Sally Miller
The Ohio Department of Agriculture has issued a Crisis Section 18 Emergency Exemption for the use of Topsin M on tomatoes, peppers and eggplant to control Sclerotinia white mold/timber rot. The label is attached. The cool, rainy weather this season is very conducive to white mold/timber rot, and we have had a report of Sclerotinia fruiting structures (very small mushrooms arising from sclerotia in the soil) in tomato fields in northwest Ohio. These fruiting structures release spores into the air which may settle on and infect plants. Unlike soybeans and other beans, all above-ground parts of tomato, pepper and eggplant can be infected by Sclerotinia spores; flowers are not required to start the infection. In our trials, Topsin M has been effective in controlling white mold in peppers, and other researchers have found similar results in tomatoes. Growers who choose to apply this product must have the Section 18 Emergency Exemption Label. A copy is available from the VegNet Homepage. See the top right hand column. http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~vegnet/sec18top.pdf
Sally Miller and Randy Rowe
According to Alan MacNab, late blight has been confirmed in three potatoes fields in northwestern Pennsylvania, two in Erie County and one in Crawford County. There does not appear to be a single source of inoculum. Growers have been keeping the disease under fairly good control with aggressive fungicide spray programs. However, continued cool weather and rainstorms may make management difficult. Ohio potato and tomato growers should be aware of the possibility of late blight under these conditions and maintain appropriate fungicide application programs. Organic growers may consider applying a copper-based fungicide on a preventative basis as long as cool, rainy weather persists.
C. Welty
Hal Kneen in Meigs County found his first BAW moths on July24. He has 3 traps around a 400-acre tomato and pepper field; the number of BAW moths caught since last Friday were 3, 3, and 6 in the 3 traps. UP until now he had only zeros. The moths match up reasonably well with available color photos.
This is a good time to remind growers that presence of BAW moths does not mean it's time to jump on the sprayer. In Kentucky, field infestations of larvae are not usually found when there are less than 25 moths caught per trap per week, but infestations are often found after catch is more than 25 moths/week. As soon as moths are caught, weekly scouting is highly recommended, with emphasis on damage on uppermost buds and young leaves. Remember that insecticides typically used on peppers and tomatoes, such as Warrior, Baythroid, and Orthene, are poor at controlling the beet armyworm. Insecticides that are effective are Confirm, Intrepid, and SpinTor.
Problem Of The Week
