Volume 9, Issue 18 July 31, 2013 Cooperative Extension Cornell Vegetable Program Cornell University Weekly Veg Edge Veg Edge Veg Edge Contents General Minimizing Deer Damage in Vegetables ......................... 1 Reduced Tillage Farm Tour: August 7 ............................ 3 Mid-Late Summer Cover Crops ....................................... 6 Dates .................................................................................. 8 Sponsors ............................................................................. 9 Weather Charts .................................................................. 9 Crops Crops: Tidbits & Insights ...............................................4-5 Cole Crops: Scout for Swede Midge ................................ 7 Onion: Iris Yellow Spot Virus ........................................... 2 Potato/Tomato: Late Blight Risk ...................................... 6 Sweet Corn Trap Network Report, 7/30/13 .................... 8 Tomato: White Mold ....................................................... 3 Minimizing Deer Damage in Vegetable Crops by Julie Kikkert, Cornell Vegetable Program continued on page 2 Mouthfuls of carrots being pulled up and chomped by deer in a local field this week (Fig. 1) inspired me to put together some resources for managing these pesky criers. A comprehensive plan is needed to manage deer on your farm. Understanding the biol- ogy, habitat and feeding habits is a good first step. See the fact sheets listed in the resource secon below. Your management plan will depend on the size of the farm or field you wish to protect, your locaon, tolerance for damage and the resources you have to direct towards this project. Here are some of the opons: EXCLUSION To deter deer during the vegetable growing season, single-strand electric fenc- es can be used in combina- on with a repellent. Alter- navely, pieces of aluminum foil with peanut buer when placed at three to four foot intervals along the fence aract the deer to touch the electric fence (Fig. 2). High-visibility, electric polytape fences on fiberglass stakes provide another low-cost, portable design that can effecvely reduce deer damage to vegetable crops. The fact sheets listed below pro- vide detailed informaon on these and other types of fencing. Figure 2. Electric fence with peanut butter for deer management. Photo: Julie Kikkert, Cornell Vegetable Program Figure 1. Deer damage in carrot field. Photos: Julie Kikkert, CVP
Minimizing Deer Damage in Vegetable Crops by Julie Kikkert, Cornell Vegetable Program
continued on page 2
Mouthfuls of carrots being pulled up and chomped by deer in a local field this week (Fig. 1) inspired me to put together some resources for managing these pesky critters. A comprehensive plan is needed to manage deer on your farm. Understanding the biol-ogy, habitat and feeding habits is a good first step. See the fact sheets listed in the resource section below. Your management plan will depend on the size of the farm or field you wish to protect, your location, tolerance for damage and the resources you have to direct towards this project. Here are some of the options:
EXCLUSION To deter deer during the vegetable growing season, single-strand electric fenc-es can be used in combina-tion with a repellent. Alter-natively, pieces of aluminum foil with peanut butter when placed at three to four foot intervals along the fence attract the deer to touch the electric fence (Fig. 2). High-visibility, electric polytape fences on fiberglass stakes provide another low-cost, portable design that can effectively reduce deer damage to vegetable crops. The fact sheets listed below pro-vide detailed information on these and other types of fencing.
Figure 2. Electric fence with peanut butter for deer management. Photo: Julie Kikkert, Cornell Vegetable Program
continued from cover - Minimizing Deer Damage in Vegetable Crops
Volume 9, Issue 18 July 31, 2013 Veg Edge Weekly
Page 2
SCARE DEVICES The key to using these devices is to move them every day if possible. Look to see where the deer are com-ing into the field and seek to break their habit of coming there. CVP specialist Robert Hadad has had good success with Rubber Coyotes on his property (Fig. 3). The cost is about $55 each, and he used a total of 4 de-coys for a 2 acre field. Other devices include scare balloons, scarecrows, noise cannons and the like. Deer become habituated to these devices in a few days.
