Volume 12, Issue 13
June 18, 2004
Volume 12, Issue 13
June 18, 2004
Vegetables
Vegetable Crop Insects -
Cucumbers.
Continue
to scout for cucumber beetles and aphids. We are starting to
see an increase in aphid populations. In fresh market cucumbers, treatments
should be applied before beetles feed extensively on cotyledons and first true
leaves. In pickling cucumbers, a treatment may be needed if you find 2 or more
beetles per plant and significant damage can be found on the cotyledons. A
treatment should be applied for aphids if 10 to 20 percent of the plants are
infested with aphids with 5 or more aphids per leaf. Fulfill, Thionex or
Lannate will provide aphid control. Be sure to watch
for bees foraging in the area and avoid insecticide applications on blooming
crops. A pyrethroid, Lannate, Sevin or Thionex are labeled for cucumber
beetle control in cucumbers.
Melons.
Continue to scout all melons for aphids, cucumber beetles, and spider
mites. We continue to see an increase in the number of fields with spider mite
infestations. If populations are high at the time of treatment, 2 sprays spaced
5 days apart may be needed. The threshold for mites is 20-30 percent infested
crowns with 1-2 mites per leaf. Acramite (ground application only), Capture, Danitol, Agri-Mek or Kelthane will provide control, but should be rotated to
avoid the development of resistance. We have also seen an increase in aphid
activity. For treatments to be effective, it should be sprayed before you see
significant leaf curling. The treatment threshold for aphids is 20 percent
infested plants with at least 5 aphids per leaf. We can still find cucumber beetles,
especially under the plastic. Be sure to watch for bees foraging in the area
and avoid insecticide applications on blooming crops.
Peppers.
In
areas where corn borer trap catches are above 2 per
night and pepper fruit is ½ inch in size or larger, fields should be sprayed on
a 7-10 day schedule for corn borer control.
You will also need to consider a treatment for pepper maggot. If Orthene
is used, it will also provide pepper maggot control. Otherwise, dimethoate
should be added to the mix.
Potatoes.
Continue to scout fields on a weekly basis for Colorado potato beetle (CPB) adults and larvae. The larval threshold is 4
small larvae per plant or 1.5 large larvae per plant. The threshold for each
should be reduced by 1/3 to 1/2 if all stages of larvae are present. Avaunt + PBO, Actara,
cryolite, Spintor or Provado will provide control. We are also starting to
see the emergence of summer adults. Unfortunately, most of our labeled products
are most effective on larvae. The higher labeled rates of Spintor and cryolite
have provided some level of adult suppression; however, may not be adequate
under high population pressure. Actara, Leverage and Provado provide adult
control, but should not be used where Admire, Platinum or Gaucho were used at
planting to avoid development of resistance.
Economic levels of potato leafhopper adults and nymphs can still be
found in many fields. As a general guideline, controls should be applied if you
find ½ to one adult per sweep and/or one nymph per every 10 leaves. Dimethoate,
a pyrethroid, Actara or Provado will provide
control. At this point, no aphids have been detected in potato fields.
New Insecticide Labeled for
Potatoes.
We now have a new insecticide labeled for Colorado potato beetle control from Crompton
called Rimon 0.83 EC. It has a federal
label; however, we are still waiting on the state label so it can not be used
in
Snap Beans.
All fields should be scouted for leafhopper and thrips activity, especially seedling stage beans. The thrips threshold is 5-6 per leaflet and the leafhopper
threshold is 5 per sweep. If both insects are present, the threshold for each
should be reduced by 1/3. Dimethoate, Lannate, Asana, Capture, or Warrior will provide control of
both insect pests. Once corn borer catches reach 2 per night, fresh market and
processing snap beans in the bud to pin stages should be sprayed for corn
borer. Acephate should be used at the bud and pin
stages on processing beans. Once pins are present on fresh market snap beans
and trap catches are above 2 per night, a 7-10 day schedule should be
maintained for corn borer control. Lannate,
Asana, Capture, Warrior or Mustang are labeled. Acephate has a 14-day wait until harvest. Since this can
change quickly, be sure to check our website for the most recent trap catches
and information on how to use this information to make a treatment decision in
processing snap beans (http://www.udel.edu/IPM/traps/latestblt.html
and
http://www.udel.edu/IPM/thresh/snapbeanecbthresh.html).
