Late blight has been found in a small tomato planting near Chester in Morris County. This is the third late blight report this growing season in New Jersey and the first since mid-August. Although the weather around NJ has been hot and dry the past few weeks, morning dews and fogs are slowly starting to roll in with Autumn around the corner. All tomato growers should scout their fields on a regular basis. Early-season plantings that have been abandoned need to remain on your radar screen, especially if they haven’t been mowed off or hit with gramoxone to kill all living plant material. To track late blight in the US please visit http://usablight.org/
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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September 2, 2015 Kris Holmstrom and Joe Ingerson-Mahar
Veg IPM Update: Week Ending 9/2/15
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Sweet Corn
The second European corn borer (ECB) generation continues to be weak. Catches are limited to scattered pockets registering more than one moth per week (see ECB map).
As always, consider treating when the number of infested plants in a 50 plant sample exceeds 12%. Any planting remaining at or above threshold as it proceeds to full tassel should be treated, as this is the last stage at which ECB larvae will be exposed and vulnerable to insecticidal sprays.
See the 2015 Commercial Vegetable Recommendations Guide for insecticide choices.
August 31, 2015 Meredith Melendez
Audit Ready: Sanitizing Surfaces in Post Harvest
Sanitizing product contact surfaces is important in reducing cross contamination risks. “Product contact surfaces” means anything that comes in contact with the product such as equipment, belts, rollers, brushes, tables, bins, sinks, tools, and reusable totes. Writing a standard operating procedure describing the specific steps of your cleaning process will help ensure that the surfaces are properly cleaned.
Proper cleaning and sanitizing of contact surfaces includes these steps:
- Surface is rinsed to remove any visible debris
- Appropriate detergent is applied and the surface is scrubbed
- The surface is rinsed with water that is potable (drinkable)
- Appropriate sanitizer is applied, following the directions
- Let the surface air dry
An appropriate sanitizer for use in post harvest surface cleaning is one that has an EPA registration number, states that it is food grade, and gives specific instructions for the products use as a surface cleaner. Remember the label is the law.
August 28, 2015 Andy Wyenandt
Vegetable Disease Briefs – 8/28/15
- Downy mildew remains active on all cucurbit crops. All cucurbit growers should include downy as well as powdery mildew specific fungicides in their weekly maintenance sprays. Please remember different modes-of-Action (i.e., FRAC groups) to help manage fungicide resistance develop in both pathogens. To track the progress of CDM in the US please visit http://cdm.ipmpipe.org/
- There have been no new reports of late blight in New Jersey since 8/14. Remember as fall approaches and night temperatures become cooler and light fogs begin to develop conditions for late blight development improve. All abandoned tomato blocks/fields need to be disked under as soon as harvesting is done or sprayed with gramoxone to kill all living foliage. To track late blight in the US please visit http://usablight.org/
- Bacterial leaf spot remains active on pepper and tomato crops. Bacterial canker on tomato has also been reported.
- Pepper anthracnose has been reported. All pepper blocks/fields where anthracnose is present and harvesting is completed need to disked under and/or sprayed with gramoxone as soon as possible. Infected plant material left in the field will only serve as a source of inoculum for further spread of the disease.
August 26, 2015 Kris Holmstrom and Joe Ingerson-Mahar
Veg IPM Update: Week Ending 8/26/15
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Sweet Corn
European corn borer (ECB) adult catches have become somewhat more consistent in southern NJ over the past week, but with very few individuals captured north of Burlington County (see ECB map). This late summer flight appears to be a fairly week one. As always, consider treating when the number of infested plants in a 50 plant sample exceeds 12%. Any planting remaining at or above threshold as it proceeds to full tassel should be treated, as this is the last stage at which ECB larvae will be exposed and vulnerable to insecticidal sprays.
See the 2015 Commercial Vegetable Recommendations Guide for insecticide choices.
August 19, 2015 Kris Holmstrom and Joe Ingerson-Mahar
Veg IPM Update: Week Ending 8/19/15
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Sweet Corn
European corn borer (ECB) adult activity has declined somewhat over the past week, with only scattered individuals outside of western Gloucester and Salem Counties (see ECB map). It remains to be seen whether we get another surge in moths as the summer winds down. As always, consider treating when the number of infested plants in a 50 plant sample exceeds 12%. Any planting remaining at or above threshold as it proceeds to full tassel should be treated, as this is the last stage at which ECB larvae will be exposed and vulnerable to insecticidal sprays.
See the 2015 Commercial Vegetable Recommendations Guide for insecticide choices.