REPELLENTS One local grower reports success in using highly fra-grant deodorant soap in combination with the elec-tric fence. A variety of chemical repellents are la-beled for use in New York. The repellents work best when deer pressure is light, however, some damage must be tolerated. Repellents should be applied be-fore feeding is likely to occur. Repellents are cost-effective on small acreages. They may need to be reapplied every 3-4 weeks. Costs may be reduced by mixing with other crop protectants (make sure to read the label first).
BUFFER STRIPS Deer prefer certain types of crops such as snap beans, dry beans and soybeans. Planting a buffer strip of such crops may limit feeding to those crops, and keep the deer out of your other vegetables.
POPULATION CONTROL Managing deer population will go a long way towards minimizing damage to vegetables and other crops. Techniques include habitat management and hunting. Contraceptive methods are costly and the effectiveness on population reduction is controversial. The NYS DEC will help landowners with a management plan. The Deer Manage-ment Assistance Program (DMAP) seeks to help landowners imple-ment site specific deer management on their lands. Under the pro-gram, the DEC issues a special permit and a determined number of deer tags to a landowner or resource manager, or a group of land-owners or resource managers, whose property is in need of site spe-cific deer management efforts. DMAP permits are valid for use only during the open deer hunting seasons and can only be used by li-censed hunters. For many, this is the "right" time to harvest deer. Only deer without antlers or having antlers measuring less than three inches in length may be taken under the authority of a DMAP permit. Applications for permits valid during the fall big game hunting seasons must be postmarked by September 1. More infor-mation on the DMAP program can be obtained at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/33973.html or by calling your local DEC office.
Cornell White Tailed Deer Management Fact Sheet: http://wildlifecontrol.info/pubs/Documents/Deer/Deer_factsheet.pdf
Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage — 1994: Deer http://www.icwdm.org/handbook/mammals/mam_d25.pdf
New York’s Deer Management Program http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7211.html
Figure 3. A rubber coyote decoy may help with deer management
Iris Yellow Spot Virus of Onion
C. Hoepting, CVP: Unfortunately, Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV) can take a bite out of onion yield. In re-cent Cornell studies, bulbs of plants that were infect-ed with IYSV two weeks prior to harvest did not con-tinue to put on size compared to plants that were not infected. At harvest, the healthy bulbs weighed 0.1 lb more than the IYSV-infected bulbs. This trans-lates into a reduction in yield of 75 to 250 cwt per acre if 30% to 100%, respectively, of the plants are infected with IYSV in a field with a plant population of 250,000.
On onion leaves, lesions are tricky to identify. In gen-eral, they are white and elongated, oriented along the long axis of the leaf with multiple lesions often off-set from each other. Symptoms are most likely to first occur on the middle-aged leaves (Fig. 1).
In general, IYSV increases as thrips pressure and plant stress increase. In NY, main and late season direct seeded onions, especially those under stress or exposed to high onion thrips pressure, are at
highest risk for yield reduction from IYSV. Thus, the best manage-ment strategy is to provide effective control of onion thrips (fortunately, thrips control has generally been very good this year), and to protect plants from stress caused by drought, heat, compact-ed soil, moisture, herbicide injury, and low or imbalanced fertility (some of these factors are easier to control than others). Also im-portant are to remove volunteer onions in non-rotated fields by late May to early June, and to locate cull piles as far away as possible from onion fields, or to destroy culls.
Figure 1. White elongated IYSV lesions on middle-aged leaves (left) and close-up of IYSV lesions (right). Photos: Christy Hoepting, Cornell Vegetable Program
J. Reid, CVP: Last week we noted an increase in foliar diseases such as Early Blight and Septoria, which are spread by wind and splashing soil. Rotation, trellis, sanitation and resistant varieties are important management steps for these diseases. This week let’s look at a disease that occurs randomly through-out a planting without clear distribu-tion patterns.
