The University of Maryland Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Profitability Impact Team proudly presents this bi-weekly publication for the commercial vegetable and fruit industry. Field Observations from Southern Maryland By Ben Beale Extension Educator & CED, Agriculture St. Mary’s County, UME bbeale@umd.edu 9 Scattered showers have helped crop conditions. Rains have been sporadic, with some areas receiving a total of several inches and others less than a half of an inch. Harvest of summer crops continues well. Many farmers are beginning to plant fall brassica crops. 9 Squash vine borer is prevalent in some pumpkin and squash fields, and spider mites are present in many fields, so scouting is highly recommended. Corn ear worm pressure is increasing in sweet corn fields. 9 Powdery mildew has really ramped up in the last two weeks in cucurbit and fruit crops. Field Observations from WyeREC By Michael Newell Horticultural Crop Program Manager, UME mnewell@umd.edu Plasticulture Strawberries Planting will begin in September. Depending on your location, the optimum time for planting the variety Chandler can vary by several weeks. Because we cannot predict with any certainty what the 2012 fall and 2013 winter temperatures may be, some folks will stagger their planting dates over several weeks. If this variety is planted too early in September and we have a mild fall, plants can make too many crowns resulting in smaller berry size and producing many fall runners. If we plant in late September and we have a cool fall, we can utilize a floating row cover to increase fall plant growth. My Chandlers will be ready to plant the week of September 17th and I have a 1.2 ounce floating cover ready to deploy if needed later this fall. Volume 3 Issue 9 August 16, 2012 Here are a few key points to note prior to preparing the field for bed shaping and laying the plastic: 9 Soil sampling for nutrient analysis. 9 Work down cover crops in a timely manner so preparing the raised bed in time for planting is not compromised. 9 Adjust soil pH to 6.0-6.2. 9 Adjust phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and micronutrients based on soil analysis. 9 On very sandy soils, additional sulfur and boron should be applied. 9 One-half to two-thirds of the total nitrogen requirement should be applied before bed shaping, with the remainder applied in the spring. 9 If manure or other organic fertility inputs are used, apply these at rates needed to supply nitrogen to the strawberry crop. When using organic inputs for fertility, proceed with caution in the spring with additional nutrient needs. Always use leaf and petiole analysis to gage plant nutritional needs. 9 If using a soil fumigant, be sure to allow enough time (follow the label or use a lettuce seed test) for the fumigant to dissipate before planting. If you are attempting to carry-over a Plasticulture planting of Chandlers, you should have mowed the leaves off after final harvest, kept the plants alive with minimal watering and maintained insect and disease control. If you had any Anthracnose, you should not be carrying-over this field! Disease pressure in general can be greater in carry-over fields. Starting in early September, the crowns need to be thinned back to 2 -3 crowns per plant. If this crown thinning is not done, spring fruit size will be small. After crown thinning, begin fertigation with 20-30 lbs. of nitrogen per acre. Since there is most likely residual fertility in the beds, spring leaf and petiole sampling will be necessary to gauge additional fertility inputs beginning shortly after first new leaves emerge. Local Governments • U.S. Department of Agriculture It is the policy of the University of Maryland, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, and University of Maryland Extension that all persons have equal opportunity and access to programs and facilities without regard to race, color, gender, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital or parental status, or disability. Vegetable Crop Insect Update reminder, Orthene (acephate) will not provide effective corn earworm control in processing snap beans. If Orthene is used for corn borer control you will need to combine it with a material that is effective on corn earworm. You will need to check our website for the most recent trap catches to help decide on the spray interval between the pin stage and harvest for processing snap beans at: By Joanne Whalen Extension IPM Specialist jwhalen@udel.edu Important Note – This is the time of year when we see significant increases in trap catches so be sure to check trap catches in your area. You