It’s the first day of spring… Consider that roadside vegetation has been exposed to de-icing compounds following several recent late-winter storms. Runoff from treated pavement contains dissolved salts that can injure adjacent vegetation. In plants sensitive to excessive salt, affected foliage may scorch and drop prematurely. In severe cases, the death of twigs, branches, […]
Continue reading...Orchard Row-Middle Sod Maintanance
Managed sod row middles have many advantages, and have been adopted by many tree fruit growers. A perennial fescue sod does not attract insects pests, is not an alternate host for harmful nematodes, and provides shelter for beneficial insects. The sod provides a firm drive path for spring spraying of insecticides and fungicides, prevent or […]
Continue reading...Exemptions – FDA Proposed Produce Food Safety Rule Q & A
The first FDA Proposed Produce Food Safety Rule Q & A conference call, coordinated by the Produce Safety Alliance, was held yesterday. This conference call focused on exemptions to the proposed rule. Here are the highlights of yesterday’s conference call: How are average annual sales for a farm calculated? Farm Facility (Packinghouse) Registration, are farms […]
Continue reading...New Supplemental Label for Priaxor

Priaxor: For disease control and plant health in fruiting vegetables (0-day PHI).
Continue reading...Seed treatments and selected fungicides and bactericides for the GH
All seed used in transplant production, as well as, any transplants brought into the greenhouse should be certified ‘clean’ or disease-free. Important diseases such as Bacterial leaf spot of tomato and pepper can cause major problems in transplant production if introduced in the greenhouse.
Continue reading...Pathogens that Cause Damping-off
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.
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