White Mold, caused by the fungus Scle-rotinia sclerotiorum, is a fungus that overwinters in the soil via hard, seed like structures call sclerotia. These pro-duce a tiny mushroom in the spring, which then send out spores when rela-tive humidity is high. The overwintering structures can live for decades, so alt-hough rotation is still important, it is less effective than in other diseases. White Mold also has a broad host range including cucurbits, beans and clover. For tomatoes, wounds caused by pruning or abrasion are often the entry point into the stem for the spores. The fungus then hollows out the stem, producing more sclerotia. The plant becomes discolored and eventually wilts (see photos).
Since rotation is of limited value and there is no resistance within tomatoes (or peppers); management is a bit different than other diseases. Reduce relative humidity within the canopy by setting wide rows and planting on an east-west access for maximum air flow. Minimize entry points by pruning when suckers are small and making as little injury as possible. Greenhouse and
tunnel growers can mulch (plastic, landscape fabric and/or straw) to cover as much of the soil as possible to pre-vent sclerotia germination. Field grow-ers may see a benefit from similar prac-tices, and perhaps the use of living mulches between plastic beds. Stay tuned for updates on our living mulch trials in 2013.
Fungicides are not a primary manage-ment tool for White Mold, as once the disease infects a plant, it can’t be stopped. There may be reduced infec-tions when preventative materials are applied for Early Blight management, but the distribution and occurrence of White Mold is so sporadic that it is diffi-cult to make a definitive recommenda-tion. There is a biological fungicide, Contans, which may reduce the survival of White Mold overwinter.
White mold wilt in cucumbers. Photo: Judson Reid, Cornell Vegetable Program
White mold of tomatoes. Photo: Judson Reid, CVP
Reduced Tillage Farm Tour: Wednesday, August 7 C. MacNeil, CVP: After Empire Farm Days (EFD), on Wednesday, Au-gust 7, starting at 5:30 pm, local farms will be hosting a free tour for interested growers to view reduced tillage crops and equipment, and comparisons of production practices. The tour will start at Fred Jensen’s Farm, 1073 Marshall Rd, Waterloo. (Get food, beverages at EFD) Whether you’re already an established reduced tiller, thinking of trying it, or a relatively new adopter fine-tuning your reduced till-ing, you’ll learn a lot at this tour. For more info contact Bill Verbeten, CCE, NWNY Field Crops Specialist, at: [email protected] or 585-313-4457. For info on reduced till vegetables contact Carol MacNeil, CCE Cornell Vegetable Program, [email protected] or 585-313-8796. (See tillage and soil health demos at Empire Farm Days.)
Reduced Tillage Tour plantings and equipment: Deep placement of ammonia preplant vs. liquid N
applied at planting Strip tiller with N applicator configured from com-
ponents Strip till soybeans planted with and without auto
guidance No till soybeans drilled vs. planted in 30 inch rows Crops in fields with effective tile vs. insufficient tile Auto steer on an articulated tractor, and auto guid-
ance that failed Ammonia applied on a diagonal to corn planting
CABBAGE AND OTHER COLE CROPS Not much new to report this week, cooler weather favors growth of Cole crops, insect pressure is light to moderate, and swede midge activity has shown up on a new conventional farm; scouting and early detection is key to managing this pest – see article, pg 7.
DRY BEANS Many fields are in full bloom. Root rots are becoming more apparent in some fields with stunting, leaf burn and root decay. Western bean cutworm (WBC) moth catch numbers are increasing but none in the bean production area are near the threshold that would trigger scouting yet, an accumulated total of 100 – 150/trap. We expect the peak catch in the next week or two. The highest trap catches in the dry bean area are once again at the Attica trap (62), but also at a trap just north of Bergen (63). There are a total of 11 traps in the dry bean network, including Penfield, Benton, Wayland, and in between, checked by the Cornell Vegetable Program, WNY Crop Management, and CCE – Wyoming Co.
ONIONS Cooler weather continues to favor bulbing and the crop continues to size up very nicely. Come join us next Thursday, August 8th for the Annual Elba Muck Onion Twilight Meeting – see details in Dates, pg 8.
The news of the week is that bacterial diseases, Purple blotch and Iris yellow spot virus (IVSV) (see article,pg 2) have increased.
