June 8, 2021

New invasive insect pests of ornamentals – box tree moth

I have been hearing about Box tree moth for a while wondering if/when it would get to the US.  It seems it has.  Please be alert for it!  There are trace forwards that will hopefully find all the infested plants (including in NY) but just in case any escape, we rely on your eagle eyes and attention to detail to help us identify any outbreaks.  Information on the situation below.

Please remember that insecticides on the list below must also be labeled in NYS to be used here.

 

Information from USDA: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/newsroom/stakeholder-info/sa_by_date/sa-2021/sa-05/box-tree-moth

 

Last week, AmericanHort learned that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) had confirmed the presence of box tree moth(Cydalima perspectalis) in a St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada nursery. On May 26, USDA imposed a federal order (FO) prohibiting the importation of all Buxus, Ilex, and Euonymus spp. plants from anywhere in Canada until further notice. By the end of last week, APHIS and state cooperators had initiated “trace-forwards” to U.S. customers that had received plants from the nursery. 

If you are not familiar with the pest, box tree moth is a Eurasian native moth. The larvae are voracious defoliators of Buxus. The pest has become established in western Europe, where it has been extremely damaging to boxwood in the landscape. Roughly two years ago, it was found in an urban Toronto neighborhood. There are ongoing efforts to suppress and contain it, and a nursery surveillance program using pheromone traps has been undertaken during adult flight seasons.

APHIS officials have briefed AmericanHort and Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) on the objectives and status of the emergency program. The overarching objective is eradication. Inspections are underway targeting 26 customer facilities (mostly retail) in seven U.S. states (MI, OH, NY, CT, MA, SC and TN). The list may change. APHIS reported that the pest has been found associated with these plants in at least three of the states where inspections are underway. Accordingly, plants from the Canadian source that are found at retail will be placed on hold and destroyed. At least some of the plants have been sold to consumers, there will be efforts to trace forward to the consumer. We also preliminarily discussed industry strategies to replace consumers’ plants, which may facilitate the effectiveness of the trace/inspect/destroy initiative.  

Click here to view a preliminary document on pest ID and potential treatment tools for nursery and landscape professionals (not appropriate for consumers).

Finally, click here for a Canadian blog post with good pest ID and other information.

Box tree moth is considered a high-consequence defoliating pest of boxwood, with other possible hosts. We fully support the efforts of federal and state regulators to prevent this pest from establishing in the U.S. AmericanHort and HRI proactively worked to get several major research projects funded to get “ahead of the curve” on this threat. We are hopeful that the regulatory response efforts are successful, giving more time for the ongoing research agenda to better equip the industry with tools to manage the pest if it establishes in the U.S. in the future. 

AmericanHort and HRI continue to monitor this situation and will share additional updates as it unfolds. For more information about boxwood health matters, visit www.hriresearch.org.

 

February 9, 2021

IPM Update 2.8.21 – Looking for courses with pesticide recertification credits?

Just had a call on this and figured others could use the same information.

 

Here’s how to find courses with DEC credits.  You go to the same place you find information on pesticide labels – NYSPAD

https://www.dec.ny.gov/nyspad/?3 – the box in the middle Exams and Courses

 

Put in the search terms you want and see what pops up.  I had some confusion with distance learning as Zoom classes popped up under NO so play around with it until you find what you need.

 

Here’s what I got for category 24 under Recertification

 

https://www.dec.ny.gov/nyspad/find?2&tab=COURSES

 

And here is the information that I found (I added the links so you have all the information to register):

http://erie.cce.cornell.edu/events/2021/01/19/2021-nys-greenhouse-growers-school

 NYS Winter Greenhouse School

Date February 10, 2021
Location East Aurora, NY
County ERIE
Country USA
Course ID NY-21-412564
Sponsor CCE of Erie Co.
Open to the Public Yes
Contact SHARON N BACHMAN

(716) 652-5400

21 S GROVE ST
EAST AURORA, NY 14052
USA

E-mail Contact

[address]

Categories

Code Description Credits
1a Agricultural Plant 1.5
3a Ornamental and Turf 1.5
3c Interior Plant Maintenance 1.5
10 Demonstration 1.5
24 Greenhouse and Florist 1.5
25 Nursery, Ornamentals & Turf 1.5

Interestingly, the weed management programs showed up but not the disease ones.  These have limited enrollment so register soon.

https://blogs.cornell.edu/capitalareaagandhortprogram/2020/12/14/january-28-february-25-march-25-2021-greenhouse-weed-management-virtual-ipm-workshop/

