UConn Extension Vegetable IPM Pest Message & Reports from the Farm, Friday, Sept 16th, 2016 Jude Boucher UConn Extension

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1 UConn Extension Vegetable IPM Pest Message & Reports from the Farm, Friday, Sept 16th, 2016 [Comments/answers in brackets/red by Jude Boucher, UConn Extension]. Jude Boucher UConn Extension ALERT Late-season cucumbers should be protected from downy mildew (DM). Most cantaloupe have been harvested, and squash and pumpkins are not showing any symptoms of DM and do not need to be sprayed for this disease. Zampro, Tanos (Curzate) and Previcur Flex all seem to be working and copper can help reduce the spread for organic growers. Other products may be effective too. Remember to choose DM-resistant varieties for your late-season cucumber plantings next year. Powdery mildew and fruit rots on cucurbits We are still getting intense sunlight on some of these hot days and we are seeing a lot of sunburn on exposed fruit. It could pay to keep the foliage in your pumpkin fields healthy for a couple more weeks to shade and protect them if they won t be harvested until October. If vines are already down, fruit should be cut from the vines before the handles are damaged as vines shrivel. Most of the pumpkins in my research plots at UConn, which turned orange in August, have lost their handles as the vines dried out. If you have already applied 4 sprays with a different systemic family for PM control each time (i.e. Vivando, Torino, Quintec and Proline/Procure/Luna Experience), then you can either switch to sulfur (i.e. Microthiol) and Bravo, which is cheap and effective, or go for the 5 th systemic group in products such as Pristine. However, Pristine is very expensive and not as effective as it once was, so you may be just as well off with the sulfur and Bravo. If your foliage is already down and you will be storing the pumpkins in the field for any length of time, you should apply at least one more fungicide application to protect the fruit (i.e. Bravo, Cabrio, etc.). It is far better to harvest the fruit before the nights get cooler and store them inside (if possible), to avoid cumulative chilling injury and fruit rots. Cucumber beetles a couple of growers had beetles feeding upon the handles of their pumpkins and reported finding many in their pumpkin fields. Beetles can feed on fruit rinds as well as handles and reduce the marketability of the crop. Scout your fields and apply an effective insecticide (i.e. Sevin) if beetles are in high number or damaging fruit. Corn earworm (CEW) moths in pheromone traps ranged from 0.7 to 18 moths per night this week. These farms are on a 5, 4 or 3 -day schedule on silking corn. Fall armyworms moths ranged from 0-6 moth this week in traps. One farm in West Suffield had 40% of the pre-tassel stage plants infested with small larvae. He will treat twice about a week apart with Entrust (spinosad). European corn borer (ECB) All traps were empty this week and taken down and stored for the winter. Fred Monahan, Stone Gardens Farm, Shelton, CT (repeated from last week) We have been talking with some other growers, and it seems that there is no actual CT Vegetable Growers Association. After talking with Jude and with the Commissioner of Ag r icult ur e s of f ice, everyone t hink s it would be a g ood idea t o g et a group org anized to be able to have a stronger voice concerning what we do. Jude is allowing us to use this message to see if there is any interest in this. You can contact us at Stonegds@comcast.net if you would like to be involved in forming this association.

Mary Concklin, Fruit IPM Educator, UConn BROWN MARMORATED STINK BUG populations are increasing as expected.

There is no established threshold for vegetables the mid-atlantic region uses 1 adult = spray. BMSB adult trap captures in orchards for Tuesday, September 13, 2016.

BMSB damage on tomato Nelson Cecarelli, Cecarelli Farms, Northford, CT Sweet corn - Nelson captured 18 moths per night and is on a 3-day schedule on fresh silking corn.

2 Mary Concklin, Fruit IPM Educator, UConn BROWN MARMORATED STINK BUG populations are increasing as expected. If you also grow tomatoes, peppers, eggplant or sweet corn, check them for BMSBs and injury. The threshold for tree fruit is 10 adults per trap or 1 BMSB adult in 100 feet. There is no established threshold for vegetables the mid-atlantic region uses 1 adult = spray. BMSB adult trap captures in orchards for Tuesday, September 13, Where there are multiple traps, a range is given. BMSB damage on tomato Nelson Cecarelli, Cecarelli Farms, Northford, CT Sweet corn - Nelson captured 18 moths per night and is on a 3-day schedule on fresh silking corn. Peppers No ECB moths were captured this week. Broccoli despite trying to keep it irrigated some of the crop developed brown buds as it headed out. He is hoping for rain on Sunday so that the plantings that haven t headed yet avoid this problem. Tomatoes His tomatoes had a bad case of bacterial canker earlier in August. However, with tight copper applications they came through in a big way and he was able to pick and market