It is typical for incidence of bacterial disease to increase 2-3 weeks after bulbs start to form. Although it is un-known exactly when and how bacterial infections occur, symptom expression does seem to be related to bulbing. In very general terms, bacterial diseases are favored by moisture, and thus, they tend to be less of a problem in dry years (like 2011 & 2012) and more of a problem in wetter years. So, it is expected that bacterial bulb decay will generally be higher than it was last year. First sign of bacterial disease is when the middle-aged leaf becomes white and wilted (Fig. 1). As the disease progresses, other middle-aged leaves and new leaves also “melt” down (Fig. 2) and eventually, the infection moves down the leaf into the corresponding scale inside the bulb. Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet to managing bacterial diseases of onion. Selecting more tolerant varieties, field sanitation (e.g. do not leave or dump rotten culls on ground cropped to onions), avoiding excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer (especially after bulbing has started), reducing plant spacing to 6 inches or less between plants, avoiding injury to leaves, avoiding over-head irrigation, avoiding situations where onions die standing up (e.g. when onion plants are defoliated by downy ,mildew), and topping only when neck tissue is completely dry, are some strategies that may be used to manage bacterial diseases of onions. For more information on Cornell studies investigating some of these aspects, visit the CVP website (http://cvp.cce.cornell.edu/), and click on “onions” from the top menu.
Increased incidence of Purple blotch is also normal this time of year, as bulbing causes tip burn and the outer leaves to dieback, because this disease prefers mature plants. Look for purple boat-shaped lesions on otherwise green leaf tissue, which tend to occur on the outer oldest leaves first. See July 10 issue of VEW for pictures and last week’s issue for fungicide options. Downy mildew has been effectively kept in check with protective and curative fungicide programs. However, new infections were found again this week in onions that did not have protectant fungicides. As night time temperatures continue to be cool with risk of dew, it is recommended to continue to keep on-ions protected against DM. See July 9 issue of VEW for more info in DM. Organic growers can use Oxidate to kill DM spores when they are present; it does not have any residual activity, so will not have any effect unless spores are present.
Onion thrips remain well under control, as pressure is not as intense during this cooler than normal July weather. Double applications of Movento are holding thrips below 1.0 OT per leaf for the second consecutive week in direct seeded onions, and Agri-Mek and Radiant have also been keeping populations in check. With the end in sight, it’s looking like several growers who have been following Cornell’s guidelines (see July 10 issue of VEW) will be able to save on number of sprays for thrips this year.
POTATOES Vine-killing and harvest are occurring on some very early potatoes. Quality is variable. Be sure to wait 2 - 3 weeks after vine-kill to be sure there are no green stems, and all foliage and vines are dead and dry, to avoid LB infection during harvest. Continue applying fungicides until vines are completely dead.
Harvest during hot weather, especially if it is humid, can result in the development of significant Pythium leak (firm but watery) or bacteri-al soft rot (BSR) (very soft). This is most often caused by wounds made during harvest or handling. (Pink rot (PR) infection occurs in the
CROPS Tidbits & Insights
Figure 1. First sign of bacterial disease:
look for white wilting of middle-aged leaf. Photo: Christy Hoepting, CVP
scale caused by bacterial disease infection. Photo: C. Hoepting, CVP
field. Early symptoms of PR are similar to leak. There is a very dark line visible on the skin with PR, however, separating healthy from diseased tissue, and the inside of cut tubers turn salmon pink after 20-30 min. before turning dark.) Wait to harvest until vines are completely dead and dry to give the skin time to set. If you have excessive skinning it may be due to the application of too much nitrogen (N), and/or N applied too late for the variety, soil type, and/or ex-pected harvest date. Be sure all edges and points on the harvester and handling equip-ment are padded and that drops are no more than 6”. Keep the chains full of potatoes to limit roll-back. If you’re washing, check during the day to be sure the chlorine in the wa-ter remains near 125 ppm (this is much higher than municipal drinking water!!). Have new brush rollers to remove as much water as pos-sible. Put washed potatoes into cold storage, if possible, stacking boxes to make the most of re-circulating air, to get the field heat out and to dry them. Or stack boxes loosely so air from fans is continually moving around them, and ventilate to cool during the night. Don’t cool the potatoes down to a temperature you can’t maintain, however! Warm air on cooler potatoes results in condensation and increased disease development. Check pulp temperatures with a probe thermometer. Don’t pack potatoes until they’re completely dry.
