Recognizing cold injury

If the erratic, hot then wet weather wasn’t enough, temperatures have fluctuated the past few days with night time temperatures becoming much cooler in some parts of the state and region. With this comes the potential for cold injury on spring planted crops. Cold injury can take may different shapes on affected plants and developing fruit.

In some cases, symptoms may show up on the newest growth as a result of non-lethal injury to meristematic tissue, in pepper and tomato, new growth may be distorted with misshapen leaves. In some cases, new leaves may have a mottled, or mosaic look much like a plant infected with a mosaic virus. In these instances, plants will grow out of the problem.

In cucumber, symptoms on maturing fruit appear as brownish-tan areas on the epidermis of fruit. The fruit will also show cracking as if it has a dry rot. The effects are physiological where areas of young developing fruit got chilled by the cold night time temperatures.

We have collected a few images below of cold injury from crops from this spring.

Cuke_cold injury

Cold injury on cucumber fruit. The initial damage was done a few weeks ago while the fruit was very young.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold injury on young cucumber plant

Cold injury on young cucumber plant (Photo: M. Casella)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold injury on young cauliflower plant

Cold injury on young cauliflower plant (photo: K. Holmstrom)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frost damage in strawberry

Frost damage in strawberry (photo: T. Besancon)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold injury on sweet corn

Cold injury on sweet corn under low tunnel. (photo: M. Casella)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold injury on cucumber seedling

Cold injury on cucumber seedling (photo: M. Casella)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold injury in emerging asparagus

Cold injury in emerging asparagus spear (photo: Rick VanVranken)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freezing of young potato plant

Freezing of young potato plant (photo: Rick VanVranken)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold injury on snap bean

Cold injury on snap bean. (photo: Jack Rabin)

Freeze damage caused by ice crystal formation in veins of snap bean

Freeze damage caused by ice crystal formation in veins of snap bean (photo: Jack Rabin)

Recognizing cold injury in spring crops

If the erratic, wet weather wasn’t enough, temperatures have fluctuated wildly this spring with night time temperatures dropping to near freezing in some parts of the state and region in recent days. With this comes the potential for cold injury on spring planted crops. Cold injury can take may different shapes on affected plants and developing fruit.

In some cases, sympoms may show up on the newest growth as a result of non-lethal injury to meristematic tissue, in pepper and tomato, new growth may be distorted with misshapen leaves. In some cases, new leaves may have a mottled, or mosaic look much like a plant infected with a mosaic virus. In these instances, plants will grow out of the problem.

In cucumber, symptoms on maturing fruit appear as brownish-tan areas on the epidermis of fruit. The fruit will also show cracking as if it has a dry rot. The effects are physiological where areas of young developing fruit got chilled by the cold night time temperatures.

We have collected a few images below of cold injury from crops from this spring.

Cuke_cold injury

Cold injury on cucumber fruit. The initial damage was done a few weeks ago while the fruit was very young.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold injury on young cucumber plant (Photo: M. Casella)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold injury on young cauliflower plant (photo: K. Holmstrom)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frost damage in strawberry (photo: T. Besancon)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold injury on sweet corn under low tunnel. (photo: M. Casella)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold injury on cucumber seedling (photo: M. Casella)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold injury in emerging asparagus spear (photo: Rick VanVranken)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freezing of young potato plant (photo: Rick VanVranken)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cold injury on snap bean. (photo: Jack Rabin)

Freeze damage caused by ice crystal formation in veins of snap bean (photo: Jack Rabin)

Time to Hill-Up your Grapevines is NOW!

Winter injury is a crucial limiting factor to wine grape production in the New Jersey. Following the harsh winter of 2013-14, almost 85% of vineyards reported various degrees of cold damage. Often, the cold injury results in the development of Crown gall disease, which causes gall formation around the trunk and graft unions, which can lead to vine decline or death. One particularly useful way to reduce winter injury is to protect the graft union from the cold by covering, or Hilling-up, the base of the vines with soil to protect the graft union. Right time to hill-up is after the harvest and before the ground is hard frozen – that is now!

Factsheet 1264 https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1264/ details the following important aspects of hilling-up to protect the graft union from cold damage.

  • The principle of Hilling-up – How the soil works, both as a thermal mass that holds the heat and insulator that slows heat loss.
  • How to perform effective hilling-up using available and specialized implements.
  • Cost benefits of using the implements.
  • Challenges such as, timing, preventing damage to the drip lines and to trunks during hilling-up; and how to address those challenges.
  • The process of hilling down in the spring to prevent root formation above the graft union and proper weed management.

Cold Injury in Cucumber

The effects of a cold night a few weeks ago are showing up in some varieties of cucumber around New Jersey. Symptoms on maturing fruit appear as brownish-tan areas on the epidermis of fruit. The fruit will also show cracking as if it has a dry rot. The effects are physiological where areas of young developing fruit got chilled by the cold night time temperatures.

Cuke_cold injury

Cold injury on cucumber fruit. The initial damage was done a few weeks ago while the fruit was very young.