3 just about all the fruit from one planting. Some of the plants that looked near dead, put on new growth and foliage as the season went on. He also had a mite outbreak a couple of weeks ago on the tomatoes and eggplant. He used Acramite (3dh) on blocks where he could afford to stay out for 3 days and Portal (1 dh) on the block that needed picking daily. The Acramite provided complete control with a single application, while the Portal required a second spray. That is the case with most products that don t last as long as Acramite, because more eggs hatch up to 5-7 days later. Susan Mitchell, Cloverleigh Farm, Mansfield, CT Brassica 90% of the plants were infested with ICW, CSCW and DBM larvae. She will apply B.t. with a spreader-sticker and try for good under-leaf coverage. Tomatoes and peppers no BMSB damage found. Carrots Susan was finding a green caterpillar on the soil as she was weeding the carrots, but the carrots didn t seem to be injured. Pam Cooper, our local caterpillar buff, at the UConn Home and Garden Center thought that it might be a Noctuid moth larvae, Anarta trifolii. It feeds on many plants in open agricultural fields and other open areas. Hosts include- asparagus, lettuce, turnip, beets, peas, spinach, clover, legumes, lambsquarters, pigweed Most likely ready to pupate and traveling to a good location on or in the ground for that. Photo by Susan Mitchell

Jamie Jones, Jones Family Farms, Shelton, CT I stopped by the Jones farm and talked with Jamie about the different varieties of squash and pumpkins that they produce and sell.

4 Jamie Jones, Jones Family Farms, Shelton, CT I stopped by the Jones farm and talked with Jamie about the different varieties of squash and pumpkins that they produce and sell. He also happened to mention how much he likes using pearl millet as a late summer (August) planted cover crop. He said that unlike other cover crops this one seems to come up in just three days, even in dry powdery soil, and provide complete cover that crowds out weeds. It is very frost sensitive so winter kills early, so all the growth must be made in late-summer or early fall. Peal millet cover crop, note that Jamie was still irrigating some of his pumpkins this week. Randy Rogowski, Laurel Glen Farm, Shelton, CT [reported by J.B.] Sweet corn 4 FAW moths were captured this week. All of Randy s corn has been harvested. Peppers 0 ECB moths. Unfortunately, the Phytophthora got by the break Randy made in his bed and killed more plants downhill of the original infection site. He will have to repeat the procedure of pulling dead and dying plants and a few healthy ones, and then break the beds again to try to contain the spread of this disease. It is a lot of work but worth the effort because ground infested, will stay infested, for his tenure on the farm. Winter Squash and pumpkins no downy mildew was found. Brassica Randy found more than 20% of the plants infested the day before I arrived and treated to reduce the numbers. Salad and Asian Greens Randy grows all his greens for salads in his greenhouse on benches so that there is little bending involved.

Arugula at Laurel Glen Farm Dan Slywka, Daffodil Hill Growers, Southbury, CT Sweet corn Dan captured 4 CEW moths per night this week which kept him on a 5-day schedule on

It lacked the dark, water-soaked blotches that are usually common on leaves with this disease possibly because of the dry weather.

5 Arugula at Laurel Glen Farm Dan Slywka, Daffodil Hill Growers, Southbury, CT Sweet corn Dan captured 4 CEW moths per night this week which kept him on a 5-day schedule on silking corn. Pumpkins and winter squash no DM found, but what we thought was ozone injury, when examined at the UConn Plant Diagnostic lab, turned out to be angular leaf spot. It lacked the dark, water-soaked blotches that are usually common on leaves with this disease possibly because of the dry weather. Copper is the normal treatment when ALS is found on other cucurbit crops, but can burn many varieties of pumpkins. Since Dan has already started to harvest, he will not bother to treat for this pest. Angular leaf spot on pumpkins

Steve & Ben Berecz, The Farm, Woodbury, CT Steve and Ben were busy packing squash and pumpkins this week. They had a few questions about diseases on pumpkins.

6 Steve & Ben Berecz, The Farm, Woodbury, CT Steve and Ben were busy packing squash and pumpkins this week. They had a few questions about diseases on pumpkins. Fortunately, almost all the fruit were clean in their fields, so the blemished ones were relatively rare. Only a couple of the butternut fruit from their field had black rot, a fungal disease which is sometimes the Achilles -heel of this squash. Cole Van Seters, Freund s Farm market, North Canaan, CT Sweet corn all harvested and brush hogged. No ECB moths were captured this week. Cucumbers resistant varieties are in great shape with no sprays. Josh Bristol, Bristol s Farm Market, Canton, CT Sweet corn Josh captured 0.7 CEW moths per night and is on a 5-day schedule on his last silking corn. No ECB moths this week. Like many growers this year, Josh is wishing he put in a couple more plantings. Who knew it would be THIS warm! Brassica We scouted Josh s mixed brassica planting and found that 100% of the plants were infested with imported and cross-striped cabbageworms. He will treat with Dipel and a spreadsticker and try to get good under-leaf coverage.

