Downy mildew has been confirmed at very low levels in a 2-acre cucumber field in Buncombe County. Growers are encouraged to begin treatment.
Review this post from June on the current recommendations: Pest News June 24
Don't forget to review the Cucurbit Downy Mildew Forecasting website for more information.
Showing posts with label pest management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pest management. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Spotted Wing Drosophila Alert July 17
On June 29 I posted on the threat of a new pest, the spotted wing drosophila (SWD). This post is on the latest development of SWD in NC from Dr. Hannah Burrack.
Spotted Wing Drosophila Alert
For commercial fruit growers
Suspected spotted wing drosophila (SWD, Drosophila suzkii) larvae have been found in North Carolina grown caneberries. Growers in areas with a known history of SWD should undertake an aggressive management program for this potentially devastating pest. Growers in areas without a history of SWD should determine the status of SWD on their farm by sampling fruit and trapping adult flies.
SWD in North Carolina
SWD has been detected in the following 23 North Carolina counties:
Anson, Ashe, Burke, Bladen, Craven, Davidson, Edgecombe, Greene, Henderson, Johnston, Lee, Lenoir, Lincoln, Montgomery, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Person, Randolph, Rowan, Sampson, Wake and Wayne.
SWD larvae have been found in fruit in the counties indicated in bold. In all of the listed counteis, adult SWD have been captured in traps.
SWD can feed on blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes figs, peaches, cherries, and many other soft skinned fruits, both cultivated and wild.
Growers of these crops in and around the 22 counties where SWD has been detected should consider themselves to be in areas witha history of SWD and manage accordingly.
SWD Management
Because SWD is new to North Carolina, our current management strategy relies on insecticides. You can find lists of registered insecticides and their probable efficacy against SWD at www.ncsmallfruitsipm.blogspot.com.
Select insecticides that will be effective against SWD (those expected to provide "excellent" control), and apply insecticides at the high end of the labeled rate range. Apply insecticides every 7 days, ideally rotating between at least two insecticides with different modes of actions (MOAs).
Always observe proper preharvest intervals and be aware that many insecticides have maximum residue levels (MRLs) for the United States and other countries. These residue levels may potentially occur before the maximum number of allowable insectice applications per season is reached. USDA maintains a database of MRLs (http://www.mrldatabase.com/).
Check with your marketer or wholesaler before using a new insecticide on your crop to ensure that it is acceptable in all locations where your fruit may be sold.
SWD larvae take 7-10 days to mature, so larvae found in fruit now are the result of egg laying activity over 1 week prior. Larvae inside fruit cannot be controlled; only adult SWD can be killed with insecticides.
Sanitation is crucial for SWD management. All ripe fruit (marketable or not) must be removed from the field and disposed of. Culls should not be left on the ground or plant. Freezing or "baking" in clear plastic bags placed in the sun will kill larvae, Burying or composting may not.
Spotted Wing Drosophila Alert
For commercial fruit growers
Suspected spotted wing drosophila (SWD, Drosophila suzkii) larvae have been found in North Carolina grown caneberries. Growers in areas with a known history of SWD should undertake an aggressive management program for this potentially devastating pest. Growers in areas without a history of SWD should determine the status of SWD on their farm by sampling fruit and trapping adult flies.
SWD in North Carolina
SWD has been detected in the following 23 North Carolina counties:
Anson, Ashe, Burke, Bladen, Craven, Davidson, Edgecombe, Greene, Henderson, Johnston, Lee, Lenoir, Lincoln, Montgomery, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Person, Randolph, Rowan, Sampson, Wake and Wayne.
SWD larvae have been found in fruit in the counties indicated in bold. In all of the listed counteis, adult SWD have been captured in traps.
SWD can feed on blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes figs, peaches, cherries, and many other soft skinned fruits, both cultivated and wild.
Growers of these crops in and around the 22 counties where SWD has been detected should consider themselves to be in areas witha history of SWD and manage accordingly.
SWD Management
Because SWD is new to North Carolina, our current management strategy relies on insecticides. You can find lists of registered insecticides and their probable efficacy against SWD at www.ncsmallfruitsipm.blogspot.com.
Select insecticides that will be effective against SWD (those expected to provide "excellent" control), and apply insecticides at the high end of the labeled rate range. Apply insecticides every 7 days, ideally rotating between at least two insecticides with different modes of actions (MOAs).