can get updates by calling the Crop Pest Hotline in state: 1-800-345-7544; out of state: 302-8318851 or checking our website at: http://ag.udel.edu/extension/IPM/traps/latestblt.html both are updated on Tuesday and Friday each week. http://ag.udel.edu/extension/IPM/traps/latestblt.html and http://ag.udel.edu/extension/IPM/thresh/snapbeanecbthres h.html Once pins are present on fresh market snap beans, a 7day schedule should be maintained for corn borer and corn earworm control. Cole Crops Continue to sample for cabbage looper, diamondback larvae, armyworms and Harlequin bug. Although the pyrethroids will provide control of Harlequin bugs they are not effective on diamondback. So be sure to scout and select controls options based on the complex of insects present in the field. Sweet Corn The first silk sprays will be needed as soon as ear shanks are visible. Be sure to check both blacklight and pheromone trap catches for silk spray schedules since the spray schedules can quickly change. Trap catches are generally updated on Tuesday and Friday mornings at: http://ag.udel.edu/extension/IPM/traps/latestblt.html and Lima Beans Continue to scout for spider mites, stink bugs and lygus bugs. Be sure to sample for corn earworm larvae as soon as pin pods are present. A treatment will be needed if you find one corn earworm larvae per 6 ft-ofrow. With the increase in local corn earworm catches we are starting to see an increase in larval populations. http://ag.udel.edu/extension/IPM/thresh/silkspraythresh.ht ml You can also call the Crop Pest Hotline in state: 1-800345-7544; out of state: 302-831-8851. A whorl stage treatment should be considered for fall armyworm when 12-15% of the plants are infested. We continue to find pockets of high fall armyworm infestations. Since fall armyworm feed deep in the whorls, sprays should be directed into the whorls and multiple applications are often needed to achieve control. Be sure to check all labels for days to harvest and maximum amount allowed per acre. Melons Continue to scout all melons for aphids, cucumber beetles, and spider mites. We continue to see an increase in aphid populations. Treatments should be applied before populations explode and leaf curling occurs. Peppers In areas where corn borers are being caught in local traps, fields should be sprayed on a 7-day schedule for corn borer control. As soon as corn borer trap catches increase to above 10 per night, a 5 to 7-day schedule may be needed. Since trap catches can increase quickly at this time of year, be sure to check local moth catches in your area by calling the Crop Pest Hotline in state: 1800-345-7544; out of state: 302-831-8851 or visiting our website at: Stink Bugs Bad in Some Tomato Fields But it is Not BMSB By Jerry Brust, IPM Vegetable Specialist University of Maryland jbrust@umd.edu http://ag.udel.edu/extension/IPM/traps/latestblt.html We continue to find beet armyworms (BAW) so be sure to watch for feeding signs and apply treatments before significant webbing occurs. We continue to find aphids in fields and populations can explode quickly, especially where beneficial insect activity is low. As a general guideline, treatment may be needed if you find one or more aphids per leaf and beneficial activity is low. I have seen a great deal of stink bug damage to tomato fruit this year-more than usual (fig 1). The fruit has the characteristic white spots that when peeled back reveal spongy white areas. As the fruit turns red these white areas turn yellow (fig 1). When adults or especially nymphs feed on the fruit they create a star burst pattern in the surface of the fruit. I guess the surprise is that I have found very few if any Brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB) in any of these tomato fields. Almost all of the stink bugs have been brown stink bugs (Euschistus spp), although lately (last 2 weeks) I have seen more green stink bugs. There have been very few reports or observations of BMSB being much of a problem so far this year in vegetables. Adult brown stink bugs are Snap Beans At this time of year, you will need to consider a treatment for both corn borer and corn earworms. Sprays are needed at the bud and pin stages on processing beans for corn borer control. An earworm spray will also be needed at the pin stage. Just as a 2 Odd Year for Some Pests in Tomatoes and Cucumbers grayish-yellow to light brown with dark punctures on their back (fig 2). They DO NOT have two white spots on their antenna as do BMSB. Adults overwinter in woods, fence rows and under the bark of trees. A female oviposits a total of about 60 eggs over the summer. The nymphs, which