Across the state, pumpkin plantings are hitting their stride with varying degrees of success. The grower phone calls I’ve received lately revolve around options for managing emerged weeds. Broadcast options are limited to grass-selective herbicides such as sethoxydim, clethodim, and halosulfuron (Sandea®) for small broadleaf weeds and sedge suppression. All of these products can result[Read More…]
Pumpkins
For most pumpkin growers, it is too late to take any corrective action against diseases for the 2023 crop. However, it might be wise to determine what disease problems were present during the 2023 season. This article will discuss two relatively unusual virus diseases of pumpkin. Recently, I visited several pumpkin fields in northern Indiana.[Read More…]
Purdue Extension presented its first Fruit, Vegetable and Hemp Field Day post-pandemic at the Meigs Ag Center in July 2022. Extension Specialists and Graduate Students presented specialty crop research to 45 attendees. Attendees had only good things to say about the event. ” Great information and research.” “Great variety of experiences and knowledge.” “I felt[Read More…]
The Midwest Vegetable Trial Report series includes reports of applied research relevant to vegetable and melon production in the midwestern U.S. The purpose of the series is to publish results and document the annual results of vegetable and melon research projects. In 2022, 16 trial reports from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota were published. Variety[Read More…]
Purdue Extension presented its first Fruit, Vegetable and Hemp Field Day post-pandemic at the Meigs Ag Center in July 2022. Extension Specialists and Graduate Students presented specialty crop research to 45 attendees. Attendees had only good things to say about the event. ” Great information and research.” “Great variety of experiences and knowledge.” “I felt[Read More…]
Are you still thinking about varieties for the upcoming season? Purdue has been keeping a record of vegetable variety trials in the Midwest since 1999. The Midwest Vegetable Trial Report series includes reports of applied research relevant to vegetable and melon production in the Midwest. Here are some abstracts of the most recent reports. Visit[Read More…]
Pumpkin and winter squash should be harvested fully mature to reach their optimal quality and fulfill their potential shelf live. Characters indicating fruit maturity include loss of rind surface gloss, ground spot yellowing, and hardening of the skin to the level that it is resistant to puncture with a thumbnail. Except for some striped varieties,[Read More…]
Throughout the growing season, vegetable crop farmers often report suspected herbicide drift injury. Each type of herbicide results in specific types of injury. Knowing what to look for can help us narrow which herbicide or herbicide mode of action could be responsible. To document how watermelon and pumpkin respond to various herbicides, we sprayed a[Read More…]
Recently, I have observed several pumpkin vines and fruit with Plectosporium blight. When I receive phone calls about Plectosporium blight, the caller often has trouble describing the disease. Indeed, the disease is difficult to describe. Therefore, I will include several photos with this article. Lesions of Plectosporium blight are most often observed on the stems[Read More…]
Squash bugs and cucumber beetles (both spotted and striped) are in full swing this time of year on your cucurbit crops. We no longer have to worry about flowers developing into harvestable fruits, so it is a time that you need to think strategically about insect pest damage thresholds in relation to the decision to[Read More…]