Latest News
Questions are arising about what to do with produce crops that have come into contact with flood waters. FDA provides recommendations; the bottom line is that the crop should be destroyed.
The Sept 13th Biodegradable Mulch Walk is canceled. Visit us in Montgomery or Northampton County or email for handouts.
Seven farms laid biodegradable mulch this year as part of a demonstration project with Penn State Extension. The following are the initial experiences of two cooperating farms. For more information join us this week for biodegradable mulch walks in Schuylkill, Northampton and Montgomery Counties.
Due to the cool and wet conditions over the past wekk or so there have been an increasing number of reports of late blight in Pennsylvania and New York.
The the continuous rain, there has been increasing concern about Phytophthora fruit rot.
The continued unsettled weather first from Hurricane Irene and now Tropical Storm Lee this past weeks has put most of PA at high risk for downy mildew disease development and localized spread!
eOrganic is a website dedicated to providing relevant information for the organic community based on science, regulations and experience. The web address is http://eorganic.info. Funding for the site was provided by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Integrated Organic Program.
Given that spotted wing drosophila (SWD) has been found in PA, many growers are scrutinizing their berries a little more closely. The main concern is that there could be SWD larvae in the fruit. Blackberries and raspberries are two favorite foods of SWD, and fall-harvested cultivars are the most at risk since SWD populations increase throughout the growing season. However, there are other types of larvae that could be in fruit, including those of fruit fly species that lay eggs in overripe fruit.
I want to write about some present day activities in the City of Philadelphia and some good “old style” extension and applied research that we have been undertaking in the heart of the city under the gaze of William Penn, perched high atop City Hall. As you may or may not know, myself and other colleagues in the department have been working with high tunnels since 1998 when we started the High Tunnel Research and Education Facility located on the Horticulture Farm at Rock Springs, PA.
Farmers know how important it is to be careful when using pesticides. We all strive to use the least toxic, effective option, read the label and follow the directions, calibrate, measure carefully and wear the required personal protective equipment.
Earworms, armyworms, and stink bugs are showing up in PA sweet corn crops.
On Aug 17, 2011 late blight was confirmed in a commercial tomato field in Northumberland Co., PA. Foliar symptoms were observed in one small corner of the field following extensive scouting.
Outbreaks on cucumber, cantaloupe, pumpkin are being reported daily in the states surrounding PA.
Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) was confirmed last month in Adams County by researchers from Penn State and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. SWD is a small vinegar fly with the potential to damage many fruit crops, reports Dr. David Biddinger, entomologist at the Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center. “The greatest potential for damage is probably to the many types of berry crops. ”
I hope that you and your crops successfully made it through the last heat wave. We managed to keep the crops in our research plots well watered. As it turned out, this wasn't easy because a gasket blew in our sand filter at the beginning of the heat wave. Fortunately, we have colleagues, who are also good friends that allow us to use their sand filters until we got a replacement gasket. This article is about how high temperatures, like those of the heat wave, can affect crop yield and quality.
I don't know what location you're thinking, but I was thinking Florida or Arkansas, or some other point South (maybe). It sure doesn't feel like Pennsylvania. The growing season started out with us having our last frost in central Pennsylvania in March (really!!). That was followed by cool temperatures and constant rain which gave diseases a leg up, and then scorching temperatures and a rain-free month to make sure the insects could multiply at breakneck speed, all while the plants just sat there and accumulated symptoms. Here are a few of the newer problems we're seeing this month:
It is important to pay attention to the weather for a variety of reasons. Most growers pay attention to rain events to better time pesticide sprays. Some herbicides need a rain event to activate the product in the soil. At other times, an upcoming rain event may delay a spray as fungicides or insecticides can wash off. An equally important factor to take into consideration is temperature.
Now that spotted wing drosophila has been found in Pennsylvania (see news release at http://extension.psu.edu/ipm) at low populations, the question becomes what, if anything, should growers do about it? Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), a species of fruit fly, is problematic because tiny larvae or pupae of this pest can be present in the fruit when harvested, unlike immatures of other fruit flies. We really don’t know how high populations will become in Pennsylvania, but the risk to fruit crops will likely become greater as the season goes on. In other areas of the country where this pest is already well-established, fall raspberries and blackberries have probably suffered the most damage. Blueberries and summer raspberries have also had issues though to a lesser extent, and strawberries have probably been the least affected. An additional note of caution: So far in PA, most SWD were found in small fruit plantings near cherries, the crop in which SWD was first found, so growers with cherries nearby may want to be keep an eye out for SWD. Whether this is likely to be the situation in future years or not is not known. Management options will vary by crop, and are outlined below.
