Researchers at Purdue University and The College of Wooster are conducting a study to learn more about insect pest management practices used by vegetable producers in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the US. Although there is a key insect we’re curious about (the carrot weevil), you’ll only see 1 question about it; the[Read More…]
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed the following label changes including some use cancelations to the fungicides listed below. These fungicides mostly affect fruit growers; however, we include them here since many vegetable growers also grow fruit crops. Ziram, all conventional uses are proposed for cancellation. Thiram, all non-seed treatment uses proposed for cancellation.[Read More…]
As vegetable growers get ready for the 2022 season, one question might be to find up-to-date information about fungicides and how to apply them. Some possible resources are listed below. The Midwest Vegetable Production Guide for Commercial Growers offers recommendations for fungicides and other pesticides and practices that have been updated for the 2022 season. The guide,[Read More…]
The Safe Produce IN team is planning Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training courses for winter 2022. This training is for fruit and vegetable growers and others interested in learning about produce safety, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), and co-management of natural resources and food safety. This[Read More…]
Root-knot nematodes (RKN) are a devasting soilborne pest on a wide range of vegetables and fruits. They are most active in well-aerated soils and they like warm weather. Increasingly, we saw this pest in our regions. Root-knot nematode infections result in root swellings called galls, and heavily infected crops by RKN display aboveground symptoms such[Read More…]
Sometimes choosing the right product to manage a particular pest can be a daunting and risky task, especially when crops are close to harvest and an imposing outbreak sneaks up on you. One such pest that is sneaky are two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae; Figure 1). This microscopic pest can hang out in the crop[Read More…]
High rainfall amounts lead to loss of nitrogen from the soil. Sometimes the loss is great enough that a crop will benefit from additional nitrogen application. This article will describe how nitrogen is lost and factors to consider in deciding whether to apply extra nitrogen. There are two main ways nitrogen is lost from wet[Read More…]
As we welcome July, Indiana seems to be in a very wet phase. Or, at least part of the state has been. The jet stream – a narrow band of fast-flowing air near the altitudes where commercial jets fly – naturally meanders in a north-south-north ribbon around the hemispheres. Typically, these “ribbons” also shift eastward[Read More…]