CROPS Tidbits & Insights (continued)
Volume 9, Issue 18 Veg Edge Weekly
Page 5 July 31, 2013
Pythium leak, external symptoms. Photo: Tom Zitter, Cornell
Pythium leak, freshly cut tuber. Photo: Tom Zitter, Cornell
Pythium leak blackens with exposure to air. Photo: Tom
Zitter, Cornell
Scab on leaf and fruit.
Septoria leaf and fruit spot.
Scarring of bean pods due to environmental factors. Photo: Julie Kikkert, CVP
Herbicide injury to bean leaf. Photo: J. Kikkert, Cornell
Vegetable Program
PROCESSSING CROPS Snap Beans - Planting is complete and harvest is underway. Yields of the earliest beans have generally been poor because of extremely wet conditions earlier. Scarring of pods from wind and/or hail was seen in a few fields. White mold is present in some fields, but not at a high level yet. Rains and heavy dews will increase the risk for molds. Timely fun-gicide applications are important. Later planted beans are generally looking good. Herbi-cide injury is evident in several fields. The NYS Field Crops IPM program reports an in-crease in potato leafhopper populations in alfalfa. There are also many reports of soy-bean aphids (SBA) in soybeans this week. SBA will probe or feed on snap bean foliage, and will transmit cucumber mosaic virus if they are carrying the virus particles.
Sweet Corn - Gray leaf spot and northern corn leaf blight are being reported statewide in field corn. Watch for these and other diseases in sweet corn. Varieties differ in their re-sistance.
SWEET CORN Aphids are still spreading into new fields and feeding on ear leaves causing discoloration. The biggest problem however is bird damage. Flocks of starlings, cowbirds, and black-birds have been moving into fields tearing open the tops of ears and pecking away at the corn. Even when cannons and other noise makers were being used, the flocks would quickly return to feeding. Losses up to 1/3 of the field have been reported.
VINE CROPS Downy mildew is starting to be found in sites around the region. For the most part, con-trols have been keeping the disease in check. Suspected samples have been found on the edges of fields where sprays have missed plants as the tractors turn the corners or when plants actively outgrow the spray coverage.
Other disease issues have been popping up. Scab and septoria leaf spot. The wet cooler weather has been responsible for seeing these issues. The fruit becomes unmarketable mainly because of the cosmetic issues of the spotting.
Some anthracnose and bacterial spot have also been seen in a couple of locations. Pow-dery mildew is really starting to kick up. The key to management is coverage, being able to get the spray down under the leaves in through the dense canopies.
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July 31, 2013
Mid-Late Summer Cover Crops
C. MacNeil, CVP (info from Thomas Bjorkman, Cornell, and Charlie White, Penn State): As early vegetable crops and wheat are harvested make every effort to get a cover crop established. Cover crops crowd out weeds and reduce the seed they produce, loosen the soil and improve soil aggregation and stability, suppress weed germination and some crop diseases, and some can “grow” some nitrogen for next year’s cash crop.
