Announcements:

NJ Department of Agriculture Issues Burn Permit for Frost Protection –May 7 thru May 11

New Jersey Department of Agriculture has issued a notice concerning open burning due to colder spring overnight temperatures presently forecasted for areas of New Jersey from Thursday, May 7 through Monday, May 11, 2020, which could adversely affect fruit, vegetable, and floriculture crops in bloom or near bloom around the state. For more information: https://plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu/nj-department-of-agriculture-issues-burn-permit-for-frost-protection-thru-may-11/

Sourcing PPE for your workers:

If you need PPE for you and your workers, please do not wait to obtain more supplies! When our region re-opens to the masses there will be another wave of high-demand for masks and PPE. https://plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu/sourcing-personal-protective-equipment-ppe-for-your-farm-employees/

Recent financial Plant and Pest Advisory Posts:

US Small Business Admin Opens Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Programs to Agriculture: https://plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu/us-small-business-admin-opens-economic-injury-disaster-loan-eidl-programs-to-agriculture/

SBA resumed accepting Paycheck Protection Program applications: https://plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu/sba-resumed-accepting-paycheck-protection-program-applications/

Utilizing Growing Degree-day calculators and resources:

(As of 5/7/20 using NEWA, Upper Deerfield = 213.5GDD₅₀ ; Howell = 153.5 GDD₅₀ ; Pequest = 88.0 GDD₅₀) (GDD₅₀ = Growing Degree-Day with min. temp. set to 50F)

Using Growing Degree Day models to plan pest management timing is a proven method for understanding when a pest or pathogen will rear its ugly head. These models utilize temperature min. and max. throughout the day to generate “growing degree day” units that accumulate throughout the year (typically starting on Jan. 1st, with a minimum temperature set to 50F (base-50)). Correlations between degree-day accumulation and vulnerable life stage events, such as egg hatch or adult emergence, allow pest management to be conducted, or scouted for, more efficiently. These models can track or predict insect, mite, weed, and plant pathogen lifecycles as well as those of beneficial insects, allowing us to protect that arm of Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

Within these models the user can set multiple parameters, allowing hyper-localized information for most of the country. Simple models are also available. The temperature min/max, can be manipulated for specific pests, however a minimum temperature of 50F (aka base-50) is most often cited in growing degree-day pest lists. These models are general in nature, as biology occurs over some span of time or set of conditions, and should therefor be ground-truthed at each location if at all possible. Many other types of pest or disease predictive models are available within the resources listed below, and the agents can help you understand what information you need for those calculations.

Note: The nursery agents are working to develop a local, Rutgers centralized, growing degree-day calculator that will provide information on key pests as well as nursery and greenhouse BMPs thereof. Armed with this information, we will be generating charts and other visual aids that target multiple pests per application, thus increasing labor efficiency.

Degree Day Calculators (select a local weather station within the website):

NEWA (Cornell): http://newa.cornell.edu/index.php?page=growing-degree-days

–        Very easy to use

Integrated Plant Protection Center (Oregon State): http://uspest.org/

–        More complicated but has many different modeling options

–        ***Boxwood blight specific risk model: https://uspest.org/risk/boxwood_app  , also available as an iOS or Android app ***

Typically the procedure is as follows: select a close by weather station, select degree-day calculator, select the min. temperature (50F or “base-50”), select max. temperature (arbitrarily high- 110F), click graph or calculate or get report, then locate the date(s) of interest on the computed table. The accumulated growing degree-days of those dates can then be compared to the target GDD₅₀ on the pest lists below. *Tim Waller will help you set up a local degree-day calculation, or understand how to use this information if needed (twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu)

Pest lists with GDD₅₀ targets:

Ohio State: http://cues.cfans.umn.edu/old/Web/049DegreeDays.pdf

University of California: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/MODELS/index.html

University of Maryland: https://extension.umd.edu/node/11155

University of New Hampshire: http://ccetompkins.org/resources/using-growing-degree-days-for-insect-management

*Some discrepancies between degree-day targets; go with what you have observed locally*

Pests and diseases to be on the lookout for:

(Upper Deerfield = 213.5GDD₅₀ ; Howell = 153.5 GDD₅₀ ; Pequest = 88.0 GDD₅₀)

Pests: Looking towards our southern neighbor states, several pests are either currently present or will become evident in the near future including: Boxwood leafminer, Allium Leaf miner, Lilac borer, Ambrosia beetles (multiple species), Red-headed flea beetle, Hemlock woolly adelgid, Pine Bark adelgid, Roseslug sawflies, Spruce spider mites, Wooly elm aphids, Spirea aphid, Andromeda lace bug, Azalea lace bug, and Pine needle scale. The warm weather jump-started pest development only to be slowed by the current cool days and cooler nights, providing more wiggle room for protective or systemic pesticide applications. Utilize growing degree-day (GDD₅₀) models to apply protectant applications as well as systemic soil drenches when applicable or allowable for pollinator protection.