are pale green, develop through five instars and require about one month for development. Because the adults are strong fliers they rapidly can move between hosts. Brown stink bugs are very difficult to scout for and often the only thing that is seen is the damage they cause to large green or ripening fruit. Some of the most heavily fed upon fruit had very dark areas that when cut into appear as a dry rot (fig 3). What microorganisms are in this dry rot area is something we are looking into. It appears that our native stink bugs can inject organisms almost as readily as do BMSB when they feed. By Jerry Brust, IPM Vegetable Specialist University of Maryland jbrust@umd.edu This has been a very hot dry summer so far and we would expect to see pests such as twospotted spider mites and their damage to be common, which we have. However, I have been surprised by the amount of worm (Lepidoptera larvae) damage in tomatoes. Usually worms are a problem in a few fields every summer where they do some damage, but the amount of damage they have done in some fields this year is much greater, around 15-20% of harvestable fruit in several instances. The biggest culprit seems to be yellow striped armyworm (YSAW) Spodoptera ornithogalli (Fig. 1). As the name implies the larvae have two bright yellow stripes on the upper part of the worm running the length of its body. The yellow stripe is often flanked towards the inside with black triangular-shaped markings. This worm species tends to feed on the foliage of many plants, but most of the damage I have seen this summer has been on the fruit with little feeding on the foliage. The fruit damage usually appears as surface feeding (Fig. 1) or feeding holes that are very shallow and do not penetrate too deeply into the fruit (Fig. 2). This often leads to a dry type of damage as opposed to the smaller, deeper holes that often lead to a wet rot (Fig. 2). The YSAW overwinters as pupa in the soil and becomes active in late May or mid-June in our area. This year it has become active much earlier than it normally does and has built its population earlier too. We usually do not see this much damage until late August. Management must take place early when larvae are small; once larvae become large they are difficult to control. Fig. 1 Stink bug feeding to tomato, yellow areas that when cut reveal spongy white cells. Figure 1. Yellow striped AW and feeding damage on tomato. Fig 2 Brown stink bug, Euschistus, spp. Fig. 3 Internal dry rot caused by very heavy stink bug feeding. 3 Figure 2. Yellow striped AW damage to ripening tomato fruit. Dry (yellow arrows) and wet damage. Figure 4. Tomato pedicels and blossoms with bacterial spot. Another surprise is that bacterial diseases are turning up in many tomato fields. Moist weather and splashing rains are most often needed for spreading bacteria. Maybe the presence of bacteria in the field is not too surprising, but what is surprising is the widespread nature of the bacterial spot, speck and sometimes canker diseases. Most tomato fields I have looked at in the last two weeks seem to have at least some if not a considerable amount of bacterial disease, usually on the lower leaves (Fig. 3) that in some cases has moved up to the pedicels of the fruit (Fig. 4). Infection of the flower or pedicel with bacterial spot is serious, causing early blossom drop (Fig. 5). From the pedicel the next stop for the bacteria, after a heavy thundershower, will be the fruit. A weekly mixture of mancozeb plus fixed copper or ManKocide should help with bacterial spot or speck, but once in the field, bacterial diseases are difficult to control. If a grower has an older tomato field that has bacterial spot in it that field should be plowed under as soon as possible as it will act as a nursery for spreading the disease to the younger tomato fields. Figure 5. Blossom drop due to bacterial infection (yellow arrows) and the start of a flower being aborted (red arrow). The last ‘surprise’ pest has been the seemingly sudden appearance of downy mildew in cucumber fields (Fig. 6). This disease usually needs cooler weather that we have had little of this summer. But on July 21st we had a cool wet period when several areas in the mid-Atlantic set a record low for the daily high (77o F). Right after this brief cool down the downy mildew seemed to explode. Many of the cucumber fields I visited in southern and central Maryland that had been harvested at least once had downy mildew. Once it starts it can defoliate a patch of cucumbers very quickly leaving any fruit to sunburn (Fig. 7). Figure 3 Bacterial spot or speck on tomato. Figure 6. Downy mildew