Always observe proper preharvest intervals and be aware that many insecticides have maximum residue levels (MRLs) for the United States and other countries. These residue levels may potentially occur before the maximum number of allowable insectice applications per season is reached. USDA maintains a database of MRLs (http://www.mrldatabase.com/).
Check with your marketer or wholesaler before using a new insecticide on your crop to ensure that it is acceptable in all locations where your fruit may be sold.
SWD larvae take 7-10 days to mature, so larvae found in fruit now are the result of egg laying activity over 1 week prior. Larvae inside fruit cannot be controlled; only adult SWD can be killed with insecticides.
Sanitation is crucial for SWD management. All ripe fruit (marketable or not) must be removed from the field and disposed of. Culls should not be left on the ground or plant. Freezing or "baking" in clear plastic bags placed in the sun will kill larvae, Burying or composting may not.
Pest New July 15
The latest edition of NC Pest News is now available.
In this edition you'll find:
- Plant Disease and Insect Clinic Information on the Internet
- Worm Control in Sweet Control: 2011 Edition
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
New Pests: Spotted Wing Drosophila and Kudzu Bug
There are two new insect pests that growers need to be aware of, spotted wing drosophila and the kudzu bug.
Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) is an invasive fruit fly pest of soft-skinned fruit (strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, etc.). SWD was first observed in California in 2008 and then identified in 2009. In 2010, Dr. Hannah Burrack of NC State began an intensive monitoring plan for SWD in the Southeast. SWD was captured in NC and SC late 2010. SWD gets its name because the males have two spots on the end of their wings (one on each). Female SWD do not have spotted wings, but do have a serrated oviposter. This serrated oviposter allows the female to lay eggs in sound fruit, unlike common fruit flies which prefer decaying fruit. Because of this, SWD has potential to be an economically limiting crop.
SWD trapping is well underway throughout NC, in fact SWD was captured in Henderson County in mid-June. Small fruits producers are encouraged to start a monitoring program. Dr. Burrack explains how to construct and monitor SWD traps and how to identify them.
For treatment considerations, visit Dr. Burrack's post What to watch for: When treating SWD.
To read more about SWD or to view images, please visit Dr. Burrack's SWD page on her NC Small Fruits, Specialty Crops and Tobacco IPM blog.
If you would like assistance with monitoring, please contact me at sue_colucci@ncsu.edu or your local extension office.
Kudzu bug (adult) on soybean leaf.
Multiple kudzu bugs (adults) on soybean stem.
The next pest is the kudzu bug. This pest prefers legume crops, especially soybeans, but has also been observed feeding on potatoes, cotton and wheat. The kudzu bug was confirmed in central Georgia in 2009 and then spread throughout the state and to neighboring states in 2010. This pest has been identified in many NC counties, including Buncombe and Henderson Counties on soybeans. This pest isn't thought to be a problem on most vegetables, but those who grow edamame soybeans or potatoes should be concerned. The kudzu bug is a stem and leaf feeder, so far there have been no reports of the kudzu bug feeding on blooms or pods.
Based on Georgia data the economic threshold is one bug per sweep with large nymphs present, or three bugs per plant with large nymphs present. This pest is very mobile and will re-invade after treatment, so capturing or observing nymphs is important. According to the latest edition of NC Pest News, killing this pest has been relatively easy with conventional insecticides except the neonicotinoids (kudzu bug seem to be attracted to areas that have been treated with neonicotinoids). For organic producers, PyGanic is recommended. Other options are options are azadirachtin (Azagard) or kaolin clay (Surround), but the efficacy of these products is unknown.
To read more about the pest, see more pictures and a map of kudzu bugs movement in the southeastern US, see the June 24th of NC Pest News.
Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) is an invasive fruit fly pest of soft-skinned fruit (strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, etc.). SWD was first observed in California in 2008 and then identified in 2009. In 2010, Dr. Hannah Burrack of NC State began an intensive monitoring plan for SWD in the Southeast. SWD was captured in NC and SC late 2010. SWD gets its name because the males have two spots on the end of their wings (one on each). Female SWD do not have spotted wings, but do have a serrated oviposter. This serrated oviposter allows the female to lay eggs in sound fruit, unlike common fruit flies which prefer decaying fruit. Because of this, SWD has potential to be an economically limiting crop.
