What is this insect on my tomato plant? Is it a friend or foe? Answer: It is a friend! This is a super cool insect, known as a mantispid or ‘mantis fly.’ These insects are predatory and can be found around your garden, farm, or orchard feasting upon soft-bodied insect pests. Also, they are wasp…Read more about Answer to Question from Last Issue (5-7-2020)[Read More]
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New 5-21-2020: Application for Coronavirus Food Assistance Program will begin on May 26; Indiana Registered Disinfectants for Use Against COVID-19 (updated) What is new? (5-21-2020) Application for Coronavirus Food Assistance Program will begin on May 26 (5/20) https://www.farmers.gov/cfap Indiana Registered Disinfectants for Use Against COVID-19 (updated) https://www.oisc.purdue.edu/pesticide/pdf/covid-19_disinfectants_051520.pdf Here are the categorized information resources Financial Application…Read more about COVID-19 Resources for Vegetable Growers (5/21)[Read More]
USDA will soon begin taking applications for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. As part of applying for the program, you’ll need to contact the Farm Service Agency county office at your local USDA Service Center to schedule an appointment. Find your office at farmers.gov/cfap. Your local FSA staff will work with you to apply for…Read more about Coronavirus Food Assistance Program[Read More]
In the last issue of the Vegetable Crops Hotline, I wrote an article about common diseases of cantaloupe and watermelon transplants. Based on the samples I have received over the last few days, I would like to write about a disease that is not usually a problem: angular leaf spot. Angular leaf spot affects all…Read more about Angular leaf spot of Cucurbits[Read More]
Have you thought about produce your own value-added products that increase the value of your fresh produce? What are the challenges for you to start or expand your value-added business? How does COVID-19 affect your business? We would like to invite you to participate in the online survey to share your perspective and experiences on…Read more about Are You Interested in Value-Added Production?[Read More]
Pyridate herbicide was once a cornerstone of broadleaf weed control in mint before its market withdrawal. Recently the use of pyridate (Tough® 5EC) has been limited to emergency exemption use, also known as a Section 18 label, which must be approved each year. Pyridate is a photosystem II inhibitor used for postemergence weed control of…Read more about Tough® 5EC Herbicide Receives 2020 Section 18 Label for Mint in Indiana[Read More]
Aphids have been a particularly challenging pest to get under control this spring. They quickly colonized the strawberries we had growing all winter in our high tunnels, and took off as the weather sporadically warmed up (Figure 1). In my first attempt to knock them back I introduced 2,000 lacewing larvae (22-Apr), too little too…Read more about Organic Aphid Control Options[Read More]
About the culprit insect Cutworms are the larval (caterpillar) stage of moths in the family Noctuidae, which typically fly at night. Although the adult moths are not damaging, the voracious larvae can be! The caterpillars typically hide during the day and emerge at night, curling around young, tender plants to feed. How many kinds of…Read more about Beware of Cutworms in Young Veggie Crops![Read More]
Botrytis gray mold can cause disease on many different host plants, enabling the fungus to easily survive and disperse between crops. Host crops include flowers such as geraniums, vegetables such as green beans and fruit such as strawberries. The disease is favored by relatively cool temperatures and high humidity. We recently observed botrytis gray mold…Read more about Botrytis Gray Mold[Read More]
In creating the new format of the Midwest Vegetable Production Guide for Commercial Growers 2020 (ID-56), I inadvertently left out the portion of the fruiting vegetable section that deals with Phytophthora blight of pepper. The new format allows me to update items easily; I have now added information on this important disease. Go to mwveguide.org…Read more about Phytophthora Blight of Pepper in Midwest Vegetable Production Guide[Read More]
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