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NJDEP Notice: Delayed Processing of Applications and Other Requests Due to July COVID-19 Furloughs
Governor Signs Permit Extension Act: NJDEP Water Certifications Extended 1 Year
Governor Murphy signed The Permit Extension Act (A3919/S2346) this week, which extends certain permits during the COVID-19 emergency. Agricultural Certifications issued by the DEP are included in this extension, so any Agricultural Certification which expired on or after March 9, 2020 will be extended.
Any complete new, renewal or modification application already submitted to the DEP will continue to be reviewed and issued for the full five-year term.
Any Certification holder who received the first renewal reminder which contained the pre-filled application form does not need to do anything at this time. The DEP will forward you a new pre-filled application once the extension period is over.
“COVID-19 extension period” means the period beginning March 9, 2020 and continuing for as long as a public health emergency, pursuant to the “Emergency Health Powers Act,” P.L.2005, c.222 (C.26:13-1 et seq.), or a state of emergency, pursuant to P.L.1942, c. 251 (C.App.A.9-33 et seq.), or both, that has been declared by the Governor in response to COVID-19, is in effect.
Please be advised that annual water diversion reports were required to be submitted to the DEP by February 28, 2020 and are not extended due to the passage of this Bill. The DEP is issuing reminders to those who failed to submit this information in accordance with their Certification. Continue to log diversion amounts and submit your reports in accordance with the deadlines in your Certification.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension is working very closely with the DEP’s Bureau of Water Allocation & Well Permitting to resolve any ongoing issues and concerns. The Bureau is aware that many renewal applications are awaiting the Ag Agent review and signature. With the extension act, these renewal applications are being extended as mentioned above.
Some RCE Offices remain closed or with minimal access at this time. Call your local Rutgers Cooperative Extension office for specific information. In addition, during the month of July, staff in the NJ Department of Agriculture and the NJ DEP personnel are furloughed, and response times will be slowed, so please be patient during these challenging times.
Azalea Leafminer: A Commonly Unrecognized Azalea Pest Problem
The Azalea Leafminer (Caloptilia azaleella) produces plant symptoms that are typically subtle & can often be overlooked. Symptoms from this caterpillar can also confuse people by having both leafminer & leafroller stages. The early instar stages are leafminers, while the later instar stages are leafrollers or leaftiers. Commercial nurseries generally have more concerns with this pest, while they often receive little attention in the landscape. Although the Azalea Leafminer has 2+ generations per year, the azalea (Rhododendron genus) is the only known host of this native caterpillar having the unique one-two punch.
Azalea Leafminers: Symptom stages from 3 leafmines & a single leafroller (Photo Credit: Steven Rettke of RCE)
Prevailing landscape disease; Entomosporium Leaf Spot on woody ornamentals
Photo: Rich Buckley
It was brought to my attention this morning that many landscapers and plant professionals are concerned by a reddening and spotting discoloration condition on Photinia foliage. Most often this is caused by the fungal pathogen Entomosporium maculatum, a widespread and destructive foliar disease of woody ornamentals in the rose family (including Photinia, Indian Hawthorn, Loquat, flowering and fruiting Pear, Firethorn, Hawthorn, Juneberry, and Quince). This pathogen discolors foliage to an unsightly red, orange, and black spotting that ultimately leads to premature defoliation. The spots will eventually turn necrotic and fungal structures will be visible within those areas (little black dots).
Photo: Rich Buckley
The pathogen can be active from late winter to late fall, favoring conditions that promote humidity and reduced airflow. The pathogen survives on infected leaves (attached or dropped). Typically it takes approximately 2 weeks for symptom development to occur post infection. Therefor the heavy discoloration we are seeing right now is the culmination of multiple infection events, where protectant fungicides were not used or were used correctly.
This means that another round of infections will occur again soon in severely infected locations as the spots will give rise to a new generation of spores.
Disease management (fungicides): Ideally, protectant fungicide applications would have been initiated every 7-14 days post bud break until all leaves had matured. However, in the current situation many people will be playing catch up. Fungicide applications initiated now will not make the symptoms go away or ‘cure’ the plant, but they are required now to protect foliage from the next wave of fungal infections and reduce the overall population. In severely infected plantings, fungicide applications should be continued every 10-14 (depending on fungicide label) days throughout the remainder of the season, especially in high value plantings or in specimen blocks. If winter conditions are unseasonably warm and humid, then applications should continue accordingly. Systemic fungicides should also be considered in addition to protective and cultural control mechanisms in severe cases.
