January 28, 2023

Fields of Devotion film screening at 2023 New Jersey Agricultural Convention & Trade Show at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, on Tuesday February 7th.

Movie poster for Fields of Devotion

Fields of Devotion (30 minutes) features New Jersey farmers and Rutgers scientists partnering to develop climate resilient and disease resistant food crops to empower growers.

Discussion with the featured farmers and scientists immediately following screening.

Watch the Fields of Devotion trailer by clicking here.

Event description: Small family farms in New Jersey are racing against climate change. Unpredictable weather and new diseases are threatening the very crops they depend upon.  Fields of Devotion follows the decade long partnership between Rutgers plant biologists, the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES), and New Jersey herb farmers who together developed lines of sweet basil resistant to downy mildew, a devastating disease destroying Ocimum species around the world.

Building upon more than a century of Rutgers’ support for New Jersey growers, Fields of Devotion is told from the perspective of the farmers and graduate science students who together help realize Rutgers land grant mission of community engagement and academic excellence.

For those attending the New Jersey Vegetable Growers Association (NJ-VGA) or the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s (NJDA) 2023 Annual Meeting we cordially invite you to please join us this February 7th at 3:30 pm in Wildwood Rooms 8 and 9.

Contact: Andy Wyenandt, Extension Specialist in Vegetable Pathology, Rutgers University

email: wyenandt@njaes.rutgers.edu

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,
August 8, 2022

Vegetable Disease Update: 08-08-22

Filed Under: Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , ,
July 29, 2022

Basil downy mildew found in southern New Jersey – ALERT 7/29/22

Basil downy mildew has been confirmed in field grown basil in southern New Jersey. This is the first confirmed report of BDM in the state this growing season. To date, there have been very few reports of BDM in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions this growing season. The extremely, hot dry weather these past three to four weeks have not been ideal for its development. However, all basil growers are encouraged to scout their fields or greenhouses on a daily basis and should consider initiating a preventative fungicide program. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With:
July 29, 2022

Vegetable Disease Update: 07-29-22

  • Basil downy mildew has been confirmed in New Jersey. All basil growers are encouraged to scout on a daily basis. To track and report BDM occurrence please click here. For information on the control of BDM in the greenhouse or the field please click on the hyperlinks.
  • Cucurbit downy mildew has been reported ONLY on cucumber in southern, central, and northern New Jersey. For more information on CDM control please click here. To follow the progress of CDM in the US please click here.
  • Bacterial leaf spot has been reported in pepper. More more information on BLS control please click here.
  • Phomopsis leaf blight has been reported in annual strawberry. For more information please see this Extension publication by Louws et al. at NCSU.
  • Collar rot has been reported in tomato. Please click here for more information.
  • There have been no reports of Late blight in potato or tomato in the region to date. To follow the progress of Late blight in the US please click here.
  • Rhizoctonia root rot has been reported in summer squash. Click here for more information.
  • White mold has been reported in tomato and Southern blight in pepper in southern new Jersey this past week. Click here for more information.
  • Powdery mildew has been reported in cucurbit crops. For more information on the control of CPM please click here.
  • Bacterial canker has been reported in tomato. For more information on diagnosing important tomato diseases please click here.
  • Phytophthora blight has been reported on pepper. For more information please click here.
  • The 2022/2023 Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations Guide is available for free online or for sale in hardcopy form at many County offices.
  • For a quick review on managing fungicide resistance development using tank mixes and fungicide rotations, and information on FRAC group 4, FRAC group 7, and FRAC group 3 and FRAC group 11 fungicides please click on hyperlinks.
Filed Under: Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , ,
July 3, 2022

Controlling basil downy mildew in the field in 2022

For over a decade, basil downy mildew (BDM) has caused significant losses in basil grown in organic and conventional field and greenhouse production across the United States. At the time of its introduction, there were very few fungicides labeled for its control making it nearly impossible to grow a successful crop in many areas of the country. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With:
August 13, 2021

Basil downy mildew reports are increasing in the region

For over a decade, basil downy mildew (BDM) has caused significant losses in basil grown in organic and conventional field and greenhouse production across the United States. At the time of its introduction, there were very few fungicides labeled for its control making it nearly impossible to grow a successful crop in many areas of the country. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Vegetable Crops Tagged With: