We recently published an article in the Hotline about gray mold of tomato. That article and more details about this disease can be found here. In this short note, we want to share examples of the relationship of gray mold and tomato plant injury. In the figure 1 above, a pruning injury of tomato in a commercial[Read More…]
Dan Egel
White mold of watermelon – Usually when I write about a vegetable disease it is because the disease may cause important economic loss. Once in a while, however, a disease I find is more a curiosity than a real problem. So, go ahead and read this article about white mold of watermelon. But please don’t worry about[Read More…]
Last week, we were called by a few watermelon growers who reported their newly planted watermelon seedlings were dead (Figure 1 ). After closely inspecting the affected plants, we did not find any pathogens. This reminded us of what happened to our cucumbers back in early April in our high tunnel. We will review[Read More…]
The recent cool and cloudy weather has influenced conditions in the field as well as in greenhouses and high tunnels. I have observed more Botrytis gray mold of tomatoes in greenhouses this spring than usual. This is due in part to the weather. This article will discuss this disease on tomatoes and some management options.[Read More…]
Foliar diseases of cantaloupe and watermelon can be a major negative impact on yield and fruit quality. This article will discuss management tools including cultural measures and fungicide schedules. Know the foliar diseases that are likely to become a problem for Indiana production. The three most common foliar diseases of cantaloupe and watermelon are: Alternaria[Read More…]
Gummy Stem Blight – this fungal disease causes dark brown leaf spots, however, the diagnostic feature of this disease is the water soaked lesion that is often formed under one of the seed leaves (cotyledons). Such lesions often start at the point where the seed leaf joins the stem (hypocotyl) and do not extend to[Read More…]
Recently, this disease was observed in a greenhouse in Indiana. This article will serve as a review of this important disease. The symptoms of bacterial canker vary considerably. In most cases, the edges of the leaves may turn yellow and/or brown. That is, the margins of the leaves may become chlorotic and/or necrotic (Figure 1). This symptom, which[Read More…]
I have never had as many questions about how to use MELCAST as I did in 2015. The interest in this program is growing both here in Indiana and nationally. Read on to find out how to apply fungicides according to the weather and perhaps save money in the process. MELCAST (MELon disease foreCASTer) is[Read More…]
The herbicide Chateau SW® is labeled for several vegetable crops including asparagus, mint, onion, and sweet potato. Recently, several growers asked Purdue University whether this product could be labeled in Indiana for cucurbit production. The answer is that Chateau® is not and will not be labeled for Indiana cucurbit production. We want to use this[Read More…]
Cool season crops such as lettuce are becoming a more popular crop among Indiana greenhouse/high tunnel growers. One of the most important diseases of lettuce is known as lettuce drop. The symptoms of lettuce drop are often noticed after the thinning stage, early in the crop development. The early symptoms may include browning of leaves. Later[Read More…]