Medium red clover, planted from mid-August through mid-September, can grow a substantial amount of the N that your cash crop will need next season. The low cost, ease of establishment, and nitrogen fixation of red clover make it an attrac-tive choice. A good stand of red clover that gets established by late August, with good growing conditions, can produce 80 – 100 lbs/A of N. Most of the N is fixed during May, however. Seed medium red clover at 15 lb/A with an inoculant for red clover. You can broadcast onto prepared ground or sow it with a grass seeder. A wheat nurse crop seeded at 40 lb/acre is recommended. The wheat keeps down weeds during clover’s slow establishment. Volunteer wheat in a recently harvested field should work. Another benefit: The grass’s N uptake stimulates the clover to produce more N and helps carry the N through until the next cash crop will need it. Warning! Red clover is difficult to kill chemically in the spring, though it can be bur-ied with tillage. A high rate of glyphosate plus a low rate of 2,4-D applied early may be needed to completely kill it so crowns are dead and dry before zone tillage. A three week waiting period or more may be needed depending on the 2,4-D rate. Read the label.
Forage/tillage radish, planted by mid-August, is most effective at breaking up plow layer compaction and crowding out weeds. (If planted later only small fleshy roots will be produced and plants will be more likely to over-winter.) This crop forms thick, white tap roots that can reach lengths of 8-14”, most of which are under-ground. A thinner, fibrous tap root can penetrate much deeper into the soil. The fleshy roots freeze and die in mid-winter (though green foliage may survive to spring) and leave channels so water percolates through the soil more quickly. Crop roots will use the channels to grow deep, to better weather dry conditions. Be sure you get forage or tillage radish seed instead of forage turnip, if possible. Forage/tillage radishes usually winterkill but forage turnips may not and will need to be killed before they set seed early in the spring. Varieties of forage radish include Cedar Meadow Forage Radish, Tillage Radish and Groundhog. Forage radish follow-ing vegetables often has sufficient nitrogen (N), but after wheat apply 50 lbs/A N
for best growth. Loosen the soil surface in a well-drained field. When radish is planted alone drill 10 - 13 lb/A. Rolling lightly after seeding may improve stand. An alternative to applying N is to cut the radish seeding rate back to a third of normal (radish is very aggres-sive), and seed with the standard rate of red clover as an N source. Another tactic is to seed a third rate of radish with 40 lbs/A wheat, and 50 lbs N/acre, to carry N over until your cash crop needs it. Some growers are experi-menting with three way mixes of low rates each of a grass cover and radish, with a standard rate of red clover, and no N. Cautions: After mild winters sur-vivors should be killed in early spring before seeds set. Do not use in close rotation with crucifer crops.
For seed sources, costs, and more de-tails, go to: www.covercrop.net
Late Blight Risk
C. MacNeil, CVP: A 5 – 7 day spray interval is recommended, depending on DSS blight units, local conditions, and fungi-cide used. Areas near tree rows, foggy areas, and low spots, require a closer spray interval than that recommend-ed for the weather station site or for your Decision Support System (DSS) farm location in general. Be sure to continue applying a fungicide after potato vine-killing until no more green foliage or vines remain. Wait to harvest until vines are completely dead and dry. Late blight (LB) has been con-firmed in a Suffolk Co. tomato field, in three more PA coun-ties (not along the NY border), and in more WI counties. Contact: Carol MacNeil at [email protected] , or 585-313-8796; John Gibbons at [email protected] , or 585-394-3977 x405; or other Cornell Vegetable Program staff if you think you have LB. 1 Weather stations. For more sites: http://newa.cornell.edu/
2 Passed Week Simcast Blight Units (BUs) 3 Predicted Simcast Blight Units (BUs)
Location1 Blight Units2
7/24-7/30
Location1 Blight Units2
7/24-7/30
Blight Units3
7/31-8/02
Blight Units3
7/31-8/02
Albion 18 Medina 25 20 20
Appleton 19 Penn Yan 19 20 20
Baldwinsville NA Ransomville NA NA NA
Buffalo 0 Rochester 6 14 14
Ceres NA NA Romulus 35 21
Elba 18 Silver Creek 13 20 21
Farmington 27 Sodus 15 20 20
Geneva (Bejo) 36 Versailles NA 21 NA
Kendall 19 Williamson 25 20 14
Lodi 10 Wolcott 30 20 21
Late Blight Risk Chart, 7/30/13
Radishes planted August 4. Note white fleshy roots (red arrows). Photo: Thomas Bjorkman, Cornell
Scout for Swede Midge in Cole Crops - Early Detection is Key
C. Hoepting, CVP: Swede midge (SM) is a serious and persistent insect pest of Cole crops, because the larvae feed on and disfigure or destroy the growing tip of the plant. It has been known to occur throughout New York since 2009, but generally has not been known to occur at economically damaging levels.
