Late blight was confirmed on potato in Accomack County, VA located on the Eastern Shore just south of the Maryland border. This is the second report of Late blight in the mid-Atlantic region this growing season. All tomato and potato growers should scout their fields on a regular basis. Growers who have not initiated standard protectant fungicide programs should consider doing so.
Organic Farm Advisory
The Plant & Pest Advisory serves NJ growers by reporting on important pests and recommending responses that are grounded in reproducible trials.
Articles in this section contain information helpful to the NJ commercial organic grower.
Sharing organic practice trial results between land-grant universities is a cost effective way to create a common knowledge base built on the strengths of individual programs. In the sidebar, find institutions with programs in organic agriculture which augment knowledge developed at the Rutgers New Jersey Ag Experiment Station.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension Field Guides: These concise guides help with decision making from pre-planting to harvest. For each crop listed, learn what pests to proactively look for as the season progresses, how to look for them, and when to take action.
May 17, 2016 Andy Wyenandt
RCE Hosting a “Pollinator Victory Garden” Workshop
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County is hosting “The Pollinator Victory Garden: Winning the War on Pollinator Decline” on Wednesday, June 8 from 5:30 to p.m., rain or shine, at Rutgers Cooperative Extension, 355 Court House – South Dennis Road, Cape May Court House, New Jersey.
Participants will learn how to attract an array of pollinators, what plants they eat, how to provide them with shelter, and how to help win the war on pollinator decline. Also, each recipient will receive starter plants for their victory garden. Kim Eierman, Environmental Horticulturist and founder of EcoBeneficial will be presenting. Eierman specializes in ecological landscapes and native plants. She teaches at the New York Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, The Native Plant Center in NY, Rutgers Home Gardeners School and others. In addition to being a Certified Horticulturist through the American Society for Horticultural Science, Eierman is a Master Gardener, a Master Naturalist, an Accredited Organic Landcare Professional, a Steering Committee member of The Native Plant Center and a member of the Garden Writers Association.
This is a beginner class, therefore, no experience is needed. The cost for this workshop is $25 and includes dinner and all materials. Registration is due by June 1, 2016. To register or for more information, please call 609-465-5115, ext. 607 or email dana.tyndall@co.cape-may.nj.us
See official flyer here.
May 17, 2016 Andy Wyenandt
Late blight confirmed on tomato in Western Maryland – 5/17/16
Late blight (US23) was confirmed on tomato in a small, retail greenhouse operation in western Maryland (Garrett Co.) today. This is the first report of Late blight on tomato or potato this growing season. US23 has been the most prevalent genotype found in the region the last few years and can infect tomato or potato. While the current report not an immediate threat to NJ, all tomato and potato growers should scout fields on a regular basis as long as wet weather pattern continues. At this time, general protectant fungicide programs that have been initiated will help protect against Late blight. Importantly, in order for Late blight to appear this early in our region it must either have survived on an infested potato tuber left in the field or in a cull pile. For more information on the control of late blight please see the 2016 Mid-Atlantic Commercial Production Recommendations Guide.
May 4, 2016 Andy Wyenandt
Wet Weather Ripe for Strawberry Fruit Rots
Anthracnose Fruit Rot of Strawberry
Fruit rots in strawberry can cause significant losses if not recognized early and controlled. The use of good cultural practices such as: keeping fields weed-free and promoting good drainage; long crop rotations, and preventative fungicide applications are critical.
Pathogens such as anthracnose, gray mold (Botrytis), and leather rot can become systemic problems in strawberry plantings once established. All three fungal diseases are soil-borne and once in fields can be difficult to manage over the lifetime of the planting.
For growers new to strawberry production and/or those just looking for valuable resource(s), please visit Cornell University’s strawberry production website here. An Organic Strawberry Production Guide is also available.
The use of mulch (matted rows) to prevent/reduce soil splashing and keeping fruit from coming into direct contact with the soil surface can be beneficial in organic production systems where conventional fungicides cannot be used. Use of long crop rotations and staying away from areas of the farm with known instances of any of these pathogens is also important. Remember that same species of Colletotrichum that causes fruit rot in pepper and other crops can also infect strawberry.
April 19, 2016 Andy Wyenandt
Damping-off: Identifying and Controlling Early-season Pathogens
It is extremely important to know which pathogen is causing damping-off problems and which fungicide to properly apply. The key to controlling damping-off is being proactive instead of reactive. Always refer to the fungicide label for crop use, pathogens controlled, and application rates.
Damping-off is caused by a number of important vegetable pathogens and is very common during the spring. Damping-off can kill seedlings before they break the soil line (pre-emergent damping-off) or kill seedlings soon after they emerge (post-emergent damping-off). Common pathogens that cause damping-off include Pythium, Phytophthora, Rhizoctonia and Fusarium spp.
Control of damping-off depends on a number of factors. First, is recognizing the conditions which may be leading to the problem (i.e., weather/greenhouse growing conditions) and second, identifying the pathogen causing the problem.
Conditions Favoring Damping-off
Although all four pathogens are associated with damping-off, the conditions which favor their development are very different. In general, Phytophthora and Pythium are more likely to cause damping-off in cool, wet or overwatered soils that aren’t allowed to dry out due to cloudy weather or cooler temperatures. Conversely, Rhizoctonia and Fusarium are more likely to cause damping-off under warmer, drier conditions especially if plug trays are kept on the dry side to help reduce transplant growth. [Read more…]
April 14, 2016 Andy Wyenandt
Controlling Purple Spot in Asparagus
Purple spot, caused the soil-borne fungus, Stemphylium vesicarium, can cause problems during cool, wet spring weather. Symptoms, just like its name, include numerous, sunken oval-shaped spots on spears during the harvest season and more importantly on ferns and stalks during the summer months as long as conditions are ideal for its development. Often, purple spot will disappear as quickly as in appears on spears during the spring production season depending on the weather conditions.
Purple spot in asparagus (Photo by Mary Hausbeck, Michigan State University)
Heavy purple spot infection during the summer will lead to premature defoliation which will decrease carbohydrate reserves for the next production season. Control of purple spot can be difficult because of management issues (i.e., the need for fall mowing and/or removing, burying, or burning of old fern material in the field) and because fungicides can’t be applied during the harvest season. Growers who had pre-mature defoliation issues last year may expect problems this spring. Controlling purple spot begins with preventative fungicide applications during summer and fall by reducing infections to ferns and stalks. Weekly scouting and timely fungicide applications once fern stalks are full size should be done. Apply and rotate azoxystrobin at 6.2 to 15.5 fl oz 2.08F/A or chlorothalonil at 2.0 to 4.0 pt/A.
Organic asparagus growers, as well as conventional growers, need to take appropriate preventative measures to help reduce inoculum loads by completely removing, or by chopping and burying old fern material at the end of each growing season. Remember, any plant material that is infected and left to overwinter in the field may act as a source of inoculum the next growing season. For more information on organic asparagus production please see ATTRA’s Organic Asparagus Production.