7 Josh Bristol properly storing the top of his (CEW/ECB) Scentry Heliothis trap in a metal cabinet where mice can t get to them. The mice are attracted by the insect parts left in the trap and can chew holes in the trap tops. Jonathan Griffin, Oxen Hill Farm, West Suffield, CT Sweet corn 6 FAW moths were captured in his trap this week and 40% of the plants in his pretassel stage planting were infested with small larvae. Two applications of Entrust or B.t. will be used, about a week apart, to control this pest before they migrate to the ears. Tomatoes Jonathan increased the size of his caterpillar tunnels this year. He has 10 tunnels approximately 60 yards long, each containing two rows of tomatoes. The plants in the open field are just about done, but he plants in the tunnels are still producing plenty of high quality fruit. I did not find any BMSB damage. Winter Vegetable Conferences in CT (mark your calendars!) Growing Vegetables and Small Fruit in Tunnels Conference Nov. 17 th (snow date 18 th ), Tolland County Extension Center, Vernon, CT. Pre-registration will start in October. Northeast Greenhouse Conference & Expo Nov. 9 &10, Holiday Inn, Boxboro, MA. For more info: CT Vegetable & Small Fruit Gr owers Conf erence Jan. 9 th (no snow date), Maneeley s Conference Center, South Windsor, CT. Pre-registration will start in late November.

Jude Boucher, UConn Extension As some of you know, Rob Durgy from the CAES and I, judge the All-American Selections vegetables that breeders enter into a contest each summer.

National AAS winners are those that average a high score at most locations and climates across the continent and they get AAS bragging rights in the seed catalogues.

8 Jude Boucher, UConn Extension As some of you know, Rob Durgy from the CAES and I, judge the All-American Selections vegetables that breeders enter into a contest each summer. These test varieties, and two to three comparisons for each variety, are grown at about 28 different sites across North America and judged against the standards for their horticultural merits. National AAS winners are those that average a high score at most locations and climates across the continent and they get AAS bragging rights in the seed catalogues. These two frying peppers were AAS winners from last year and are so sweet you can eat them like apples, especially the Cornito Giallo. They are so large and beautiful, I think they will sell themselves on your stands. Give them a try next year. Johnny s Seeds sold them this year and there are probably other sources. Cornito Giallo Escamillo We concluded the weekly Vegetable IPM Program farm visits this week and this will be the last Pest Message and Reports from the Field for the season. I d like to thank all the farmers who took part in the IPM program this summer: Randy Rogowski, at Laurel Glen Farm in Shelton; Lars and Eric Demander, at Clover Nook Farm in Bethany; Dan Slywka, at Daffodil Hill Growers in Southbury; Ben and Steve Berecz, at The Farm in Woodbury; Cole Van Seters, at Freund s Farm Market in North Canaan; Josh and Tom Bristol, at Bristol s Farm Market in Canton; Colin Burson, at Pinecroft Farms in Somers; Owen Jarmoc, at CT Valley Growers in Enfield; and Susan Mitchell, at Cloverleigh Farm in Mansfield. I am accepting applications for program participation next season (my last season!). Just send me an paragraph describing your farm/crops/size and growing methods or what you would like to learn about. I usually work with about a dozen growers on the program each season. I d also like to thank all the growers who contributed reports from their farms this season including: Steve Bengtson, Fred Monahan, Jamie Jones, Nelson Cecarelli, Ian Gibson, Bob

9 Handel, Bruce Gresczyk Jr., Jonathan Griffin and Rob Maddox and colleagues: Joan Allen, Mary Concklin, Meg McGrath, Leanne Pundt, Rich McAvoy, Bill Syme, Rob Durgy, Jim LaMondia, Pam Cooper and Donna Ellis. That s all for this year. Hope you found the weekly message helpful. Your participation, comments and suggestions help to make this publication better! Have a great fall and winter and I hope to see you at one of the conferences. Learning is a life-long process.

UConn Extension Vegetable IPM Pest Message & Reports from the Farm, Friday, Sept 9th, 2016 Jude Boucher UConn Extension

UConn Extension Vegetable IPM Pest Message & Reports from the Farm, Friday, Sept 9th, 2016 [Comments/answers in brackets/red by Jude Boucher, UConn Extension]. Jude Boucher UConn Extension Pepper maggots