Warmer days and cool nights, along with cool soils and the regular wet weather has made conditions ideal for disease development in some spring crops. Growers should consider applying preventative fungicide applications for early-season diseases, particularly root rots, either in the transplant water or shortly after transplanting or seeding to help mitigate potential issues. All fields should be scouted on a regular basis. White rust and anthracnose were reported on spinach this week, so leaf spot pathogens are already active.
Vegetable Disease Update – 4/17/17
Vegetable Disease Notes:
- Powdery mildew has been reported in a number of tomato greenhouse operations. For control of powdery mildew and other important diseases in greenhouses and high tunnels please see Table E14 on pages E52-E54 of 2016-2017 Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations Guide.
- A new article on the importance of testing for Dickeya dianthicola in potato seed can be found here.
[Read more…]
Vegetable Disease Update – 4/10/17
Asparagus
Phytophthora crown and spear rot – In fields with low spots (poorly drained soils) or fields with a history of crown and/or spear rot apply Ridomil Gold 4SL (mefenoxam, 4) at 1.0 pt/A, or Ultra Flourish 2E/A (mefenoxam, 4) at 2.0 pt/A, or MetaStar 2E (metalaxyl, 4) at 2.0 qt/A over beds just before 1st harvest. For new plantings, apply the same after planting or after crown covering. Do not apply Ridomil or MetaStar one day prior to harvest or illegal residues may result. For more information please see the 2016-2017 Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations Guide. [Read more…]
Ultra-Niche Crop Workshop on High Tunnel Winter Lettuce Production to be Held

Loose leaf lettuce growing in a high tunnel.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension is continuing its Ultra-Niche Crop series in 2017 with the upcoming workshop “High Tunnel Winter Lettuce”. This workshop, the third class in the Ultra-Niche educational series for farmers seeking new crop opportunities, will take place on Tuesday, January 31, 2017 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The workshop will be held simultaneously in Cape May Court House, Bridgewater and Bordentown, New Jersey.
Vegetable Disease Update – 9/13/13
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Carrots
Leaf blights – Powdery mildew, Alternaria and Cercospora. Alternaria and Cercospora are two soil-borne fungal pathogens that may cause early defoliation in carrots reducing yields and making harvest difficult. Both pathogens produce distinct symptoms on carrots. Powdery mildew causes characteristic white, powdery lesions on foliage. Symptoms of Alternaria include irregular, dark brown to black spots which typically show up on older leaves first. Cercospora leaf spots are round, grayish-brown and are more prevalent on younger foliage. Both leaf blights typically start at the margins of leaflets and as more spots develop leaflets begin to wither and die. Symptoms similar to leaf infections can develop on stems and petioles.
Control of both diseases begins with regular scouting and preventative fungicide applications on susceptible varieties. Apply Quadris (azoxystrobin, 11) at 9.0 to 15.5 fl. oz 2.08F/A, or Cabrio 20EG (pyraclostrobin, 11) at 8.0 to 12.0 oz/A, or Pristine (pyraclostrobin + boscalid, 11 +7) at 8.0 to 10.5 oz 38WG/A tank-mixed or alternated with chlorothalonil (M5) at 1.5 to 2 pt/A. For Alternaria only: Apply a tank mix of 1.5 to 2.0 pt/A chlorothalonil plus Endura (boscalid, 70 at 4.5 oz 70W/A, or Switch (cyprodinil + fludioxonil, 9 +12) at 11.0 to 14.0 oz 62.5WG/A, or iprodione at 1.0 to 2.0 pt 50WP/A. For more information on tolerant varieties and control please the 2013 New Jersey Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations. [Read more…]
Vegetable Disease Update 5-24-13
- Cucumber/Pickles: Angular leaf spot
- Lettuce: Bacterial leaf blight; Bottom Rot
- Tomato: Bacterial spot and speck
- Strawberry: Leather rot; Angular leaf spot