Who is at Risk for Swede Midge? Small-scale organic growers are most at risk for economic losses from SM for a couple of reasons. First, because they tend to have a relatively small land base, some-times less than 2 acres, often this is simply not enough area for crop rotation to be effective. Second, conventional production of Cole crops allows for the use of several insecticides that are very effective in keeping SM below economically damaging levels. Unfortunately, none of the OMRI-listed insecti-cides that have been tested are effective against SM. However, conventional farms where multiple plantings of Cole crops occur sea-son-long in close proximity may also be at risk for SM, because the adult flies prefer to lay their eggs in the growing point, and with multiple plantings, there are al-ways plantings in the perfect stage for SM to prosper. With multiple generations per year that are ac-tive from May until October, a population can build tremendously within a single growing season. Large-scale cabbage growers tend not to be at risk for SM, because once the heads form, the crop is no longer a suitable host for egg-laying, multiple plantings tend not to occur in the same field, and crop rotation is excellent.
Conventionally, SM is not too diffi-cult to manage with an integrated approach that includes greater than 2-year crop rotation out of Cole crops, timely crop destruct after harvest, and the use of insec-ticides. The key is to implement management strategies prior to SM causing economic losses, which requires knowing when you have SM on your farm. This re-quires knowing how to scout for this pest.
SM Scouting Tips: 1. When walking your Cole crops, look for leaf puckering on middle-aged leaves (Fig. 1) and blind or
disfigured head formation (Fig. 2). This damage is caused by earlier SM feeding that the plant is growing out of, but tends to be the easiest to find.
2. If you suspect SM on such plants, look close into the heart of the plant. Brown corky scarring (Fig. 3) along the petioles and a disfigured growing point tend to be tell-tale signs of SM.
3. Look for the larvae. They will be hiding in the growing points, which in a field that is being har-vested could include secondary side-shoots or basal buds. Look for swollen or twisted growing tips (Fig. 4). Peel the leaves back. SM creates a moist environment and the growing tip may be a bit slimy. Look for the larvae nestled between the tiny leaves. Larvae are light yellow to lemon yellow and less than 2 mm in length. They do not have black mouthparts or any distinguishing features (Fig. 5). If you can’t find larvae, keep looking.
4. If you suspect SM, contact Christy Hoepting or Julie Kikkert for assistance with identification and management recommendations.
For more information, visit the SM information site for the US: http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/swedemidge/.
Figure 1. Scouting for swede midge - look for leaf puckering and brown scarring in middle-aged leaves. Photo: Christy Hoepting, Cornell Vegetable Program
Figure 3. Scouting for swede midge - on suspect plants, look for brown corky scarring along the leaf petioles and disfigured growth of the growing point. Photo: Christy Hoepting, Cornell Vegetable Program
Dates…visit our website for a complete list of upcoming events VEGETABLE PEST AND CULTURAL MANAGEMENT FIELD MEETINGS
AUGUST 2 - Yates County - Daniel Garman Farm, 3207 Ferguson Corners Rd, Penn Yan 14527, 6:00 PM AUGUST 8 - Chautauqua County - Reuben Miller Farm, 7430 Clymer Center Rd, Panama 14767, 6:00 PM
FREE! 1.75 DEC credits available in categories 1A, 10, 23 and 24. These meetings will demonstrate pest management in fresh market vege-tables in both field and greenhouse (high tunnel) vegetables; primarily for those growing for wholesale auction. A hands-on demonstra-tion of weed, insect and disease identification in vegetables including management options such as inter-row cover crops, grafting and where appropriate, spray options will be used to educate growers. CVP Specialist Judson Reid will instruct participants and facilitate peer-based learning. Details on each topic will focus on field observations at these farms. General agenda can be found at cvp.cce.cornell.edu. Call Jud at 585-313-8912 for more information.
