Rutgers Cooperative Extension
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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Rutgers Weather Forecasting - Meteorological Information important to commercial agriculture.
The 2016 Fungicide Resistance Management Guidelines for Vegetable Crops is now available. This free publication, targeted to New Jersey and the surrounding mid-Atlantic region, helps vegetable growers understand and manage potential fungicide resistance development on their farm.
In order to understand and use fungicide resistance management strategies effectively, first learn how and why fungicide resistance may develop; a series of articles is available on this website.
Hot Water Seed Treatment
Photo: Meg McGrath, Cornell
All seed used in transplant production, as well as any transplants brought into the greenhouse should be certified ‘clean’ or disease-free. Important diseases such as Bacterial leaf spot of tomato and pepper can cause major problems in transplant production if introduced in the greenhouse. Bacterial leaf spot of tomato and pepper can be seed-borne and infested seed can be a major source of inoculum in the greenhouse and cause problems in the field later in the growing season.
As a rule for any crop, any non-certified or untreated seed should be treated, if applicable, with a Clorox treatment, or hot-water seed treatment, or dusted to help minimize bacterial or damping-off diseases. Organic and conventional tomato growers who grow a significant number of heirloom tomatoes should consider using the hot water seed treatment to help reduce the chances for bacterial problems.
For more information on seed treatments and products labeled for use in the greenhouse please see Tables E-13 and E-14 or specific crop sections in the 2016 Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations Guide.
Proper greenhouse sanitation is important for healthy, disease-free vegetable transplant production. Efforts need to be made to keep transplant production greenhouses free of unnecessary plant debris and weeds which may harbor insect pests and disease.
Remember, disinfestants, such as Clorox, Green-Shield, or hydrogen dioxide products (Zerotol – for commercial greenhouses, garden centers and Oxidate – commercial greenhouse and field), kill only what they come into direct contact with so thorough coverage and/or soaking is necessary. The labels do not specify time intervals for specific uses, only to state that surfaces be ‘thoroughly wetted’. Therefore, labels need to be followed precisely for different use patterns (i.e., disinfesting flats vs. floors or benches) to ensure proper dilution ratios. Hydrogen dioxide products work best when diluted with water containing little or no organic matter and in water with a neutral pH. There are a number conventional and organic products labeled for disease control during transplant production in the greenhouse. Please see Table E-14 in the 2016 Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Guide.
DEP, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TEAM UP TO ALLOW FARMERS TO PROTECT FLOWERING CROPS AGAINST FROST CONDITIONS EXPECTED EARLY NEXT WEEK
(16/17) TRENTON – With temperatures in many parts of the state expected to approach freezing over the weekend into early next week, the Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Agriculture are working cooperatively to allow farmers to do controlled open burning or use specialized torches known as smudge pots to protect flowering crops from frost damage.Forecasts call for near or below freezing conditions overnight Saturday through April 5. The cold temperatures could affect fruit and vegetable crops, as well as flowers in bloom or near bloom. Peaches, blueberries and apples are particularly susceptible. Frost damage now can significantly reduce yields of these crops later in the season.
The DEP and Department of Agriculture are allowing these steps through April 5 to protect farmers’ livelihoods and to ensure that consumers will be able to enjoy an ample supply of Jersey produce later this year.
[Read more…]
The two past winters, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015, were harsh with frigid temperatures surging repeatedly deep into the South. The result was a decline in the populations of some migratory pests, like cabbage looper and beet armyworm, which normally appear here during the growing season. So what about 2015/2016, an exceptionally mild winter? [Read more…]
A round table meeting of the Organic Farm Advisory group took place this week with discussion on the successes and problems of last season. The need for relative efficacy continues and brings up the chance to revisit a timely article that was the result of last year’s discussion.
What are my organic treatment options and how well do they work? As an organic grower, I sometimes accept less control, and more costly treatment than conventional farmers, but the information on efficacy is unclear. If Rutgers isn’t doing efficacy trials, can you sift through the literature to tell me what others have found that definitely works?
Control of cabbage root maggot (CRM) is a timely example that illustrates the ‘struggle for relative efficacy’ in making organic recommendations when compared with conventional options. Forsythia in bloom–any day now–occurs at about the same time that farmers can expect CRM to damage their transplanted cole crops. Even light CRM infestations can kill small seedlings and transplants, delay crop development, and render root crops unsaleable. Higher populations can kill older plants or reduce yield.