SWD trapping is well underway throughout NC, in fact SWD was captured in Henderson County in mid-June. Small fruits producers are encouraged to start a monitoring program. Dr. Burrack explains how to construct and monitor SWD traps and how to identify them.
For treatment considerations, visit Dr. Burrack's post What to watch for: When treating SWD.
To read more about SWD or to view images, please visit Dr. Burrack's SWD page on her NC Small Fruits, Specialty Crops and Tobacco IPM blog.
If you would like assistance with monitoring, please contact me at sue_colucci@ncsu.edu or your local extension office.
Kudzu bug (adult) on soybean leaf.
Multiple kudzu bugs (adults) on soybean stem.The next pest is the kudzu bug. This pest prefers legume crops, especially soybeans, but has also been observed feeding on potatoes, cotton and wheat. The kudzu bug was confirmed in central Georgia in 2009 and then spread throughout the state and to neighboring states in 2010. This pest has been identified in many NC counties, including Buncombe and Henderson Counties on soybeans. This pest isn't thought to be a problem on most vegetables, but those who grow edamame soybeans or potatoes should be concerned. The kudzu bug is a stem and leaf feeder, so far there have been no reports of the kudzu bug feeding on blooms or pods.
Based on Georgia data the economic threshold is one bug per sweep with large nymphs present, or three bugs per plant with large nymphs present. This pest is very mobile and will re-invade after treatment, so capturing or observing nymphs is important. According to the latest edition of NC Pest News, killing this pest has been relatively easy with conventional insecticides except the neonicotinoids (kudzu bug seem to be attracted to areas that have been treated with neonicotinoids). For organic producers, PyGanic is recommended. Other options are options are azadirachtin (Azagard) or kaolin clay (Surround), but the efficacy of these products is unknown.
To read more about the pest, see more pictures and a map of kudzu bugs movement in the southeastern US, see the June 24th of NC Pest News.
Pest News June 24
The latest edition of the NC Pest News is now available.
In this latest edition:
Downy mildew symptoms on cucumber leaf.
Downy mildew sporulation on the underside of a cucumber leaf.
The fungus that causes cucurbit powdery mildew is a very different pathogen than the water mold pathogen that causes cucurbit downy mildew. Cucurbit powdery mildew likes warm, humid conditions (the humidity within a plant canopy provides ideal conditions). The pathogen does not like wet conditions, but water will spread the pathogen spores to other plants.
Powdery mildew on a squash leaf.
Powdery mildew on the stem of a squash plant.
In this latest edition:
- Cucurbit downy mildew recommendations for 2011
- Cucurbit powdery mildew recommendations fro 2011
Downy mildew symptoms on cucumber leaf.
Downy mildew sporulation on the underside of a cucumber leaf.The fungus that causes cucurbit powdery mildew is a very different pathogen than the water mold pathogen that causes cucurbit downy mildew. Cucurbit powdery mildew likes warm, humid conditions (the humidity within a plant canopy provides ideal conditions). The pathogen does not like wet conditions, but water will spread the pathogen spores to other plants.
Powdery mildew on a squash leaf.
Powdery mildew on the stem of a squash plant.Friday, June 3, 2011
NC Pest News for June 3
Squash bug adults feeding on the stem of squash. Squash bugs love to hide below plastic!
Squash bug nymphs just hatched from bronze eggs.This week's issue of NC Pest News is now available. It includes a review of strawberry disease issues from 2011 and the vegetable insect update. The insect update discusses the pest in the photo above, the squash bug. We have been seeing many squash bugs in WNC as of late, as well as cucumber beetles, a few stink bugs and thrips.
You can receive vegetable pest updates from North Carolina State University via Facebook (NCSU Vegetable Entomology) and Twitter (ncsuveg).
Check out these cucumber beetles feeding on summer squash! (below).
To view past issues of NC Pest News click here.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Sustainable Insect Management Workshop
Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the Sustainable/Organic Insect Management for Vegetable Growers Workshop in Clinton, SC. Our first stop was Parson Produce, a certified organic farm located at Bush River Farm.
