- Cucurbit downy mildew has been reported as far north as South Carolina on cucumber and cantaloupe in Georgia. To track the progress of CDM please visit the CDM forecasting website.
- No reports of Late blight in the region. To track the progress of Late blight in the US please click here.
- Basil downy mildew has been reported from multiple locations in southern New Jersey. All basil growers are encouraged to scout their plantings on a daily basis. For more information on controlling BDM please click here. To follow the progress of BDM in the US please click here.
- Rhizoctonia and Pythium root rot have been reported in pepper. For a review of identifying and controlling root rots please click here.
- With the on and off again heavy rains we have been getting, along with warmer weather, all growers should consider applying at-transplanting fungicides for root rot control. Please click here to see these articles.
- The 2020/2021 Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations Guide is available for free online! With many county offices running reduced hours or being closed this is the easiest way to obtain the newest recommendations.
- For a quick review on managing fungicide resistance development using tank mixes and fungicide rotations, and information on FRAC group 4, FRAC group 7, and FRAC group 3 and FRAC group 11 fungicides please click on hyperlinks.
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.
Subscriptions are available via EMAIL and RSS.
Quick Links:
NJ Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations
Rutgers Weather Forecasting - Meteorological Information important to commercial agriculture.
June 14, 2021 Andy Wyenandt
Vegetable Disease Update – 6/14/21
June 11, 2021 Rick VanVranken
Gleanings from SM – CA Virtual Strawberry Field Day; Robots in the Field
From LinkedIn.com:
- Surendra Dara, Entomology & Biologicals Advisor at UC Cooperative Extension, San Luis Obispo County, California, announced that registration is now open for the Virtual Strawberry Field Day on July 14. Please see the agenda at https://ucanr.edu/sites/PSU/files/352199.pdf and register at https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=35066
- TTS BV, a company from the Netherlands, posts videos of their TTS automatic transplanters on their website and shares on LinkedIn.com: At TTS we care a lot about technology and innovation! Our robotsystem makes sure that you can plant several lines at once, up to at your own preferred distances and depth. The can be combined with nearly all planting trays or even with your own existing toolbar, so no need for a lot of changes. See www.automatictransplanting.com for videos and photos highlighting their technologies, including a transplant ‘grabber’ similar to one invented right here by a Rutgers agriculture engineer 30+ years ago.
- Back to CA, PlantTape Inc. <https://www.planttape.com/> also shares videos and stories on LinkedIn.com about their planting system that speeds up semi-automatic transplanting using paper-tape connected planting cells that slip into the ground at amazing speeds.
June 10, 2021 Kate Brown
Be Proactive, Keep Youth Safe on the Farm
How often do you say this: “do as I say, not as I do”?
The farm can be a fun, engaging, and nostalgic place to raise children; however, life on the farm comes with inherent risks that require certain precautions to make the farm a safe place for kids. The curious nature of children makes this especially difficult, as they often exhibit a lack of fear or a clear understanding of danger. According to the Children’s Safety Network, 42% of fatal injuries to youth on U.S. farms involve machinery and motor vehicles (e.g. tractors, ATVs, etc.) while another 16% of fatal injuries are due to drowning. As the school year comes to a close and your own children and grandchildren spend more time on the farm, use your actions and attitude to establish safety as a priority.
In addition to being a positive role model, make time to identify hazards around the farm and implement changes to improve safety. We have included some of these hazardous “hot spots” in the table below, along with recommendations for injury prevention.
| Hazards for Children | Recommendations to Prevent Injury |
| Workshops, chemical and grain storage areas | Install gates, doors, or other locking systems to keep children out
Explain the meaning of warning signs around the farm Clean and dispose of empty chemical containers Establish designated safe play areas |
| Machinery and equipment | Equipment should be turned off, disengaged, and inaccessible
Leave front end loaders and similar equipment in the down position Lock vehicle cabs after use Keep vehicle keys out of reach of children Never allow children to play around machinery Never allow children (or anyone) to be an extra rider on a tractor |
| Livestock Pens | Only allow children to work with livestock under adult supervision
Secure livestock pens so children cannot wander into the area |
If you’re looking for fun ways to talk with children about farm safety, check out this farm safety activity book created by the National Child Safety Council. The book includes games, puzzles, crafts, and more on a wide array of topics from livestock and tractor safety to first aid.
For more details on age-specific hazards, protective measures, and appropriate tasks for youth check out our NJAES factsheet titled “Farm Safety Tips for Children”.
Source: Brennan, M.F. and Brumfield, R.B. “FS937: Farm Safety Tips for Children.” Rutgers University, March 1999. https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.php?pid=FS937. Accessed on 10 June 2021.
June 10, 2021 Andy Wyenandt
Organic Production: Suppressing Soil-borne Pathogens
Pathogens such as Fusarium, Pythium, Phytophthora, Thielaviopsis and Rhizoctonia that cause pre- and post-emergent damping-off can cause serious problems in organic (and conventional) transplant production.
The key to controlling and/or suppressing damping-off pathogens with biological controls is keeping the biological populations high and continually present on root surfaces of the host, and by following good cultural practices. [Read more…]
June 9, 2021 Kris Holmstrom and Joe Ingerson-Mahar
Vegetable IPM Update 6/09/21
2021 Vegetable IPM Program Personnel
Kris Holmstrom and Joe Ingerson-Mahar would like to acknowledge the IPM Field Technicians for this season:
Rhea Bolar
Claire Chapeau
Jeff Kane
Jake Newcombe
Gabriel Torres
Without the assistance of these individuals, much of the information presented in this publication would be unobtainable. We are grateful for all their help and hard work.
Sweet Corn
Low numbers of European corn borer (ECB) moths continue to be captured in parts of the state. Hot weather over the past week has not increased catches, indicating that this initial flight may be nearing its’ end. The highest adult activity is currently Gloucester and western Burlington counties (see map at right). Whorl corn is the primary target for egg laying, and injury as high as 18% of plants infested has been found in Hunterdon County this week. It is typical for feeding percentages to rise as the moth catch declines. We expect feeding to increase for the next 1-2 weeks before peaking.
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 6/09/21 are as follows:
| Cinnaminson 2 | Centerton 1 | Green Creek 1 |
| Downer 2 | Crosswicks 1 | Milford 1 |
| Asbury 1 | East Vineland 1 | Oldwick 1 |
| Califon 1 | Eldora 1 | Sergeantsville 1 |
June 9, 2021 Andy Wyenandt
Destroying cucurbit plantings after harvesting is a must to help mitigate downy mildew
It’s a little early in the season but now is a good time to start thinking about ways to help mitigate cucurbit downy mildew pressure later on. All cucurbit fields, especially cucumber and other summer squash fields should be destroyed immediately after the last harvest to help limit potential inoculum sources for cucurbit downy mildew, especially in later plantings.
For a review of CDM control please click here.
To track the progress of CDM on your phone or PC please visit the CDM forecasting website.
