We apologize for the lateness of this issue - we experienced some technical difficulties in putting it together.
First Issue of the IPM Weekly Update for 2022
The first issue of the Pennsylvania Vegetable IPM Weekly Update for 2022 was issued this Wednesday. Dr. Beth Gugino, Penn State vegetable pathologist, reviewed the current situation for late blight on tomato and potatoes (there are not any current cases), blackleg and soft rot in potatoes (there is Dideya in Virginia), and curcurbit downy mildew (in South Carolina). A new feature this year will the Clinic Corner where Jennie Mazzone will review a recent disease diagnosed in the Penn State Plant Disease Clinic. This week's disease was bacterial disease on garlic. Future issues of the Update will also include sweet corn insect pest trap counts.
This week's Update also contained the Current Issues on Vegetables and Berries from Penn State Extension specialists. See this week's issue here.
Growers who wish to receive the IPM Weekly Update directly by email on Wednesday or Thursday when it is published should contact PVGA at pvga@pvga.org
Be on the Lookout for Neopestalotiopsis on Strawberries
The hot humid conditions we had on May 20 and 21, 2022, along with heavy downpours were perfect conditions for Neopestalotiopsis, a new strawberry disease in the region. So far, the number of plantings known to have it is very limited in the Mid-Atlantic, but given the speed with which this disease can spread under the right conditions, it is best to remain on the lookout.
The farms with “Neopest” issues had obtained their plants from at least two different plug plant nurseries, though the runner tip source was the same for both. Symptoms would have been apparent last Fall if plants were badly infected, but if a low level of inoculum was present or only a few plants were affected, symptoms may have been easy to miss then. See more here.
19 Leafy Green Varieties You’ll Want to Grow
Looking for non-lettuce leafy green varieties to grow? Here are 19 you may want to add to your crop list. See more here.
Rutgers Unveils D’Light, a Sweeter Strawberry
Rutgers researchers have unveiled a new varietal that’s been 15 years in the making: Rutgers D’Light. Bred for its flavorful, sweet fruit, Rutgers D’Light has a unique holiday light shape that makes it the “ideal strawberry for dipping in chocolate,” according to Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) agent Bill Hlubik.
The strawberry is now available to home gardeners and farmers after years of field trials conducted on New Jersey research and commercial farms by Hlubik and NJAES agent Pete Nitzsche. Developed at NJAES by the team that developed the Rutgers Scarlet strawberry in 2015, the Rutgers D’Light is derived from plant biology professor emeritus Gojko Jelenkovic’s 30 years of testing hundreds of varieties to develop a better tasting strawberry. See more here.
AgBiome Receives EPA Fungicide Approval
AgBiome Inc. announced its newest product, Theia fungicide, has received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency. Theia delivers broad spectrum foliar and soil disease control for high-value fruit and vegetable crops. It protects crops through multiple modes of action, including fungicidal and bactericidal metabolites, and is OMRI Listed, according to a news release.
The fungicide possesses strong control on diseases such as powdery mildew and fusarium that have the power to devastate crops, according to the release from the Research Triangle, North Carolina-based company, which develops products from the Earth’s microbial communities. See more here.
Study Shows Less Air Pollution Leads to Higher Yields
Usually, increasing agricultural productivity depends on adding something, such as fertilizer or water, but a Stanford University-led study reveals that removing one thing in particular – a common air pollutant – could lead to dramatic gains in crop yields.
The analysis, published June 1 in Science Advances, uses satellite images to reveal for the first time how nitrogen oxides – gases found in car exhaust and industrial emissions – affect crop productivity. Its findings have important implications for increasing agricultural output and analyzing climate change mitigation costs and benefits around the world, according to Stanford News and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. See more here.
Physiological Leaf Roll
Late spring and early summer are the time of the year that we often see leaf cupping and rolling disorders appear in vegetable crops that are not related to pests or chemicals. This can be seen in tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, watermelons, beans, and other crops. This is a physiological disorder that may have many contributing factors.
In tomatoes, leaf roll starts at the margins which turn up, then roll inward, most commonly on the lower leaves. Upward cupping is also found commonly in watermelons and potatoes. Beans, peppers, and other vegetables may cup downwards. Leaves may stay in this rolled or cupped state for a short period of time and then return to normal, or they may remain permanently rolled or cupped. Rolled leaves may become thicker but are otherwise normal. Physiological leaf roll or cupping is often variety dependent with some varieties being more susceptible than others. See more here.
Strawberries Linked to Hepatitis Outbreak
The Food & Drug Administration, along with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, as well as Canadian, state and local partners are investigating a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A infections in the United States and Canada potentially linked to fresh organic strawberries branded as FreshKampo and HEB, purchased between March 5 and April 25.
To date there have been 17 reported illnesses in the United States, 12 of which required hospitalization. The last illness onset reported was April 30. In Canada there have been 10 reported illnesses, including four hospitalizations.
The traceback investigations show that cases in California, Minnesota and Canada report having purchased fresh organic strawberries branded as FreshKampo or HEB prior to becoming ill. Illness onset dates started March 28. See more here.
No-Till and Strip-Till Fresh Market Vegetables
Most fresh market vegetable crops are either grown under conventional tillage or plasticulture systems requiring significant tillage. From a soil health perspective organic matter is the driver for healthy soils and the more the soil is worked, the faster that organic matter is decomposed and lost from soils.
One solution for this dilemma is using no-till, where organic matter can be conserved or increased. The best success story with no-till vegetables has been with pumpkins, which are commonly direct seeded through a killed cover crop mulch (often hairy vetch or rye) or through crop residue (most commonly barley or wheat small grain stubble). The mulch provided keeps pumpkins off the ground and has greatly reduced fruit diseases and improved quality. Other seeded crops such as sweet corn and snap beans have been successfully no-tilled in the region. See more here.
2021 Organic Survey Shows Steady Growth, Organic Trade Association Reports
Organic fresh fruit and vegetable sales registered a 6% gain in 2021, according to the Organic Trade Association’s just-released Organic Industry Survey. The fresh produce category was one of the bright spots of the survey. The survey reported that overall organic food sales, which comprise over 90% of organic sales, rose to about 2% to $57.5 billion. See more here.
Hiring Employees? 7 Tips to Make Applicants Want to Work For Your Farm
It is a job seeker’s market. As you seek and interview potential employees, realize applicants either feel they've been treated with respect or treated poorly. There is no in between.
“Regardless of whether you make an offer of employment, how you treat job applicants matters because the impressions formed of your organization based on these early interactions help determine your true employment brand,” says Mel Kleiman, president of Humetrics, a human resource consulting firm.
To this end, Kleiman suggests developing a “Code of Conduct” to guide your interactions with job applicants. See more here.
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