry please the 2020/2021 Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations guide. The new guide is now available FREE on-line or can be purchased in hardcopy form through your county agricultural office in New Jersey. The complete 2020/2021 Vegetable Production Recommendations guide or specific sections can be downloaded depending on your production needs.
March 31, 2020 Rick VanVranken
Selling Rutgers Plant Varieties? How to Get Your Business on the “Where to Buy” List
The COVID-19 shutdown has lead to a surge of interest in planting home vegetable gardens this spring according to this NY Times article. The Rutgers NJAES Rediscover the Jersey Tomato program provides a list of markets where people can buy Rutgers 250 tomato seedlings and other popular Rutgers varieties of tomatoes, strawberries, basil, habanero peppers, dogwoods, and more for planting, as well as produce grown from these varieties. NJ residents will soon be looking for outlets to buy Rutgers varietal seedlings and produce. (See link below if you would like to grow any of these varieties for plant sales.)
To be included on the 2020 list of where people can buy Ramapo, Rutgers 250, or the new Scarlet Sunrise transplants and/or tomatoes, and other Rutgers breeds, you can e-mail information about your business to: njfarmfresh@njaes.rutgers.edu by April 24, 2020. Please put “Commercial Plant Sales” in the e-mail subject line and provide the following information:
- business name
- contact name
- address
- phone number
- web address
- county
- indicate whether Rutgers 250, Ramapo and/or Scarlet Sunrise tomato transplants and/or tomatoes will be for sale and/or other Rutgers breeds and approximate availability dates (we also list Moreton and KC-146 tomato availability, so please indicate if you carry these varieties also).
For more information on the availability of Rutgers NJAES tomato seeds and POP materials for commercial production and sales, go to:
https://breeding.rutgers.edu/commercial-grower
For information on all Rutgers NJAES plant varieties, go to:
March 28, 2020 Michelle Infante-Casella
Seed Corn Maggots in the Fields Early this Spring
Even though most people are focused on the pandemic, life on the farm still goes on. That also means, plant pests and crop production will be business as usual during the growing season. With the mild winter and earlier than usual warm springtime temperatures, many insect pests we often see in spring are emerging earlier than usual. One that has already been detected in Southern New Jersey is the seed corn maggot. This pest is about 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule in our region.
Eggs, larvae, pupae and adult flies of the Seed Corn Maggot, photo credit Cornell University
Seed corn maggot adult flies have been seen in Gloucester County this past week. As vegetable farmers begin planting crops affected by seed corn maggot (snap beans, lima beans, corn, turnips, peas, cabbage, and cucurbits – mainly squash and cucumber), it is important to use insecticidal seed treatments to protect these crops. Adult flies are most likely in other areas of New Jersey right now. Cool to moderate temperatures and wet weather increase activity and survivability of this early season pest. When adult maggots lay eggs near the planting hole, eggs can hatch in just a few days after being laid. Maggots then can burrow into seeds or seedlings, feed for a period of 2 to 3 weeks and then develop into egg-laying adults. There can be many generations per year, but activity is heightened during periods of cool and wet weather.
Adult flies are most abundant in fields with cover crops, soils with high organic matter, fields where leaves have been applied, fields that have just been tilled, or in fields that have had manure applied. When a seed or seedling is attacked, it may continue to grow, but will be weak and not produce a crop. Preventative control methods are most effective, since once larvae are found causing damage in the field, they are difficult to control underground. Some commercial insecticide seed treatments are available and to find products for individual crops see the 2020-2021 Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations guide. This information can be downloaded free at https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.php?pid=E001 .
Other preventative methods include row covers to create a barrier between the insect pest and the seeds or seedlings, waiting to plant in fields until soils and air temperatures are warm enough to quicken germination and plant growth, and selecting fields for early plantings with low organic matter and that do not remain wet for long periods.
Later in the season, even though this pest may be present, most crops can germinate and grow fast enough to overcome low numbers of larvae present in the field. When warmer temperatures and drier conditions occur seed corn maggot populations generally decrease.
March 26, 2020 Meredith Melendez
NJAES COVID-19 Resource Website
Rutgers NJAES launches website dedicated to COVID-19 resources for commercial agriculture, the food industry, youth, and families.
March 26, 2020 Rick VanVranken
COVID-19 Update – NJ Executive Order 109 Mandatory PPE Inventory Reporting Details
Since you received the alert below yesterday afternoon, new Cumberland County Ag Agent Dr. Tim Waller discovered the following details:
“[Both] inventory reports and donations of PPE can be made at this site:
“What does this mean? It is the current understanding that the state will not take PPE from companies at this time, but that could change in the future if the situation reaches a critical mass. Public health and medical workers may need these devices to provide care for ill COVID-19 patients.
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On March 23, NJ Governor Phil Murphy’s signed Executive Order 109 that includes the following impacting all NJ businesses:
“Inventory of personal protective equipment to be taken: Any business, non-hospital health care facility, or institution of higher learning in possession of PPE, ventilators, respirators, or anesthesia machines not required for the provision of critical health care services shall undertake an inventory of these supplies and send that information to the State by 5:00 pm on Friday, March 27. The Office of Emergency Management shall establish a process for affected entities to submit this information.”
Information on where to submit your inventory will be shared as soon as it is available.
In the meantime, New Jersey State Police working with the NJ Hospital Association has announced that anyone willing to donate PPE equipment should please email ppedonations@njsp.org to assist with this critical need.
From https://njbiz.com/together-want-help-njha-offers-can/, NJHA also suggests these ways to help:
- Support the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund, launched by First Lady Tammy Murphy to help New Jersey residents with the economic and social impact of COVID-19.
- Give blood. There is an urgent shortage of blood in our state. Blood donation sites are taking heightened precautions to protect those who give. The American Red Cross-New Jersey helps supply hospitals statewide; call ahead for appointment information.