Here we were greeted by Daniel Parson, a young and gregarious farmer who has been farming for 12 years. Daniel is a great presenter and has a Master's degree from Clemson University. Some of you may know Daniel from his presentations at SSAWG.
Daniel discussed his farm and showed us his farming equipment, which he stated is a piece of his pest management strategy. In true organic fashion, his production is a whole-farm system and pest management starts with productive soils, adequate not abundant nutrition, cover crops and good weed management.
Next, we moved to the field where Dr. Powell Smith (Extension entomologist and vegetable specialist from Clemson University) showed us some insect collection tools. These include sweep and butterfly nets, aspirators (used for catching small insects by sucking them into a container) and fabric sheets.
Below you can see Daniel's cover crop mixture of sorghum-sudangrass and buckwheat.
A great place to find insects!
Check out this field of pure buckwheat! A quick summer cover crop and insect attractor.
Insects, especially those that are predators to some plant-eating insects love the small buckwheat flower and will visit often for a source of food.
Daniel allows his buckwheat to go to seed and therefore re-seed the field.
Here is a group of workshop participants learning about the insects they collected in the buckwheat.
Next, we moved on to look at the broccoli to see what kind of insects we could find in this crop.
Here we saw some bad insects, but also some natural predators. We also learned about 'banker plants'. 'Banker plants' are plants that have some kind of problem and attract crop destroying insects and the predators that feed on them. Daniel has chosen to leave his 'banker plants' in order to keep the good insects in the planting. His 'banker plants' had lots of aphids (typically a sign of excess nitrogen). In addition to the aphids, they contained aphid predators. Below is a lady beetle larva feeding on the aphids.
Syrphid fly larvae were also present and feeding on the aphids(below). These insects are known as "aphid killers".
We also found harlequin bugs, a yearly problem on brassica crops. Below are nymphs of the piercing/sucking pest.
Exploring the eggplant crop we noticed a lot of flea beetle damage. Management for flea beetles is difficult. Some have found that row covers are effective for crops that do not require pollination. The covers cannot have open spaces for the beetles to enter. This control method is not effective if the flea beetle larvae are present in your soil. If they are, you will be trapping them in and may have a big problem on your hands.
Below you can see some flea beetle damage (the shot holes). The insect pictured below is an adult two-lined spittlebug, which is a plant-feeding insect.
Another plant-feeding pest that we found on the eggplant was a some kind of leaf-footed bug (below).
Thrips damage was also noted on the eggplant crop. Thrips are usually found in the flower of crops. These insects have rasping mouthparts. Damage on eggplant appears as green to brown streaking on the fruit. Sorry, I don't have a picture.
After all of our fun in the field, we enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by the owners of Bush River Farm and Bed and Breakfast.
After lunch the group headed to Presbyterian College to learn some more about insect pest management and to do some more insect identification. Dr. Powell Smith discussed the different characteristics of identifying insects and the major plant-feeding and beneficial insect groups. The group discussed management options and the importance of attracting beneficial insects, as well as learning about the life cycle of an insect pest.
Overall, managing insects in vegetable crops organically is similar to a conventional IPM approach. Like discussed above, healthy soils, adequate nutrition and weed management will go along way. IPM includes cultural control methods (including proper selection of vegetable varieties for your area, avoiding insects by changing planting date, eliminating insect overwintering areas, attracting beneficial insects, planting trap crops, etc), using mechanical or physical control methods (tillage to disturb life cycle, row covers, hand picking or vacuuming) and finally the use of organically approved insecticides. Keep in mind that many insecticides will also kill or disturb your beneficial insects, that is why it is your last line of defense.
To learn more about attracting beneficial insects and biological control, visit NCSU's Biological Control Information Center or the Biological Control Resources page on GrowingSmallFarms.org.
Overall, the day was successful. We learned a lot about identifying insects, management options and even got to take a few specimen home with us. Below you can see our insect collection.
I took a wheel bug (a predator in the assassin bug family), a leaf-footed bug and larva, a squash bug and a running ground beetle (a voracious eater in the Carabidae that will feed on cutworms) home with me!
To learn more about insect identification, insect collection and insect control visit the following links:
ATTRA's Links to Insect Management
Growing Small Farms Links to Insect Management Web Resources
Collecting and Preserving Insects and Arachnids
Here we were greeted by Daniel Parson, a young and gregarious farmer who has been farming for 12 years. Daniel is a great presenter and has a Master's degree from Clemson University. Some of you may know Daniel from his presentations at SSAWG.