Fungicides:
ROTATE between Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC codes)
Format: [FRAC code]: Chemical name (Trade names)
- [M05]: Chlorothalonil (Daconil WS)
- [M05 + 1] Chlorothalonil + Thiophanate methyl (Spectro 90WDG)
- [1] Thiophanate methyl (Clearys 3336)
- [11] Azxystrobin (Heritage 50W)
- [3] Myclobutanil (Eagle 40W)
- [3] Propiconazole (Banner Maxx)
- [3] Triadimefon (Bayleton 50, Strike 50WDG)
- [1 + M03] Thiophanate methyl + Mancozeb (Duosan 79W)
- [M03] Mancozeb
- [M01] Copper Oxychloride + Copper Hydroxide (Badge SC, many)
IT IS CRITICAL TO ROTATE BETWEEN FRAC CODES DUE TO THE NUMBER OF POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
Always refer to the label for allowable host crops, use-restrictions, application rates, reapplication intervals, re-entry intervals (REI), and mix compatibility information.
DISCLAIMER: Production and pesticide information on this site are for commercial operators and landscape professionals only and are NOT for home gardener use. Provided materials represent examples and do not cover all possible control scenarios. Please contact your local agent or chemical sales representative for more information.
Click here for a list of materials available to both homeowners and licensed pesticide applicators
Cultural prevention and mitigation:
- Remove leaf-litter prior to bud break. During the season remove leaf litter only when dry. Infected leaves serve as inoculum for the next season. In severely infected plantings remove and replace mulch as fungal material can be deposited within the litter. Do not use leaf blowers to remove leaf-litter (all that does is spread around the spores).
- Avoid overhead irrigation. Water moving through the canopy represents at least two dangerous plant pathogen situations; increased leaf wetness that lets pathogens infect successfully, and movement of spores (from sporulating leaves and young growth).
- Increase airflow. Like all plant diseases, any situation that increases airflow, will decrease leaf wetness. This could include pruning, decreasing the density of plants, greater spacing, and planting/rearing site selection.
- Pruning in heavily infected plants. In addition to promoting increased air flow, heavy pruning may be required to remove overwintering inoculum from the plants. This should only be done during dry conditions, preferably during plant dormancy periods.
For sample identification please contact the Plant Diagnostic Lab here at Rutgers.
Photo: Rich Buckley
For more information and tips please visit:
Controlling Entomosporium Leaf Spot on Woody Ornamentals
Photinia Leaf Spot – Prevention And Treatment Of Common Photinia Bush Diseases
Entomosporium Leaf spot of Photinia and Indian Hawthorn
Entomosporium Leaf Spot Diagnostic Guide
Timothy J. Waller, Ph.D. (twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu)
Recorded Webinar Posted – COVID-19 Guidance for Ag Workers/Employers
- There have been no changes to the document since it was published, but one major point of discussion that you will hear in the recording was a comment made by a presenter that temperature monitoring should use a 99oF threshold instead of the 100.4oF threshold that was published in the guideline. Monique Purcell, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, who had worked closely with the NJDOH and NJDOL reps in development of the guidance document received clarification from them the next day that confirmed that the threshold remains 100.4oF.
- The other point addressed by several speakers was the need to work with and invite the FQHCs to your farm. They are charged with helping to educate your farm workers to understand this disease, how it spreads, and how to protect themselves (the importance of physical distancing and wearing face masks), as well as to provide testing for all employees on your farm, including the owner and family members working on the farm, free of charge.
*The NJDOH partnered with the NJDA and the NJDOL to create this guidance for agricultural employers focusing on precautions to help protect farm employees from COVID-19 on New Jersey farms and in farm labor housing. This webinar reviews these guidelines.
Boxwood blight update for 6/22-6/26/20
There are consistently high infection potentials this week for boxwood blight.