on cucumber leaf. 4 There are several fungicides registered for managing downy mildew. The “targeted” products below should all be used in a tank mix with protectant product such as chlorothalonil or mancozeb. (These products are not effective on powdery mildew, so remember to include a product to control powdery mildew, also.) Product (FRAC code) Presidio (43) Ranman (21) Previcur Flex (28) Figure 7. Cucumber plants defoliated due to downy mildew resulting in sunburned fruit. Tanos (11 + 27) Pumpkin Downy Mildew Alert! Curzate (27) By Kate Everts, Vegetable Pathologist, University of Delaware and University of Maryland; keverts@umd.edu Gavel (22 + M3) Downy mildew on pumpkin and butternut squash is now present in many fields in Maryland and Delaware. Growers should scout their fields carefully. Preventative sprays are more effective than fungicides applied after the disease is established. On the lower surface the lesions are brown and angular. If viewed through a good hand lens, black flecks, which are the sporangia, may be visible. On the upper surface of the leaves the symptoms are more general and mimic many other diseases. Lesions on the upper surface appear as yellow angular spots that eventually turn brown and necrotic. Also, be aware that powdery mildew is also be abundant in a fields. Powdery mildew will appear as white granular spots, and are prevalent on the leaves below. Efficacy on downy mildew excellent excellent good (the pathogen may be developing resistance) good in alternation or tank mix good in alternation or tank mix good in alternation or tank mix BMSB & SWD Update for Central Maryland By Bryan Butler Senior Agent, Carroll County & MidMaryland Tree Fruit Agent, UME It has seemed this season that BMSB has been looming on the borders and in wooded areas since June. Every once in a while they seem to be moving into orchards and other crops. Monitoring the perimeters has shown some fairly large numbers in corn and an increased interest in soybeans but damage has not appeared to be significant in horticultural crops that are being well managed. As we move into the end of the 2012 season and as the number of crops in the field begin to decrease, it is important to remember BMSB numbers tended to increase in the 2008-2010 seasons and 2012 could be following the same trend. That could mean trouble for late crops. We have seen increasing BMSB captures in light traps and baited pyramid traps in many locations. In addition, bugs have been found in orchard blocks near woodlots in one location – likely moving in from wild hosts. At WMREC numbers in fall raspberries and apples are definitely on the rise. This information is presented simply to encourage everyone to be vigilant in terms of scouting, especially considering the value of the apple crop this year. As far as SWD this pest appears to have become ubiquitous where we have been sampling. Based on last year’s monitoring numbers will continue to increase Downy mildew lesions lower surface Downy mildew lesions upper surface 5 through the late fall. It will be important to keep a close eye on blackberries and fall raspberries the remainder of the season. Any attempts at increased sanitation in the fields will certainly be useful but a seven day spray schedule is probably more practical in pick your own situations. There is no question this is a pest that we will have to deal with in the long term and it certainly does not make any of our lives easier. However, I do not think this is going to be catastrophic to soft fruit production. I feel this way because I have observed this season when SWD has appeared to flare up in fruit, that after closely examining the circumstances there have been reasons that predisposed the crop to infestation i.e. absence of insecticides or allowing the crop to overrippen, and when the larva in the fruit were reared out, many of them were not SWD but rather other fruit flies that have been around a long time. I have also had to dissect fruit to look more closely than I ever have before to find the larva in the fruit and wonder if there have been a certain number of fruit fly larva in the fruit in seasons past that went undiagnosed. Commercial 2012 Vegetable Production Recommendations Maryland EB 236 On-Line at: http://www.mdvegetables.umd.edu/files/Mar yland%20complete%20book%202012.pdf Also available in a new very interactive format at the Delaware Extension site at: http://ag.udel.edu/extension/vegprogram/pu blications.htm#vegrecs Vegetable & Fruit Headline News A bi-weekly publication for the commercial vegetable and fruit industry available electronically in 2012 from April through