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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Summer Farm Market Tour Aug 29

In association with Rutgers Cooperative Extension, the NJFDMA (that’s the New Jersey Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association) would like to invite farm marketers to join them for their late summer farm market tour on August 29, 2018.

Tentative schedule:

1:00pm: Pick up at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Atlantic County building in Mays Landing
2:15pm: Pick up at the Burlington Special Services School by the Burlington Cooperative Extension office in Westhampton
3:45- 4:45pm: Tour & wine tasting at Beneduce Vineyards, Pittstown
5:30- 6:30pm: Tour of Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse, Milford
7:30- 8:45pm: Tour and dinner at Melick’s Town Farm, Oldwick
10:15pm: Drop-off at the Burlington Special Services School by Burlington Cooperative Extension office in Westhampton
11:30pm: Drop-off at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Atlantic County building in Mays Landing

This event is free for NJFDMA members.

Non-members, please send a check for $50, which includes 2018 NJFDMA membership, payable to ‘NJFDMA’ to the this address:

RCE of Middlesex County Extension
C/O NJFDMA
42 Riva Rd., Davidson Mill Pond Park
North Brunswick, NJ 08902

Please register online by August 7th, 2018 by clicking here to reserve your place.

Questions? Email njfarmersdirectmarketingassoc@gmail.com

IPM Update 08/01/18

Sweet Corn

European corn borer (ECB) moth catches in black light traps have dropped to very low levels again.  The second flight is likely  to be very erratic, with specific locations getting low numbers of moths while other regional traps catch none.  There will be no map in this edition.  Second generation feeding is often obscured by fall armyworm (FAW) feeding.  Once plants hit full tassel, any ECB larvae present will move downward on the stalk and re-enter the plant near the area where ears are forming.  This can result in direct injury to the ear.  Growers should consider an insecticide application at the full tassel stage to target ECB larvae as they migrate downward.  This application can eliminate larvae that have escaped any earlier insecticide applications. [Read more…]

Cucurbit Downy Mildew ALERT – 7/31/18

Cucurbit downy mildew was confirmed on pumpkin near Bridgeton in Cumberland County, New Jersey on 7/31/18. This is the fourth report of CDM in New Jersey this growing season. All cucurbit growers are encouraged to add downy mildew specific fungicides to their weekly maintenance spray programs. The 2018 FRAC Table for Cucurbit Downy and Powdery Mildew Control in the mid-Atlantic Region can be found and downloaded for FREE here. All growers should scout fields on a regular basis. To track the progress of cucurbit downy mildew in the US through the CDMpipe website through NCSU please click here.

Cucurbit Downy Mildew ALERT – 7/25/18

Cucurbit downy mildew was confirmed on butternut squash near Bridgeton in Cumberland County, New Jersey on 7/25/18. This is the third report of CDM in New Jersey this growing season. All cucurbit growers are encouraged to add downy mildew specific fungicides to their weekly maintenance spray programs. The 2018 FRAC Table for Cucurbit Downy and Powdery Mildew Control in the mid-Atlantic Region can be found and downloaded for FREE here. All growers should scout fields on a regular basis. To track the progress of cucurbit downy mildew in the US through the CDMpipe website through NCSU please click here.

IPM Update 7/25/18

Sweet Corn

European corn borer (ECB) moth catches in black light traps, after showing signs of increase, have now largely subsided again.  The second flight is most likely going to be spotty, with specific locations getting low numbers of moths while other regional traps catch none.  There will be no map in this edition.  While we expect to see some feeding signs over the next two weeks, this second generation feeding is sometimes obscured by fall armyworm (FAW) feeding.  Once plants hit full tassel, any ECB larvae present will move downward on the stalk and re-enter the plant near the area where ears are forming.  This can result in direct injury to the ear.  Growers should consider an insecticide application at the full tassel stage to target ECB larvae as they migrate downward.  This application can eliminate larvae that have escaped any earlier insecticide applications. [Read more…]

Vegetable Disease Update – 7/23/18

  • Cucurbit downy mildew has been confirmed on cucumber in Warren County in northern NJ. This is the second report in the state this growing season. All cucumber growers should scout their fields on a regular basis and consider adding a downy mildew specific fungicide to their weekly maintenance sprays. CDM has been reported in cantaloupe in MD this past week, and in acorn, summer squash, watermelon and butternut squash as far north as North Carolina to date.
  • The 2018 FRAC Table for Cucurbit Downy and Powdery Mildew Control in the mid-Atlantic Region can be found and downloaded for FREE here.
  • There have been no new reports of late blight in the region.
  • Cucurbit powdery mildew is being reported.
  • Basil downy mildew is being reported. For more information on Rutgers newly-released DMR sweet basils Obsession, Devotion, and Thunderstruck please click here.
  • Bacterial leaf spot and Phytophthora blight have been reported in pepper.