Greenhouse Weed Management Virtual IPM Workshop via Zoom

Date February 25, 2021
Location Albany, NY
County ALBANY
Course ID NY-21-412466
Sponsor CCE of Albany Co.
Open to the Public Yes
Contact Lindsey Christianson

(518) 765-3515

CCE Albany Co
24 Martin Rd
Voorheesville, NY 12186
USA

E-mail Contact

[address]

Categories

Code Description Credits
3a Ornamental and Turf 1
24 Greenhouse and Florist 1
25 Nursery, Ornamentals & Turf

And another series on disease management.

https://blogs.cornell.edu/capitalareaagandhortprogram/2020/12/14/%ef%bb%bffebruary-4-march-4-april-1-2021-greenhouse-disease-management-and-fungicide-use-virtual-ipm-workshop-dec-credits-available/

 

There are additional ones if you are looking for 3A.

 

Good luck!  And enjoy the sun!

 

February 5, 2021

IPM Update 2.5.21

Trying to get back on the straight and narrow (which is what the pathway from my house is now, through the drifts….).  Pretty random – and some even IPM!

 

Ah yes, it is time to start thinking about greenhouse sanitation – clean up before you bring in the first plants!  https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/greenhouse_sanitation_is_the_first_step_in_managing_pests_and_pathogens

https://www.greenhousegrower.com/production/how-greenhouse-sanitation-helps-you-start-clean-and-stay-clean/  I can go on – as you might imagine!

 

Aphids in unexpected places?  Sounds entertaining!  See what and where Dan Gilrein has been finding them at http://www.e-gro.org/pdf/2021-10-05.pdf

Also Calonectria root rot on Spathiphyllum http://www.e-gro.org/pdf/2021-10-06.pdf  Are you on the e-GRO list serv?  You should be.  http://www.e-gro.org/

 

 

The New England Greenhouse Floriculture Guide is now free online http://negfg.uconn.edu/  Remember to check NYSPAD for NY registrations of any pesticides. https://www.dec.ny.gov/nyspad/products?1  A hint – the Advanced search is very helpful!

 

A CEA survey from Inside Grower to find out what you would like to know – at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VYPWG3G

 

A Virtual Farm Stand tour with a panel to talk about what works – Feb 11 9-10:30 – as part of the Eastern NY Commercial Hort Program’s Eastern NY Fruit and Vegetable Conference.  There are others in the series that might be of interest, too. Like Food Safety Best Practices for You Pick (Feb 9) and Uncommon Fruit – Considerations for Commercialization (Feb 16).  Most are $10 each but there are also bundles to save you money.  Overview at https://enych.cce.cornell.edu/event.php?id=1510  Register at https://cce-enychp.teachable.com/

 

More education – The Vegetable Growers Association of NJ has a new Nursery and Ornamentals track – including information on boxwood blight, microgreen pests, irrigation management and other topics.  February 22, 2021 – $60 for the day.  (There are no credits for NY DEC). Info and links at https://plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu/new-nursery-and-ornamentals-vga/

 

If anyone has seen Suzanne Wainwright Evans with her DinoLite USB microscope, you know she swears by them for getting good images for identification.  She will be doing a webinar with the company so if you want more information, join in. Here is the link to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYldOGtqDsqHtOfmEOEIpI5PvkBRJzBuEO_

 

And one small note relating to Corona virus – Turfgrass sod production is now eligible for Coronavirus Food Assistance Payments

https://www.farmers.gov/cfap  Although I also see a note on the webpage that processing and payments are currently suspended but that they are still taking applications.

 

That gets me back through my email to Thursday – yikes!  More to come!

 

Have a great week!

January 12, 2021

Greenhouse IPM update 1.12.21

Trying to get these out weekly – and clean out my inbox!

 

More educational events:

 

A whole series of Lunch and Learn Webinars from the University of New Hampshire – Tuesdays at 12:00 EST

https://extension.unh.edu/events/plant-production-lunch-and-learn-webinar-series-green-industries

 

University of Florida Virtual Field Day on compact vegetables (free!): – get ready for those new gardeners who are coming back! January 20, 2021 11:00am EST

https://gpnmag.com/news/uf-to-host-virtual-field-day-on-compact-vegetable-evaluation/?oly_enc_id=5023F9624790D0Z

 

And some non-event information sources!