Daniel discussed his farm and showed us his farming equipment, which he stated is a piece of his pest management strategy. In true organic fashion, his production is a whole-farm system and pest management starts with productive soils, adequate not abundant nutrition, cover crops and good weed management.
Next, we moved to the field where Dr. Powell Smith (Extension entomologist and vegetable specialist from Clemson University) showed us some insect collection tools. These include sweep and butterfly nets, aspirators (used for catching small insects by sucking them into a container) and fabric sheets.
Below you can see Daniel's cover crop mixture of sorghum-sudangrass and buckwheat.
A great place to find insects!
Check out this field of pure buckwheat! A quick summer cover crop and insect attractor.
Insects, especially those that are predators to some plant-eating insects love the small buckwheat flower and will visit often for a source of food.
Daniel allows his buckwheat to go to seed and therefore re-seed the field.
Here is a group of workshop participants learning about the insects they collected in the buckwheat.
Next, we moved on to look at the broccoli to see what kind of insects we could find in this crop.
Here we saw some bad insects, but also some natural predators. We also learned about 'banker plants'. 'Banker plants' are plants that have some kind of problem and attract crop destroying insects and the predators that feed on them. Daniel has chosen to leave his 'banker plants' in order to keep the good insects in the planting. His 'banker plants' had lots of aphids (typically a sign of excess nitrogen). In addition to the aphids, they contained aphid predators. Below is a lady beetle larva feeding on the aphids.
Syrphid fly larvae were also present and feeding on the aphids(below). These insects are known as "aphid killers".
We also found harlequin bugs, a yearly problem on brassica crops. Below are nymphs of the piercing/sucking pest.
Exploring the eggplant crop we noticed a lot of flea beetle damage. Management for flea beetles is difficult. Some have found that row covers are effective for crops that do not require pollination. The covers cannot have open spaces for the beetles to enter. This control method is not effective if the flea beetle larvae are present in your soil. If they are, you will be trapping them in and may have a big problem on your hands.
Below you can see some flea beetle damage (the shot holes). The insect pictured below is an adult two-lined spittlebug, which is a plant-feeding insect.
Another plant-feeding pest that we found on the eggplant was a some kind of leaf-footed bug (below).
Thrips damage was also noted on the eggplant crop. Thrips are usually found in the flower of crops. These insects have rasping mouthparts. Damage on eggplant appears as green to brown streaking on the fruit. Sorry, I don't have a picture.
After all of our fun in the field, we enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by the owners of Bush River Farm and Bed and Breakfast.
After lunch the group headed to Presbyterian College to learn some more about insect pest management and to do some more insect identification. Dr. Powell Smith discussed the different characteristics of identifying insects and the major plant-feeding and beneficial insect groups. The group discussed management options and the importance of attracting beneficial insects, as well as learning about the life cycle of an insect pest.
Overall, managing insects in vegetable crops organically is similar to a conventional IPM approach. Like discussed above, healthy soils, adequate nutrition and weed management will go along way. IPM includes cultural control methods (including proper selection of vegetable varieties for your area, avoiding insects by changing planting date, eliminating insect overwintering areas, attracting beneficial insects, planting trap crops, etc), using mechanical or physical control methods (tillage to disturb life cycle, row covers, hand picking or vacuuming) and finally the use of organically approved insecticides. Keep in mind that many insecticides will also kill or disturb your beneficial insects, that is why it is your last line of defense.
To learn more about attracting beneficial insects and biological control, visit NCSU's Biological Control Information Center or the Biological Control Resources page on GrowingSmallFarms.org.
Overall, the day was successful. We learned a lot about identifying insects, management options and even got to take a few specimen home with us. Below you can see our insect collection.
I took a wheel bug (a predator in the assassin bug family), a leaf-footed bug and larva, a squash bug and a running ground beetle (a voracious eater in the Carabidae that will feed on cutworms) home with me!
To learn more about insect identification, insect collection and insect control visit the following links:
ATTRA's Links to Insect Management
Growing Small Farms Links to Insect Management Web Resources
Collecting and Preserving Insects and Arachnids
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