Sweet Corn.
All silking sweet corn should be sprayed on a 5- 6 day schedule. Be
sure to check our website for the most recent trap catches and information on
how to use this information to make a treatment decision in silking sweet corn
(http://www.udel.edu/IPM/traps/latestblt.html
and http://www.udel.edu/IPM/thresh/silkspraythresh.html).
Watermelon Fruit Set Quite Variable –
Watermelon
fruit set is quite variable as it is most years. Some fields have a good set of crown fruit,
others have no crown fruit. Pollination only takes place in the morning (early)
and the blossoms are only open one day. You need six to eight bee visits to the
flower to carry the 1,000 pollen grains necessary for normal fruit
development. To make it a little more
complicated, their must be enough pollen placed on the three sections of the
stigma to have a normal shape.
You
need enough bees or pollinating insects to carry the pollen. The bees have to
work the flowers on the day they are open. Some days are not suitable for
flying. Bees need to see the ground to find their away around. They don’t fly in rainy weather or very
cloudy weather. They have a minimum and maximum temperature for flying (60° to 85°F). They will not fly in
very windy conditions. The better the flying conditions and more food that bees
need, the more they are willing to travel far from the hive.
This
year we had some very cold night temperatures which could cause young fruit to
abort. Some chemicals can cause pollination problems by damaging the pollen or
ovaries. We weaken colonies by spraying insecticides. It is harder to have good
pollination in large blocks, because bees may not uniformly work the field.
Poor flying weather when your crown fruit blossoms are open will prevent
adequate movement of pollen from male flowers to females. From the crown fruit
location on the runner, female flowers (those with tiny melons) occur about
every 7 to 8 nodes on the runner.
Vegetable Crop Diseases
-
Potato Disease Advisory.
Disease Severity Value
(DSV) Accumulation as of June 17, 2004 is as follows:
|
Date |
Daily DSV |
Total DSV |
Spray Recommendation |
|
4/25- 5/18 |
4 |
18 |
7-day |
|
5/19 |
4 |
22 |
7-day |
|
5/20 |
2 |
24 |
7-day |
|
5/21 |
2 |
26 |
7-day |
|
5/25 |
5 |
31 |
7-day |
|
5/27 |
3 |
34 |
7-day |
|
5/30 |
8 |
42 |
7-day |
|
5/31 |
1 |
43 |
7-day |
|
6/1 |
1 |
44 |
7-day |
|
6/4 |
17 |
61 |
5-day |
|
6/7 |
2 |
63 |
5-day |
|
6/8 |
1 |
64 |
5-day |
|
6/10-6/13 |
9 |
73 |
7-day |
|
6/14-6/15 |
3 |
76 |
7-day |
|
6/17 |
3 |
79 |
7-day |
Field Crop Insects -
Alfalfa.
Continue to sample all fields on a weekly basis for
leafhopper adults and nymphs. The treatment thresholds are 20 per 100 sweeps on
alfalfa 3 inches or less in height, 50 per 100 sweeps in 4-6 inch tall alfalfa
and 100 per 100 sweeps in 7-11 inch tall alfalfa. If economic levels are
present, early cutting may be the best option for control. However, be sure to
check fields within a week of cutting for leafhoppers that can quickly damage
small plants.
Field Corn.
We continue to get reports of cereal leaf beetle
adults feeding on corn. In most cases, feeding is confined to field edges;
however, it may also be seen throughout the field. No controls are needed
unless you find 10 beetles per plant throughout the field and 50 percent of the
plants are damaged.
Soybeans.
