In 2015 and 2018, I observed Cercospora leaf mold of tomato in high tunnel operations. In Hotline articles in those years, I noted that Cercospora leaf mold is normally a subtropical disease. This disease has again been observed in 2021 on tomatoes in high tunnels. I’m still not certain of the importance of this disease[Read More…]
Solanaceous Crops
Listed below are select foliar diseases of tomato. Early blight and Septoria leaf blight These diseases are listed together because, from a few paces away, the diseases appear similar. And the management for these diseases is similar. Together these diseases are probably the most common diseases of tomatoes in the field. One of the most[Read More…]
Tomatoes cracking in the late stages of ripening (Figure 1) was observed in our field visit. This article discusses conditions that are likely to predispose tomatoes to crack. The cracking that happened recently in open field production is likely associated with the heavy rains. The problem is most observed when a dry period is followed[Read More…]
This disease can cause loses by the wilt and decline of plants. This article describes the symptoms and management of two similar diseases of potato both known as black leg caused by different bacterial pathogens. Both black leg diseases have similar symptoms. Often the first symptom one might observe is reduction in plant emergence. After[Read More…]
Off-target herbicide movement, whether from on-farm or neighboring farms, is not a new problem. However, in recent years it has been on the top of more minds. Although many crops seem to recover from an off-target herbicide event, vegetative recovery does not always imply that all is well. To illustrate this point, let’s look at[Read More…]
The Colorado potato beetle (CPB) is one of the most devastating pests of potato crops and is something that you should be on the lookout for NOW! This pest overwinters as an adult in the soil or field margins surrounding last year’s crop. The soils have warmed, the adults came out and eggs are now[Read More…]
As tomatoes bloom and set fruit it is a good time to review practices for avoiding some common fruit problems. Water management is key to avoiding blossom end rot. Adequate potassium is important to reduce yellow shoulder and internal white tissue. This article provides more information on these topics, and includes some information previously published[Read More…]
To regular readers of the Vegetable Crop Hotline, it may seem that we include an article about tomato spotted wilt virus every year out of custom. However, we have again observed large outbreaks of this disease. Please read the article below carefully if you raise tomato transplants or mature tomatoes in a greenhouse or high[Read More…]
There is still time to select sweet pepper varieties for this summer. During the 2020 growing season, I evaluated a new batch of five sweet bell pepper varieties. I also evaluated five sweet tapered pepper varieties for a second season. All varieties (Table 1, Figures 1 & 2) were grown in a high tunnel at[Read More…]
Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) is a plant disease caused by a virus that infects more than 1,000 species of plants, including ornamentals and vegetables. Visual symptoms of TSWV vary depending on the plant that is infected, but general characteristics include yellow or brown ringspots on fruit and small, dark-colored ringspots on foliage that may[Read More…]