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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
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With rainfall, so comes Phytophthora and Pythium
Most of New Jersey has finally gotten rain and pop-up thunderstorms making conditions ideal for pathogens such as Phytophthora and Pythium on spring-seeded and transplanted crops. Unfortunately, Pythium and Phytophthora blight can be found on most farms in the southern part of the state. Poor crop rotations with susceptible hosts only make matters worse. The Phytophthora pathogen has an increasing host range that now includes snap and lima beans; and all crops, other than a few resistant bell pepper cultivars, lack any resistance to the pathogen. [Read more…]
Survey continuing for bacterial leaf spot and copper resistance in 2021 growing season
Copper resistance has been detected in bacterial leaf spot of tomato and pepper and in Pseudomonas chicorii, the causal agent of bacterial leaf spot in basil, in New Jersey. While not surprising, copper resistance has been known to develop for decades now; however, this is the first time it has been confirmed in vegetable crops in New Jersey. [Read more…]
2020/2021 Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations available on-line
The 2020/2021 Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations guide is still available for FREE on-line. The complete 2020/2021 Vegetable Production Recommendations guide or specific sections can be downloaded depending on your production needs.
Controlling Cercospora leaf spot in beet
Cercospora leaf spot (CLS), caused by Cercospora beticola, is an important and emerging disease in beet and swiss chard production in New Jersey. Efforts to control this disease has become more difficult in the past few years in some areas of southern New Jersey. [Read more…]
Vegetable IPM Update 5/26/21
Sweet Corn
European corn borer (ECB) moths are now being captured in parts of the state. As yet, numbers are low, and the next 7-10 days will likely tell whether this flight will be of any significant size. Current “hot spots” are around Salem County and southern Hunterdon into Mercer and Ocean counties (see map at right). Whorl corn is the primary target for egg laying, but as yet, scouts have reported no signs of feeding injury. We expect to encounter feeding over the next week. .
Look for the characteristic “shot-hole” type of feeding (photo below at right) and consider treating when infested plants exceed 12% in a 50 plant sample. As plantings proceed to the pre-tassel stage, ECB larvae may be found in emerging tassels (see photo at left). It is a good idea to treat individual plantings as they move into the full tassel/first silk stage one time. This eliminates any ECB larvae that have emerged with the tassels as they begin to move down the stalk to re-enter near developing ears.
Useful insecticides for this particular application include synthetic pyrethroids (IRAC Grp 3), spinosyns (including OMRI approved Entrust) IRAC Grp 5), and diamides such as Coragen or Vantacor (IRAC Grp 28) or materials such as Besiege which include the active ingredient in Coragen. Synthetic pyrethroids alone should NOT be used for corn earworm (CEW) protection on silking corn. Control with these materials is very inconsistent.
The highest nightly trap catches of ECB for the week ending 5/26/21 are as follows:
Sergeantsville 3 | Clinton 1 | New Egypt 1 |
Allentown 1 | Crosswicks 1 | Pedricktown 1 |
Bellemeade 1 | Jones Island 1 | Pennington 1 |
Centerton 1 | Lawrenceville 1 | Princeton 1 |