Rutgers Cooperative Extension
Wow, what a difference a few weeks make! I was just checking out our nematode post from earlier this season and it started with comments on how mild the weather has been. There is nothing like a foot of rain and a couple weeks of 95+ºF heat to change our tune.
Lance nematode damage. Photo: Joe Gulotti, Cavaliers Country Club
The recent stretch of unusual rainy weather raises the potential of mycotoxin contamination in small grains, and other field or forage feed crops. Grain growers may be affected by price discounts and/or restricted markets. Mycotoxin contamination in animal feed and forage can lead to feed refusal, reduced productivity (reduced production of eggs, milk, and weight gain), reproduction problems (disrupted heat cycles, early embryonic death, abortion) impaired health, and in severe cases, death.
The NJ Department of Agriculture’s Division of Plant Industry Plant Laboratory offers concerned growers and producers services to test for mycotoxins: Aflatoxin, DON/Vomitoxin, Fumonisin, Ochratoxin, T-2 Toxin, and Zearalenone.
Sample Submission Form information. For questions or more information, please call (609) 406-6939.
Samples of boxwood infected with the fungus Cylindrocladium pseudonaviculatum, the cause of boxwood blight, have been confirmed by the Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Laboratory and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture Laboratory in recent days. This is the first report of the disease is New Jersey.
Boxwood blight leaf lesion. Photo: Sabrina Tirpak, Rutgers PDL
You’ve got to suffer if you want to sing the blues… and some of us in certain parts of the state have been suffering the infernal din of the periodical cicadas since late-May.
Adult periodical cicada. Photo: Kim Greene
Patch that is! Recent weather conditions have driven the fungus Rhizoctonia solani into overdrive. Brown patch has flared up all over the place just in time for our July 4th celebrations!
Brown patch on colonial bentgrass. Photo: Richard Buckley, Rutgers PDL
Oh no! Not more leaf spot posts! This is the last one for now, I promise. First thing first, we had a nice sample from a perennial ryegrass baseball field that was submitted for dollar spot diagnosis, which it had, but it was also covered with leaf lesions caused by the fungus Bipolaris sorokiniana. Sabrina thought it would be nice to share a photo with you.
Leaf spots caused by Bipolaris sorokiniana on perennial ryegrass leaves. Photo: Sabrina Tirpak, Rutgers PDL