Red-headed flea beetle larva will be hatching between 250-480 GDD₅₀, with adults emerging between 500-1000 GDD₅₀. A second generation of larva will then be active between 1,570 to 1860 GDD₅₀, emerging later 1,878 to 2,318 GDD₅₀. Brian Kunkel, entomologist at the University of Delaware, has determined that up to three, overlapping, generations can be present in container grown ornamentals. Ambrosia beetles, particularly Xylosandrus crassiusculus (granulate ambrosia beetle), and Xylosandrus germanus (black stem borer), should begin flights soon, or have already done so to some degree. These small beetles begin flight when temperatures hover around 60-70F and are attracted to alcohol produced by woody ornamentals in the spring. The cooler nighttime temperatures and daily averages have kept much of this activity low but scouting should be vigilant during this time. Another invasive pest, the Box tree moth, has been identified approaching the border of US and Canada. This pest has prompted APHIS importation amendments for Boxwood, Euonymus, and Illex. (https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/bulletins/27f467d)

Diseases: The current temperatures coupled with long wetness-periods, provide optimal pathogen conditions for diseases such as Botrytis, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Black spot on roses, multiple Needle cast diseases of conifers, root rots, and bacterial diseases. Once temperatures begin to increase again, pathogen numbers could explode. Efforts towards protectant applications are critical, especially in situations where plants are being held longer than previously anticipated due to COVID-19 related disruptions. Any steps geared towards increasing airflow, reducing wet-feet, and limiting mechanical injury during this wet and cool period will benefit disease management approaches. Please consult your agents for specific disease control recommendations.

Beach Leaf Disease, caused by an exotic nematode, is affecting beeches in the Great Lakes region  and into Pennsylvania. Little is known about the disease, other than the nematodes distort beech leaves by forming sunken lesions, which eventually turn the leaf yellow and drop off. Please contact your local agent if you suspect this disease to be anywhere in New Jersey (forest, farm, etc.). https://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/forest/docs/Pest_Alert-Beech_Leaf_Disease.pdf .USDA-ARS (more info on the nematode): https://tellus.ars.usda.gov/stories/articles/what-s-killing-beech-trees/

Please advise what pests/pathogens you are seeing in the field so we can be better informed on their management!

Online events and resources:

Ask the Agent (every Wednesday @ 7:00pm): https://go.rutgers.edu/t7wjkit1

A new online forum has been created where anyone can log-on and speak with Rutgers Cooperative Extension agents (multiple agents from multiple counties).

NJAES YouTube webpage: https://www.youtube.com/user/RutgersNJAES/

Our Rutgers Nursery Working group will be uploading many more instructional videos to the NJAES YouTube page in the near future. This webpage has numerous pest/pathogen/ID educational videos, especially from the Plant Diagnostics Lab here at Rutgers.

Tim Waller has posted an introduction video to the newly created “Commercial Nursery and Greenhouse Production” playlist https://youtu.be/RQbXmc5Uug8.

(Please email twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu or william.errickson@njaes.rutgers.edu with ideas for videos!)

 2020 Nursery Industry Survey: https://forms.gle/dUjLxaiu6qDQYYsRA

The new nursery agents have prepared a preliminary survey aimed at understanding the needs of our growers and clientele, i.e. you. Please take a moment to complete the survey, as this type of information really helps the agents secure grant funding to deal with the problems you actually have. Thank you! Please share with other growers that may not have access.

RU Sustainable Nursery Production website: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/nursery/

March meeting PDF: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/nursery/documents/2020%20SJ%20Nursery%20Meeting%20Proceedings.pdf

Thank you.

Contact information for the new nursery agents:

 Timothy J. Waller

County Agent
Specialty areas: Commercial nursery production, plant health, and phytopathology   

Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cumberland County
291 Morton Ave. Millville, NJ 08332
856-451-2800
twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu

Bill Errickson

County Agent
Specialty areas: Nursery and turfgrass production, agricultural innovation, and soil fertility
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth Count
4000 Kozloski Rd., P.O. Box 5033. Freehold, NJ 07728
732-431-7260, ext. 7273
william.errickson@njaes.rutgers.edu