All/multiple crops:

More rain this week is expected to exacerbate disease pressure that is already high this season. Many crops are experiencing nutrient deficiencies from rain leaching nutrients, delayed harvest/ripening, and overall poor growth due to saturated soils.

 Alliums: 

Leek moth damage is sporadic and overall low at many farms in the North Country this season. Widespread low trap counts indicate potential issues with pheromone lures used for monitoring in the Northeast this year. If caterpillars are found in onion leaves at harvest, top plants prior to curing and storing to avoid damage to the bulb. UVM researchers have found no difference in storage quality of untopped vs topped onions down to 1” from the bulb shoulder. More tips for onion harvest, curing, and storage can be found on pages 9-10 of this article from UMass.

Brassicas:

As folks gear up for Alternaria pressure increasing, you may want to make sure you have products handy for a good spray schedule. This resource from the Cornell Vegetable Program offers a “cheat sheet” of organic and conventional options. Trials conducted in the Hudson Valley have shown that Oso (polyoxin D zinc salt) is the most effective OMRI-listed fungicide for managing brassica Alternaria. More information on the evaluation of OMRI-listed fungicide programs for brassica Alternaria management can be found here.

 Chenopods (Beets, Chard, Spinach):

Nothing new to report this week.

Cucurbits:

Squash bug eggs and young nymphs are now out in plantings in the North Country. Scout regularly and aim to spray at the nymph stage for greater efficacy. Squash bug feeding can result in yellowing, browning, and wilting of vines, leading to premature decline and sunscald in exposed fruit.

Powdery mildew is starting to appear in many plantings in the North and elsewhere around the region. See last week’s scouting update for more information, including recommended spray rotations for this disease.

Cucurbit downy mildew continues to be an issue in the region, particularly in cucumbers.  The list of approved fungicides for CDM can be found by clicking this link:  Cucurbit Downy Mildew Fungicides  Ranman and Orondis continue to be the most effective management tools with the added benefit of Phytopthora blight control as well.

If you have a spaghetti squash planted on your farm, make sure you get out there and check to see if it is mature!  The longer it is left out in the field, the more things can infect and go wrong with it.  Spaghetti squash is usually one of the earliest “winter” squashes to mature along with acorn.  Harvesting and getting it out of the field in a timely fashion may improve storage quality.

Nightshades: 

We’ve seen many heavily diseased field tomato crops recently due to rainy conditions. Bacterial disease, Septoria, early blight, and other diseases will result in a poor field tomato yield this year on many farms. Be sure to sanitize metal stakes before using next season, and destroy wooden stakes since these cannot be properly sanitized between uses. Disease inoculum, including bacteria, from these fields can be carried over on reused stakes.

We’re continuing to track the spread of late blight in the Northeast. As of last week, late blight was confirmed in Yates County, NY as well as Simcoe, ON and Mauricie, QC. The current map of late blight distribution can be found at the USA Blight website. Maintain a protective fungicide spray program with products such as chlorothalanil, mancozeb, and copper, and be on the lookout for late blight symptoms. Please let us know if you suspect you have late blight on your farm so that we can contribute to the outbreak map.

Leaf mold is prevalent in the North Country in high tunnels, likely due to the rainy and humid weather we have experienced this season. Consider growing resistant varieties next year to avoid future problems with this disease. To learn more, download the leaf mold factsheet written by former ENYCHP specialist Amy Ivy, who provides a list of some leaf mold resistant varieties.

Potassium(K) deficiency is showing up in tomato and eggplant crops. The onset of K deficiency is generally characterized by a marginal chlorosis, progressing into a dry leathery tan scorch on recently matured leaves. As the crop load increases in mid-summer, growers may need to provide additional K through fertigation with sulfate of potash or sul-po-mag. Some growers will switch to a fertilizer blend with a higher K:N ratio such as a 9-15-30 to supply the plants increased demand for K. Also, be aware that high soil levels of Ca and Mg can impede K uptake.

Harvesting Potatoes:  Early potatoes have been harvested for a couple of weeks now, so here are just a few reminders about handling and washing. If possible, good vine killing will make tuber quality much better in terms of not skinning and easier harvest. Vine killing might also be even more of a key this year since vines seem to be quite vigorous with all the extra moisture and fewer than normal leaf hoppers out there. Minimal vine killing should occur 2-3 weeks before harvest to ensure the tubers set their skin, making the tubers more resistant to skinning and bruising.  Vine killing can be done many different ways including flail mowing, flaming and chemical desiccants. Here is a link to registered chemical desiccants:  List of Approved Potato Desiccants.  You should also maintain at least a protectant fungicide program as long as there are any green stems or foliage left. Late blight, which as you note above has been found in the state and to our neighbors in the north, can still infect and cause issues with tuber quality.

However, the most important thing to remember is, do not harvest potatoes and then bring them directly in and wash them—dig, cool and wash them as you need them. Do not put warm potatoes into wash water that is more than 10 degrees colder as this will increase bacterial breakdown (For that matter, you should follow this rule for all produce that is washed!). And after washing let them dry completely before putting them in bags. Handle tubers very gently—these early tubers are very “soft” and bruise and skin very easily. The less you can handle them the better. Try to minimize how much they roll on the chain by keeping as much dirt on the chain as possible if you are using a digger and make sure that tubers are not falling from heights greater than 6 inches (this includes digging and handling).

Do not put harvested potatoes directly into a cold storage. Potatoes should go in a dark area and allowed to cool down gradually and heal or cure up a bit.  The best temperatures for this to happen is 60-65 degrees F for about 5 –20 days at a high humidity with good air circulation.  Cooling them down rapidly could result in condensation developing and encourage bacterial breakdowns.

Hornworm pressure is high in some areas of the North Country right now. This year seems to be an exceptional year for hornworms in the North.

With all the heavy dews and rainy conditions in much of the region, Anthracnose, a major cause of fruit rot, can be expected this summer especially in tomatoes and peppers. Aprovia Top, Luna Flex, Luna Sensation and Quadris Top are all labeled – be sure to include a protectant such as chlorothalonil or copper. There is also a fair amount of blossom end rot in both tomatoes and peppers – this is usually due to a lack of calcium uptake by the plant. Calcium needs to be dissolved in the soil solution so if there is a lack of moisture, calcium is not dissolved and therefore not taken up by the plant, resulting in blossom end rot. However, this can also happen when there is too much water and soils are saturated. When that happens, the plant is essentially not growing and again does not take up calcium resulting in blossom end rot.

Corn:

Very high trap counts of Western bean cutworm were found again in the North Country this week. Scouting at our trapping sites revealed egg mass numbers above threshold. Many growers will likely need to spray specifically for this pest if not already treating their corn for other caterpillar pests. Labeled products include multiple pyrethroids (Baythroid XL, Brigade 2EC, Fastac CS, Hero, Mustang Maxx, and Warrior II), spinosyns (Blackhawk, Entrust SC, Radiant SC), and chlorantraniliprole+pyrethroid mixtures (Besiege and Elevest).

Miscellaneous: 

Celery anthracnose, or the celery leaf curl disease, is showing up in many fields. See this article  for management options and tolerant varieties.