 

Pest management plans from IR4 – https://www.ir4project.org/ehc/ehc-registration-support-research/env-hort-extension-resources/ They cover whitefly, thrips, downy mildew, and liverworts

 

And evaluations of efficacy and crop safety of a variety of pesticides are at https://www.ir4project.org/ehc/ehc-registration-support-research/env-hort-grower-resources/

 

And while we are on IR4 – take the survey of grower needs.  Filling out the survey gives us information to use when we request grant funds to support research and extension that helps you.  The survey is here: https://www.ir4project.org/ehc/ehc-registration-support-research/env-hort-grower-needs/

 

 Using artificial intelligence in greenhouse production – the webinar… https://onfloriculture.com/2021/01/12/controlled-environment-technology-webinar-series-one-to-watch/

 

Other useful things from OnFloriculture

Greenhouse IPM 101 https://onfloriculture.com/additional-resources/greenhouse-ipm-workshop/

Thrips management webinars https://onfloriculture.com/additional-resources/webinars/

 

A diagnostic guide for boxwood blight disease – ‘sciency’ but excellent pictures and information! https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/pdf/10.1094/PHP-06-20-0053-DG

 

Have a great week!

October 14, 2020

Agritourism/COVID update 10.14.20

Time for some reminders on making sure you have and follow a safety plan for dealing with COVID at your operation.

 

There have been reported violations at agritourism operations this fall – comments on Facebook, complaints to Ag and Markets, Department of Health and Department of Ag and Markets inspections, and news stories – so it is a good time to review your plan.  And remember that it is not just having a plan and signage but monitoring spaces and activities to make sure people are complying with the rules.  Is it fun? No.  Is it easy? No.  Is it necessary?  Yes.

 

If you have questions, I will try to find the answers.  For anyone interested in the webinar that we held a few weeks ago, the video is linked below.

 

Where to find information:

 

NYS Guidelines (these you MUST follow):

Low-risk Outdoor Arts and Entertainment: https://forward.ny.gov/phase-four-industries (select Low-Risk Outdoor … From column on left)

This covers u-pick operations like pumpkins and Christmas trees.

 

If you have food sales, you must also follow: https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/Indoor_and_Outdoor_Food_Services_Detailed_Guidelines.pdf

**Remember that people must eat in a specified area.  They cannot carry food around and eat it throughout the operation

 

If you have a retail operation as part of the operation?  This one I am not as sure of – but definitely reducing occupancy to 33% of maximum will apply.

https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/GeneralRetailSummaryGuidance.pdf

 

Ag and Markets:

Agritourism Frequently Asked Questions – https://agriculture.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2020/09/agritourismfaq_0.pdf

Letter from Commissioner Richard Ball: https://agriculture.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2020/10/agritourismletter.pdf

 

Best Management Practices from Cornell:

Agritourism – https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/resources/farm-resilience/best-management-practices-for-agritourism-covid/

U-Pick – https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/resources/farm-resilience/best-management-practices-for-u-pick-farms-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/

Craft Beverage Tastings: https://www.winebusiness.com/content/file/2020%205%2020%20Cornell%20Craft%20Beverage%20Reopening%20FINAL.pdf

 

Building Resilience series – https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/resources/farm-resilience/

 

Making a handwashing station: https://blog.uvm.edu/cwcallah/2020/06/09/improving-handwashing-stations/

 

Videos on Agritourism guidelines

 

Selling Christmas Trees in the Time of COVID: State Guidelines and Best Management Practices (useful for other operations, too)

https://vod.video.cornell.edu/media/Rerecord/1_x5mtq88d

Transcript is available (click Show Transcript) although I haven’t reviewed it.

 

Agritourism Best Management Practices

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDPsNIhM17Y

 

Betsy

October 9, 2020

GDD update 9.28.20 and Agritourism update, too

I am seduced outside by the weather but came in for lunch so you will get a quick update.

 

Frequently asked questions on agritourism can be found here: https://agriculture.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2020/09/agritourismfaq_0.pdf

We have had questions on food trucks (yes, but follow the rules and people can’t wander around eating) and dogs (can’t find anything official on no pets and haven’t heard back for my email questions.  The no petting zoos with contact with the animals is official.)

 

GDD                       September 28                                    October 3

 

Champlain           2326                                                      2349

Geneva                 2627                                                      2655

Riverhead            3350                                                      3416

 

The curve is flattening.

 

Please let me know if you have questions on the GDD project.  Was it helpful?

 

See photo below.  We can actually see the trees in our Christmas tree planting at Cornell AgriTech.  And (good for us) the Doug fir are already showing signs of Swiss needlecast.

 

Have a great week!  Wheee – off outside for more planting!