Grasshopper and bean leaf beetle feeding continues to be found in
seedling stage soybean fields. A treatment for bean leaf beetle will be needed
from plant emergence to the second trifoliate when you find 2 beetles per ft.
row and a 25 percent stand reduction. A pyrethroid, dimethoate or Lorsban will
provide control. The treatment threshold for grasshoppers is 1 per sweep and 30
percent defoliation. Asana, Furadan, Lorsban, or Warrior will provide grasshopper control. We
are also seeing an increase in thrips and leafhopper activity. No control will
be needed for thrips until you find 8 per leaflet and plant growth is being
held back. The treatment threshold for leafhoppers is 4 per sweep in drought
stressed fields and 8 per sweep in non-stressed fields. Dimethoate or a
pyrethroid will provide control of both insects.
There
have been reports of economic levels of spider mites in seedling stage soybeans
in
Grain Marketing Highlights - Carl German, Extension Crops Marketing Specialist; clgerman@udel.edu
General Comments.
"Rain
Makes Grain" vs. "Flood Makes Mud" is the mantra in the
commodity markets this week, depending upon whether one is bullish or bearish.
It would appear that the bears are winning at the present time taking corn and
soybean prices down on the idea that the rain is generally good for crop
development. What is not being asked by commodity traders just yet is whether
we are making a 10.4 billion bushel corn crop, or one that might be smaller or
even possibly larger. Therein lies the reasoning behind the 'bear' and 'bull'
arguments in these markets at the present time. It may well be the primary
question on every trader's mind, "What size are the '04
Nationally,
wheat harvest is moving along ahead of normal at 23% harvested, as compared to
11 percent a year ago and 14 percent average.
Glyphosate May Not Kill All Pigweeds
or Lambsquarters- Mark
VanGessel, Extension Weed Specialist; mjv@udel.edu
I
was made aware of a few more fields where pigweed or lambsquarters were not
controlled with glyphosate (active ingredient in Roundup and Touchdown and
others) while all the other species were killed. These two species are known to develop
resistance to a number of herbicides and are of concern among weed specialists. If glyphosate does not control these species
(while all other species are killed) do not try to kill them with more
glyphosate. In the
In
greenhouse research at UD, we have found populations of pigweed and
lambsquarters that were not killed with standard rates of glyphosate, but did
die with 2X or 4X rates.
If
glyphosate does not control pigweed or lambsquarters do not continue to spray
it with increasing herbicide rates, consider use of Harmony GT. This herbicide is quite effective on these
two species and is inexpensive. However,
it may cause some temporary yellowing (see following article).
Postemergence Soybean Herbicides
Reminders- Mark
VanGessel, Extension Weed Specialist; mjv@udel.edu
The
following are a few questions I have been answered about postemergence soybean
herbicides over the past few weeks.
*Most
herbicides need to be applied to weeds before they are 4 inches tall.
*All
herbicides can cause some crop response, even glyphosate. Under most circumstances, this is a cosmetic
effect and does not hurt yield. With
that said, some herbicides have a higher risk of injury than others.
*It
is sound stewardship to not rely solely on glyphosate for soybean weed
control. Increasing glyphosate rates (or
any herbicide) to maintain weed control could be setting up bigger problems in
the future.
*Dimethoate
is an organo-phosphate insecticide and should not be tank-mixed with Harmony
GT, Synchrony, Classic, FirstRate/Amplify, Pursuit (Extreme), or Raptor.
*Manganese products can bind with glyphosate in the
spray tank and reduce glyphosate’s effectiveness. The form of manganese has an impact. Manganese chelated with EDTA did not affect
the performance of glyphosate, but other forms of manganese did. The addition of ammonium sulfate overcame the
problem. When using ammonium sulfate be
sure to add the ammonium sulfate to the tank first and add the glyphosate last.
*Many
stresses can cause crop responses that look like herbicide injury. Be sure to explore all the possibilities when
trying to determine the cause of crop injury.
*Most
postemergence soybean herbicides have some soil activity and can provide a week
or two of residual control.
Veneman
Announces The Availablility of $13.2
Million in Grants to Expand Value-Added Agricultural Business Ventures – USDA Places Priority on Renewable
Energy Ventures
Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today announced the
availability of $13.2 million in grants that will support the development of
value-added agriculture business ventures and support President Bush’s energy
plan to develop alternative sources of renewable energy.