AUGUST 6-8 - EMPIRE FARM DAYS 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM on Tues. & Wed; til 4 pm Thurs.; Lott Farms, 2973 Rt. 414, south of Seneca Falls. Admission - free; parking - $10 For more details go to: http://www.empirefarmdays.com/
AUGUST 7 - REDUCED TILLAGE FARM TOUR 5:30 PM, after Empire Farm Days, Fred Jensen’s Farm, 1073 Marshall Rd, Waterloo. See page 3 of this issue for details.
AUGUST 8 - ANNUAL ELBA MUCK ONION TWILIGHT MEETING 5:30 dinner; 6:00 - 8:00 PM educational program. Starting at Mortellaro’s Red Shop on Marky’s Muck, Elba Muck land (GPS coordinates: Lat: 43.125043; Lon: -78,105712. 1.75 DEC credits. Featuring management of problem weeds in onions (perennial sow thistle, creeping yellowcress and marsh yellowcress), role of adjuvants in development of bacterial disease of onion, and an onion insect management update. For more info, contact Christy Hoepting, 585-721-6953 or [email protected].
AUGUST 14 - WEDNESDAY WALK & TALK DISCUSSION GROUP (ALLEGANY & CATTARAUGUS COUNTIES) Special evening meeting! 5:30 - 7:00 PM. Crop walk - focusing on pest and disease management and rotation planning. Look for more details next week.
AUGUST 20 - ROLLING HILLS DISCUSSION GROUP (UPPER FINGER LAKES) 5:30 - 7:00 PM, potluck to follow. Denis Lepel’s Farm, 1089 County Road 28, Shortsville. Have a muck pocket and not quite sure how to best to use it? Come learn about drainage, fertility management, tillage, and more! Carol MacNeil will be on hand to present and answer questions.
AUGUST 27 - FRESH MARKET POTATO VARIETIES, PINK ROT, AND WATER MANAGEMENT MEETING 5:30 - 8:30 PM, Williams Farms, Marion. Pre-register for dinner - Carol MacNeil at 585-313-8796 or [email protected]. $5 for current CVP enrollees (1/enrollment); $10 for non-enrollees. 1.25 DEC credits (bring your card); CCA credits.
AUGUST 27-28 - BEJO SEEDS OPEN HOUSE AND DEMONSTRATION TRIALS 2013 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM, 4188 Pre Emption Rd, Geneva 14456. View a wide variety of quality vegetable crops at Bejo’s Research & Demonstra-tion Farm. (More info in July 3rd issue of Veg Edge Weekly, pg 7.) To RSVP, call 315-789-4155.
Veg Edge Weekly
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Marion Zeufle and Abby Seaman, NYS IPM Program
WNY Pheromone Trap Network Report, 7/30/13
Ten sites reported European corn borer (ECB)-E and seven had ECB-Z. ECB-E numbers were again very high in the same two locations (Batavia and Farmington) as last week. Please refer to the scouting guidelines on this page, Scouting and Threshold Information, for information on how and when to scout for ECB.
Four of the sixth sites reporting Corn earworm (CEW) were over thresh-old, indicating a need for a spray, please see the chart at the bottom of this page for to determine correct spray interval for your field. Four sites reported fall armyworm (FAW).
Western bean cutworm (WBC) was caught at nearly all reporting sites this week (20/21) with a high count of 46. I scouted for WBC in a field that had 17 moths caught and found no eggs on the 100+ pre-tassel sweet corn plants that I scouted. The degree day accumulation (May 1st, base 50°F) for sweet corn trap network sites ranges from 1126-1500 with an average of 1328. Most areas are just above 25% moth emergence based on accumulated degree days. Degree day forecasts pertain only to local populations, the migrant population is much more unpredictable.
ECB - European corn borer CEW - corn earworm FAW - fall armyworm
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