September on the following dates: April12 & 26; May 10 & 24; June 7 & 21; July 12 & 26; August 16; September 6 Published by the University of Maryland Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Profitability Impact Team USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service has announced the 2012 Value Added Producer Grant Program Submit Articles to: Editor, R. David Myers, Extension Educator Agriculture and Natural Resources 7320 Ritchie Highway, Suite 210 Glen Burnie, MD 21061 410 222-6759 The primary objective of this grant program is to help Independent Producers of agricultural commodities, Agriculture Producer Groups, Farmer and Rancher Cooperatives, and Majority-Controlled Producer-Based Business Ventures enter into value-added activities related to the processing and/or marketing of biobased value-added agricultural products. Proposals can be up to $300,000 (requires 1:1 match) and are due October 15, 2012. More information can be found at: (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-0815/pdf/2012-20082.pdf) and http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_VAPG.html. And at the Delaware/Maryland Office: USDA Rural Development State Office, 1221 College Park Drive, Suite 200, Dover, DE 19904, 302 857–3580/TDD 302 857–3585. myersrd@umd.edu Article submission deadlines for 2012: April 11 & 25; May 9 & 23; June 6 & 20; July 11 & 25; August 15; September 5 Note: Registered Trade Mark® Products, Manufacturers, or Companies mentioned within this newsletter are not to be considered as sole endorsements. The information has been provided for educational purposes only. In 2011, nine Maryland awards were made for more than $1.2 million and included dairies, vineyards and wineries and livestock operations. 6 See the Information & Meeting Attachments! Ag Marke ng NEWS UPDATE ‐ JULY 2012 Ginger S. Myers Marke ng Specialist University of Maryland Extension Director, Maryland Rural Enterprise Development Center gsmyers@umd.edu 301‐432‐2767 x338 To Weigh or Not to Weigh I recently took a call from a vegetable produc‐ er who operates a roadside stand. He was selling very large tomatoes and was having trouble pricing them. His standard sales meth‐ od was to fill a quart container with tomatoes and price them by the container. But he found these large tomatoes didn’t work well in his model. I suggested selling them by the piece or be er yet, by the pound. He was reluctant to use a scale because it took me to weigh the veggies and then calculate the price. Also, he didn’t want to have to make exact change. Retail sale of fruits, vegetables, and other items is regulated by the Maryland COMAR. Vendors may erroneously believe that they are exempt from these regula ons because they sell rela vely li le compared to a supermarket or because they only sell for a few months of the year. Most businesses are to some degree affected by weights and measures laws. This will vary on the type of business. In general, if you will be using any type of weighing and measuring device (scale, gas pump, and meter) you will be directly affected. If you will be packaging commodi es you will need to know packaging, labeling, and net quan ty requirements. The regula on was established to ensure that buyers receive sufficient and accurate informa on with which to compare quan ty and price. Even if you sell by count, “three ears of corn for $1,” for example, compliance with the Weights and Measures is necessary. As a vendor, complying with the regula ons protects you from percep ons of shortchanging customers or misrepresen ng your product. Selling by Weight Where Prac cal You may have seen fruits and vegetables made available using several different types of containers or measures. These container sizes may not convert directly to common household units used in freezing or canning produce. However, legal weights and Con nued on Page 2 University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all ciƟzens without regard to race, color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual orientaƟon, marital or parental status, or naƟonal origin. To Weigh or Not to Weigh con nued from page 1 ... measures are required at all mes when selling to consumers at farmers’ markets, roadside stands, or other commercial outlets. Produce may be sold by weight, count, or measure. For example: Direct sale by weight: Apples: 50¢ per pound By weight in prepackaged form: 2‐pound package for $2 per package By count: Apples: 6 for $1; Watermelon: $3 each By measure: Strawberries: $2 per dry quart and 4.61 pounds respec vely for a total of 22.50 pounds. Priced at $3.75 per pound, the net sale