- Basil downy mildew has been reported in New Jersey. With current weather conditions all basil growers should scout on a daily basis and taking appropriate preventative measures.
- Cucurbit downy mildew has been reported on cucumber as far north as central North Carolina as of 6/20. To track cucurbit downy mildew in the US please visit http://cdm.ipmpipe.org/
- No late blight has been reported in the region. Late blight has been found as far as North Carolina to-date. 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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NJ Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations
Rutgers Weather Forecasting - Meteorological Information important to commercial agriculture.
June 21, 2014 Andy Wyenandt
Vegetable Disease Briefs – 6/21/14
June 21, 2014 Andy Wyenandt
Vegetable Disease Update – 6/21/14
Cole Crops
Downy mildew and Alterneria were confirmed on collard greens this past week. Current weather conditions are ideal for the development of both diseases on all cole crops as well as other crops.
Symptoms of downy mildew on cole crops include the production of white spore masses only on the undersides of infected leaves. The tops of leaves will develop slightly chlorotic (i.e., yellow) spots on the upper leaf surface that become papery in texture.
Alternaria typically starts out as small pinpoint spots on infected leaves that enlarge up to 2 inches. Lesions will become tan, brown or black and may have concentric rings and leave ‘shot holes’ in leaves.
Control of both diseases begins with regular scouting and preventative fungicide programs. Control of downy mildew is best with downy mildew specific fungicide such as Presidio (fluopicolide, 43) at 3.0 to 4.0 fl. oz 4SC/A, or Revus (mandipropamid, 40) at 8.0 fl. oz 2.08SC/A, or Zampro (ametoctradin + dimethomorph, 45 +40) at 14.0 fl. oz 4.38SC/A included in tank-mix with chlorothalonil (M5) at 1.5 pt/A. A phosphite fungicide (FRAC group 33) such as Prophyt, Rampart, or K-Phite can be included to also help control downy mildew. For control of Alternaria, apply chlorothalonil (M5) at 1.5 pt/A alone, or tank-mixed with a FRAC code 11 fungicide such as Quadris (azoxystrobin, 11) at 6.0 to 15.5 fl. oz 2.08F/A or Cabrio (pyraclostrobin, 11) at 12.0 to 16.0 fl. oz 20EG/A, or Fontelis (penthiopyrad, 7) at 14.0 to 30.0 fl. oz 1.67SC/A.
June 18, 2014 Kris Holmstrom and Joe Ingerson-Mahar
Veg IPM Update: Week Ending 6/18/14
Vegetable IPM Report 6-18-14 – Click to View | Download | Print
Maps for the WeekClick Image to View
–European Corn Borer Population Map
–Corn Earworm Moth Blacklight Trap Map
–Corn Earworm Moth Pheromone Trap Map
–Pepper Weevil Trap Catch Map
Topics for the Week
- Sweet Corn
- Cole Crops
- Peppers
- Pepper Weevil Report
- Tomatoes
- BMSB
- Pumpkins and Winter Squash
- Snap Beans
June 13, 2014 Andy Wyenandt
Basil Downy Mildew Confirmed in New Jersey 6-13-14
Basil downy mildew has been reported for the first time this season near Millville, NJ in potted Thai and Cinnamon basil plants being sold at big box stores, as well as in sweet basil located in grower field. All basil growers in New Jersey should scout their fields on a daily basis. [Read more…]
June 13, 2014 Brad Majek
Weather Increases the Risk of Crop Injury from Herbicides Applied Postemergence
The recent extended period of cloudy weather and high soil moisture may have resulted in certain crops growing rapidly and developing a thinner than “normal” wax layer, called the cuticle, on the leaves. This thinner cuticle is more easily penetrated by postemergence herbicides. Warm temperatures during the cloudy moist period will increase the speed of growth and the thinness of the cuticle. [Read more…]
June 13, 2014 Wes Kline and Meredith Melendez
Audit Ready:
On-Farm Food Safety Lessons Learned Series
If you have written your food safety plan and are preparing for a third party audit, the Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety Team offers farm “walk-throughs” to help evaluate your written plan and compliance activities. Over many years of performing walk-throughs, we’ve found some common situations that can foil the goal of making it through the audit process on the first go-round. Take a moment to make sure you’ve handled these areas that have tripped-up fellow NJ growers.
Know the Contents of Your Food Safety Manual
If a grower hires someone to write his or her food safety manual, the grower must know what is in the manual and adhere to the contents! There have been instances when the auditors came to do the audit, that it was obvious the grower did not know what was in their own farm food safety manual.
Know Your Manual
- Sit down with the person developing the manual to make sure there is agreement about what to put in the manual.
- Once the manual has been developed, review each section to clarify and make necessary changes for the final version.
Remember, auditors use the grower’s food safety manual as the basis for the audit. If the grower does not know and understand the contents of their manual, they won’t be able to answer the auditors’ questions.
Have an On-Farm Food Safety question concerning your commercial NJ farm? Email us.
