Another update has been added for the Midwest Vegetable Production Guide for Commercial Growers 2017. Under Root maggot controls for rutabagas, please substitute the information below for the existing information on page 211. Lorsban 15G at 3.3 fl. oz per 1000 linear ft. of row at planting or Lorsban 4E/Advanced at 1 fl. oz/1000 linear[Read More…]
Dan Egel
Many cantaloupe and watermelon growers are either growing transplants in a greenhouse or are expecting delivery of transplants in the next few weeks. Either way, growers should inspect transplants for disease before planting in the field. Below I will describe several common transplant diseases of cantaloupe and watermelon as well as management options. Gummy stem[Read More…]
Many Indiana growers may have tomato transplants growing in a greenhouse for field or greenhouse/high tunnel production. The three most likely diseases are bacterial spot, bacterial speck and bacterial canker. This article describes symptoms for these diseases and some management options. While these bacterial diseases thrive in transplant production where plants are often overhead watered, these diseases are[Read More…]
Fusarium wilt is one of the most serious diseases of watermelon in the Midwest. The disease often causes a one-sided wilt 2-3 weeks after transplanting. Whether a plant is affected, and to what degree, depends on the population of the long-lived spores in the soil that the roots contact. However, Fusarium wilt of watermelon is[Read More…]
The use of tractor drawn pesticide sprayers is not practical for many smaller growers. Two alternatives are garden-sprayers or backpack sprayers. I will argue here that garden-sprayers are not suited for most commercial pesticide use. The typical garden sprayer that may be found at a garden shop or hardware store usually has a 1 or[Read More…]
The following updates have been made to the Midwest Vegetable Production Guide for Commercial Growers 2017 (ID-56) since it was published in December. These updates have been made to the PDFs published on-line at mwveguide.org. If you have a hard copy of the ID-56, please note these changes. Page 59-Additional plant families and example crops[Read More…]
Small vegetable growers may find pesticide applications with a tractor driven sprayers impractical. Such growers may turn to hand sprayers. In a separate article, I argued that garden sprayers are not appropriate for most commercial pesticide applications. In this article, I will discuss the use and calibration of a backpack sprayer, an excellent alternative to[Read More…]
Almost every year, I have a greenhouse tomato grower or two call me about tomato plants that are distorted and don’t seem to be growing right. The problem often turns out to be ethylene damage. This year, I have decided to write an article about it before I get those calls. Tomato plants with ethylene damage[Read More…]
As Thanksgiving approaches, I have noticed that the gourds I set out before Halloween are starting to rot. But before I throw them away, what is causing the lesions? The circular lesions that can be seen in Figure 1 and 2 are symptoms of anthracnose of gourd. That is, the pathogen that is causing the[Read More…]
Vegetable growers are familiar with pesticide labels that specify how much of a product may be applied. As commercial growers, we usually think about such instructions as telling us how much pesticide is the right amount to apply to a crop to be effective. While such an interpretation is correct, there is more to the labeled rates[Read More…]