Rutgers University | New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station | Pesticide User Responsibility

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 26, 2013

Vegetable Disease Update – 4/26/13

  • Cole crops
  • Spinach
  • Strawberry

Cole crops

Downy Mildew and Alternaria – Symptoms of downy mildew include purple to yellowish-brown spots on upper leaf surfaces. A grayish-white spore mass will develop and cover the underside of leaves under ideal temperatures (night temperatures of 46 to 61°F and day temperatures below 75°F. Downy mildew can kill young plants. Heavily infected leaves may drop providing entry points for bacterial infections (black rot and soft rot).

Symptoms of Alternaria on infected leaves include small, expanding circular lesions with concentric rings that may have a ‘shot-hole’ appearance as lesions age.  Heavily infected seedlings may result in damping-off. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Vegetable Crops
April 24, 2013

Leaf spots showing up rapidly in spring greens

A number of growers have reported of leaf spots appearing in spinach and other greens. Alternaria and Cladosporium leaf spots have been identified in fields in our region. Fields should be scouted on a regular basis to find ‘hot spots’. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Vegetable Crops
April 24, 2013 and

NJ Farmers Soil Fumigant Compliance Inspection Advisory

During the weeks of May 13-17 and June 3-7, the NJDEP Pesticide Control Compliance and Enforcement will be conducting inspections of NJ farmers who currently or previously reported using soil fumigants, primarily Vapam (metham sodium).

There are about 50 NJ farms reporting fumigant use. These farms will be the targets of the compliance assistance inspections. The inspections are being conducted by NJDEP as non-citation “compliance assistance” in response to changing regulations from US EPA for assuring safety of fumigant application workers by licensed applicator farmers.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Fruit, Vegetable Crops
April 23, 2013

Growers Guide to Protectant Fungicides (FRAC codes M1 – M9)

Protectant (contact) fungicides typically offer broad spectrum control for many different pathogens. Protectant fungicides belong to FRAC groups which have a low chance for fungicide resistance to develop. These include:

  • the inorganics (copper, FRAC code M1) and sulfur (FRAC code M2),
  • the dithiocarbamates (mancozeb, FRAC code M3) and chloronitriles (chlorothalonil, FRAC code M5)

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Vegetable Crops Tagged With:
April 19, 2013

Vegetable Disease Update 4-19-13

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Vegetable Crops
April 19, 2013

Vegetable Diseases of the Week 4-19-13

Recognize these diseases of Spinach and Strawberry?

White rust on bottom side of infected spinach leaf

White rust
on bottom side of infected spinach leaf.

Anthracnose fruit rot of strawberry

Anthracnose fruit rot
of strawberry.

Botrytis fruit rot of strawberry

Botrytis fruit rot
of strawberry.
Filed Under: Vegetable Crops