Freeze damage — Plant & Pest Advisory

May 11, 2024 Andy Wyenandt

Diagnosing Spear Damage in Asparagus

Spear damage in asparagus can be caused by diseases such as Phytophthora spear and crown rot and purple spot. However, other environmental factors during the spring can damage spears as they emerge from the soil.

Fig 1a. Freeze injury in asparagus. (Photo by Tom Orton)

Fig 1b. Freeze injury in Asparagus. Note the color of the interior of the spear. (Photo by Tom Orton)

Freeze Injury – About 10 days ago temperatures dipped well below freezing for a night or two, and combined with the higher than normal temperature this spring, some asparagus fields that had already started to produce spears were hit with injury. Affected spears will be bent/distorted and begin to breakdown and rot (Fig. 1a).

Cutting frozen spears will show the discoloration of the spear caused by the freeze (Fig. 1b).

Fig. 2. Wind damage of asparagus spears. Notice how all spears are pointed in the same direction

Wind – Periods of heavy winds during emergence will cause spears to bend. High winds can cause one side of the spear to dry out quicker than the other causing the spear to bend and point in the direction of the prevailing wind. An asparagus planting is suffering from wind damage if most of the bent spear heads in the bed are pointing in the same direction (Fig.2).

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Vegetable Crops Tagged With: asparagus, Freeze damage, spear damage, wind injury

April 25, 2024 Rick VanVranken, Megan Muehlbauer, Hemant Gohil and Gary Pavlis

NJ Depts of Agriculture & Environmental Protection Allow Controlled Open Burning to Protect Crops

(Trenton) [On April 20, w]ith the state expected to experience cooler spring temperatures, the Department of Environmental Protection has agreed with NJDA Secretary Ed Wengryn’s request to allow farmers to do controlled open burning or use specialized torches known as smudge pots to protect flowering crops from damage beginning today, April 20, through Saturday, April 27.

Temperatures are expected to drop to the 30s or below tonight with varying winds through portions of the state. These expected temperatures follow warm temperatures in recent days. Damage from freezing weather now can significantly reduce yields of certain fruits and vegetables that are in the flowering stage.

The DEP and Department of Agriculture are allowing these steps to protect farmers’ livelihoods and to ensure that consumers will be able to enjoy an ample supply of Jersey produce later this year.

The DEP intends to exercise its authority and discretion under the Air Pollution Control Code, N.J.A.C. 7:27, et seq., and other applicable authorities to permit the following procedure for open burning or the use of smudge pots to assist farmers to protect their crops in low temperatures.

Farmers who believe they will need to conduct open burns and/or use smudge pots must provide notice to the DEP’s 24-hour Communications Center at 1-877- WARNDEP (1-877-927-6337).

Notification to DEP does not require the implementation of either technique but ensures proper procedures are followed should they become necessary.

If a farmer does not call DEP in advance but uses either technique, the farmer must notify DEP by 9 a.m. the following day. The farmer will be asked which technique was used.

Farmers must record the incident number provided to them by the Communications Center. The following information is to be provided:

Name of the individual making the decision to conduct the open burning/use of smudge pots and name of the farm.
Actual street address of the farm on which either technique will be used (no P.O. Boxes).
Telephone number of a contact at the farm.
Predicted temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) at the agricultural operation when the technique will be used.
Wind speed anticipated when the technique will be used.
Predicted hours of open burning and/or use of smudge pots.
Materials expected to be burned.
At the time of the initial call to the Communications Center, farmers will be given an email address and incident number.

Within two days, they must submit to DEP via this email address the following information:

The DEP Communications Center incident number.
Ambient temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) at the time the technique was used.
Actual wind speed at the orchard at the time the technique was used.
A statement verifying that all restrictions in the open burning or use of smudge pots were followed.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and New Jersey Forest Fire Service caution all farmers and agriculture businesses with respect to the use of open burning in high wind velocity conditions. Please take note that farmers are encouraged to utilize smudge pots for warming as necessary during higher wind conditions. Use of open burning when wind velocity is greater than 5 mph is strictly prohibited, may contribute to wildfire risk, and can carry significant penalties.
Smudge pots must be fueled only with either kerosene or No. 2 fuel oil.
Open burning can consist only of either the following materials: clean and untreated scrap lumber, felled trees, clippings pruned from trees and shrubs, hedgerows, or firewood. Absolutely no refuse, trade waste, tires or garbage of any type may be added to the authorized open burning material.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and New Jersey Forest Fire Service caution all farmers and agriculture businesses with respect to the use of open burning in high wind velocity conditions. Please take note that farmers are encouraged to utilize smudge pots for warming as necessary during higher wind conditions. Use of open burning when wind velocity is greater than 5 mph is strictly prohibited, may contribute to wildfire risk, and can carry significant penalties.

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To learn more about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NJDeptofAgriculture and www.facebook.com/JerseyFreshOfficial or Twitter @NJDA1 and @JerseyFreshNJDA.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: Burn Permit, Freeze damage, Frost Protection, NJ DEP, NJ Department of Agriculture

April 10, 2023 Hemant Gohil

NJ Department of Environmental Protection Issues Burn Permit for Frost Protection – Through April 14

(TRENTON) – With the state expected to experience colder spring temperatures, the Department of Environmental Protection has agreed with NJ Dept of Agriculture Secretary Douglas Fisher’s request to allow farmers to do controlled open burning or use specialized torches known as smudge pots to protect crops from damage beginning Friday, April 7, through Friday, April 14.

These cold events could adversely affect some of the fruit, vegetable, and floriculture crops.

Note: The NJDEP and New Jersey Forest Fire Service caution all farmers and agriculture businesses with respect to the use of open burning in high wind velocity conditions. Please take note that farmers are encouraged to utilize smudge pots is warming as necessary during higher wind conditions. Use of open burning when wind velocity is greater than 5mph is strictly prohibited, may contribute to wildfire risk, and can carry significant penalties. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Fruit, Nursery, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: apples, blueberries, Burn Permit, Freeze damage, frost, grapes, Immediate, NJ DEP, Peaches, small fruit, strawberries, tree fruit

April 7, 2023 Hemant Gohil

NJ Department of Agriculture Issues Burn Permit for Frost Protection – Through April 14

(TRENTON) – With the state expected to experience colder spring temperatures, the Department of Environmental Protection has agreed with NJDA Secretary Douglas Fisher’s request to allow farmers to do controlled open burning or use specialized torches known as smudge pots to protect crops from damage beginning today, Friday, April 7, through Friday, April 14.

These cold events could adversely affect some of the fruit, vegetable, and floriculture crops.

Filed Under: Nursery, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: Burn Permit, Freeze damage, frost, Immediate, NJ DEP, small fruit, tree fruit

March 25, 2022 Hemant Gohil

NJ Department of Agriculture Issues Burn Permit for Frost Protection – Thru April 5

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 March 22 through April 5th, 2022, which could adversely affect fruit, vegetable, and floriculture crops in bloom or near bloom around the state. For details read below the links.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Fruit, Nursery, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: Burn Permit, Freeze damage, frost, Immediate, NJ DEP, small fruit, tree fruit

June 1, 2021 Andy Wyenandt

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.