would be $84.38. Purchasing and Maintaining Legal Trade Produce Scales: Maryland Weights and Measures guidelines for small scales and their opera on: Scales must be made for legal trade and for While selling at a farmers’ market, it’s o en more expedient to price items so that when people pay, making change is quick and easy to deal with the rapid flow of customers. But if you’re not using a scale in your roadside stand or farm market, you may be leaving money on the table. For example: You sell a quart container of tomatoes for $4.00. But if you sell those same tomatoes for $1.49/ pound and the container weighs 3.00lb, that’s $4.47, or rounded to $4.50, for the same volume of product. Scales are par cularly important when selling meat and poultry products by the cut or package. If you market your free‐range broilers by the package for $15 each, five chickens will add $75 to your cash box. But, most meat cuts and chickens vary in weight per package. Those same five chickens might weigh 4.33, 4.10, 4.48, 4.98, commercial use. A legal for trade scale will be marked with: A serial number A model number Class III designa on on the ID plate NTEP cer ficate of conformance It is the responsibility of the owner to have the scale inspected and maintain the accuracy. Inspectors can shut down a vendor for using unapproved scales. An alterna ve to using scales is to sell by volume. Using a traceable measure—peck, quart, labeled boxes or berry baskets. Another method of sale is by the count. A few items such as parsley may be sold by the bunch. How to Register Your Weighing Device Maryland Department of Agriculture Commercial Weighing Measuring Device Registra on The Department of Agriculture registers commercial weighing and measuring devices used throughout Maryland to ensure that consumers receive the correct amounts of products they purchase. All scales and meters used during sales transac ons where products are bought or sold must be registered each year. Types of businesses that may need to have devices registered include gasoline sta ons, Con nued on Page 3 To Weigh or Not to Weigh con nued from page 2 ... grocery stores, meat markets, candy stores, package shipping stores, quarries, hardware stores, petrole‐ um distributors and other businesses that buy or sell commodi es by weight, measure, or count. APPLICATION PROCESS An applicant submits the applica on form provided by the Department of Agriculture and pays the appropriate fee. Upon receipt of the applica on and fee, a cer ficate of registra on is mailed to the applicant. Applica ons are available on line at h p://www.mda.state.md.us/pdf/device_reg.pdf PROCESSING TIME AVERAGE: 10 days FEE Ranges from $15 to $300 depending on the type and number of devices. For example, the fee to register scales for weighing items up to 100 pounds is $20 per scale, up to a maximum of $325 per loca on. Registra ons are renewed annually by May 31. DEPARTMENT CONTACT NAME Kenneth Ramsburg Weights and Measures Sec on 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway Annapolis, MD 21401 (410) 841‐5790 HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: · Updates from University of Maryland Extension specialists and USDA Thursday, September 27, 2012 researchers ‐ Bryan Butler, Galen Dively, Kate Everts, Jerry Brust, Chris Walsh and from USDA Kim Lewers and Starker Wright · The latest on the Brown Marmorated S nk Bug affec ng: 5:00 p.m. — 7:30 p.m. Western Maryland Research & Eduction Center 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedysville 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedysville, MD 21756 This educational meeting is intended to provide producers the opportunity to get a first hand look at several of the ongoing projects at the University of Maryland’s research facility near Sandwiches and refreshments will be provided. Registration is not required, but will help us to plan for handouts and refreshments. Please RSVP to 301-791-1304 Keedysville, MD. or jsemler@umd.edu QUESTIONS? CONTACT BRYAN BUTLER AT BBUTLERS@UMD.EDU OR 888-326-9645 University of Maryland Extension • Maryland Agricultural Experiment StaƟon Equal opportunity employer and equal access programs Fruit and Vegetables · Update on disease and insect control in vegetable crops · Tour of ongoing projects including: ‐Maryland pumpkin spray trials ‐New NC 140 cg rootstock Trial plan ng with Cripp’s Pink and Brookfield Gala on G.202 root stock budded directly from ssue culture, G.202, G.935, and G.41 rootstocks all budded from stool bed plants ‐Apple seedling evalua ons ‐Bt sweet corn varie es ‐High tunnel with new strawberry varie es, And more...