Protective fungicide applications should remain in effect or be initiated immediately.
| Boxwood Blight Risk Model | ||||
| Date | Upper Deerfield (NJ50) | Howell (NJ10) | Pequest (NJ58) | |
| 6/20/20 | S | Low risk | Very low risk | Infection potential |
| 6/21/20 | Sun | Low risk | Infection potential | Infection potential |
| 6/22/20 | M | Infection potential | Infection potential | Infection potential |
| 6/23/20 | T | Infection potential | Infection potential | High Inf. potential |
| 6/24/20 | W | High Inf. potential | High Inf. potential | High Inf. potential |
| 6/25/20 | Th | Infection potential | Infection potential | Low risk |
| 6/26/20 | F | Very low risk | Very low risk | Low risk |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| ^Risk of infection^ | ||||
| adapted from: uspest.org/risk/boxwood_app | ||||
The weather: Don’t let these beautiful early summer days fool you, we all know that violent thunderstorms can appear out of nowhere, bringing with them high winds and rain (wind driven rain) causing high persistent humidity. I.e. the perfect storm for fungal pathogens to spread and successfully infect. Accordingly, many other fungal pathogens are equally active under these conditions and should be managed accordingly. Prevention is always easier than a cure.
These advisories are general in nature so someone from your business should be using this risk model if boxwood is important to your financial stability. In 30 seconds you can have a better idea of boxwood blight (and other pathogen) activity in your immediate area!
Boxwood blight information:
The disease may be sporulating and spreading amongst plantings if present (or may come into your nursery or landscapes via shipments) within the next few days. The pathogen, Calonectria pseudonaviculata, (aka Cylindrocladium buxicola) can also infect other hosts within the boxwood family (Buxaceae). These include common landscape plants such as Pachysandra and Sweetbox, so treatments should be directed towards these hosts as well. Leaf-litter suspected of boxwood blight should only be removed carefully under dry conditions (i.e. do not use a leaf blower to remove leaf-litter in Pachysandra or Boxwood plantings this week!). Additionally, please refrain from touching the plants at all during wet conditions as boxwood blight spores are sticky and can be transferred from plant-to-plant or site-to-site. Please follow proper sanitization and sterilization practices in addition to a preventative spray program. Tools, clothing, and transportation equipment should be routinely cleaned with alcohol or bleach to prevent the spread of this disease. Additionally, this pathogen forms small (yet bomb-proof) survival structures (Microsclerotia) that can remain as a source of infections for 7-10 years within the soil and leaf-litter (part of why you do not want to use a leaf blower to clean out leaf-litter!).
See the following for what to do in multiple boxwood blight scenarios.
Boxwood blight key symptoms:
- Straw-yellow to bronzing leaves that have a characteristic halo of lighter brown and yellow around the infection point.
- LEAVES FALL OFF, TYPICALLY STARTING AT THE BOTTOM. These leaves then act as a source for new infections.
- Twigs will have long brown lesions
Look-a-likes: NOT ALL FOLIAR DISEASES are Boxwood blight:
- Volutella Blight (straw-yellow or golden leaves with pink spores, branches have loose bark).
- Macrophoma leaf spot (straw-yellow leaves with black fungal structures (black spots))
Fungicides;
ROTATE between Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC codes)
Format: [FRAC code]: Chemical name (Trade names)
- [M05]: Chlorothalonil (Daconil WS)
- [M05 + 1] Chlorothalonil + Thiophanate methyl (Spectro 90WDG)
- [11] Trifloxystrobin + [7] Fluopyram (Broadform)
- [11] Trifloxystrobin + [3] Triadimefon (Armada 50WDG)
- [M03] Mancozeb
- [12] Fludioxonil (Medallion WDG)
- [3] Tebuconazole (Torque)
Always refer to the label for allowable host crops, use-restrictions, application rates, reapplication intervals, re-entry intervals (REI), and mix compatibility information.
DISCLAIMER: Production and pesticide information on this site are for commercial operators only and are NOT for home gardener use. Provided materials represent examples and do not cover all possible control scenarios. Please contact your local agent or chemical sales representative for more information.
Previous Boxwood Blight Plant and Pest Advisory Posts;
- Immediate potential for boxwood blight activity (by Tim Waller)
- Boxwood blight revisited (by Rich Buckley)
- Boxwood blight confirmed in New Jersey (by Rich Buckley)
Additional resources on boxwood blight;
- NC State: Effective materials for boxwood blight
- Virginia Tech extension: Cultural practices and resistant varieties
- Perdue Extension boxwood blight
- University of Kentucky Extension boxwood blight
- Nursery Magazine “Reclaiming boxwood from boxwood blight”
- NJ Department of Agriculture boxwood blight guidelines
Contact: Timothy J. Waller, Ph.D. (twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu)