“Since 2001, the
Bush Administration has committed over $100 million to support the development
and enhancement of value-added agricultural investments,” said Veneman. “These
funds will help create new job opportunities in rural communities.”
Veneman said
priority consideration will be given to those grant applications that have at
least 51% of project costs dedicated to planning activities for a bio-energy
project. To date, the Bush Administration has funded $15 million in value-added
development centers and over $85 million in value-added grants, including
nearly 70 energy projects. The renewable energy projects involve bio-diesel,
ethanol or wind energy production or the use of bio-mass to generate energy. As
a result of these projects, 669 jobs were created. Additionally, the ethanol
plants have added or will add 679 million gallons per year of capacity and the
bio-diesel plants have added or will add 41 million gallons per year of
capacity.
The Value-Added
Producer Grant program was authorized by the Agriculture Risk Protection Act of
2000 (P.L. 106-224) and the 2002 Farm Bill (P.L. 107-171). Grants are available
to independent producers, agricultural producer groups, farmer or rancher
cooperatives, and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures
interested in a competitively-awarded grant to fund one of the following two
activities: (1) planning activities needed to establish a viable value-added
marketing opportunity for an agricultural product (e.g. conduct a feasibility
study, develop a business plan, develop a marketing plan); or (2) acquire
working capital to operate a value-added business venture that will allow
producers to better compete in domestic and international markets.
Awards will be
made on a competitive basis. Applications must be received no later than July 26,
2004. Detailed information about application and program requirements will be
included in the June 9, 2004 publication of the Federal Register.
USDA Rural Development's
mission is to deliver programs in a way that will support increasing economic
opportunity and improve the quality of life of rural residents. As a venture
capital entity, Rural Development provides equity and technical assistance to
finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical
community and technology infrastructure. Further information on rural programs
is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA's web
site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.
For assistance and other questions
about this program, contact:
Marlene
B. Elliott, State Director, USDA Rural Development,
(302)
697-4300,(302) 697-4390 fax
marlene.elliott@de.usda.gov
‘Day on the Farm’ Promises Fun for
Everyone
Most of us in
Learn more
about modern-day agriculture here in New Castle County —and have a lot of fun
doing so—at Ag Adventure, a free, educational event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Saturday, June 19. Co-sponsored by
Ag Adventure
consists of three agricultural-related events all at one convenient location,
New Castle County Extension agent
The fourth
annual “Day on the Farm” features plenty of family-oriented fun, including a
‘hayride, a straw-bale maze and children’s games and activities. Cooperative
Extension professionals, University faculty and other experts will present
exhibits on topics ranging from the centuries-old art of beekeeping to the
high-tech wonders of the global positioning system (GPS). You’ll learn where
food comes from (and no, the answer isn’t the grocery store); how biotechnology
aids the farmer and consumer; and about the diversity of products created from
soybean.
“Our ‘Day on
the Farm’ exhibits always get rave reviews,”
“Day on the
Farm” is just one part of the fun at Ag Adventure. The action and excitement of
the Antique Tractor Pull is another perennial favorite. Participants use their
tractors to drag a weighted sled as far as possible along a dirt track in this
one-of-a-kind sport.
And, plan to
visit the 4-H/FFA
For more
information about Ag Adventure, call New Castle County Extension at 302-831-COOP.
* Article taken from
Week of June 11
to June 16, 2004
|
|
Rainfall: |
|
0.05
inches: June 11 0.09
inches: June 12 |
|
|
|
Air Temperature: |
|
Highs
Ranged from 70°F on June 11 to 84°F on June 15. |
|
Lows
Ranged from 73°F on June 16 to 50°F on June 13. |
|
Soil
Temperature: |
|
74°F
average. |
|
(Soil
temperature taken at a 2 inch depth, under sod) |
Web
Address for the U of D Research & Education Center: http://www.rec.udel.edu
Compiled and
Edited By:
Tracy Wootten
Cooperative
Extension Education in Agriculture and Home Economics, University of Delaware, Delaware
State University and the United States Department of Agriculture
cooperating. Distributed in furtherance
of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914.