Authors: Marissa Schuh and Natalie Hoidal
Seasonable weather continues, NOAA is calling for below normal temperatures through the start of September. Read on for information on managing asparagus for maximum yields, updates on tomato ripening, and vine crop pests.
Soil Health Funding Opportunity Through MDA
Applications close the 30th for a unique granting program aimed at helping growers purchase or retrofit equipment to help implement soil health measures. See the MDA’s website for more information: https://www.mda.state.mn.us/soil-health-grant
Crop Updates
Asparagus: Asparagus plants still have another month or so of growth before they go totally dormant for the winter. Towards the end of the season we often see foliar diseases starting to build up. This is important, because disease pressure in the fall can cause early dieback, which translates to less energy stored in the roots for spring. These diseases include rust, purple spot, cercospora leaf spot, and Fusarium. Scout for these diseases this week, and consider a fungicide if you're seeing disease pressure. Towards the end of the fall as the ferns start to senesce, consider removing infected ferns from the field if it is practical to do so at your scale. Read more about these diseases in the MN asparagus guide, and review fungicide options at mwveguide.org.
Carrots: Carrots for fall harvest are chugging along. Surrounding states continue to report high amounts of aster yellows, remove plants you suspect might be infected to reduce reservoirs of the pathogen.
Dry beans: Irrigation can be cut off from dry beans when around 80% of the pods have begun to yellow, and beans can be harvested when the majority of pods are yellow. If you wait to long to harvest (especially with a combine), the likelihood of shattering increases. Read more about dry bean harvest in NDSU's dry bean guide.
Tomatoes: Plants are struggling on a lot of farms. The wet start to the season means plants were stressed from the start with wet feet and being held as transplants, then met in the field with disease pressure. See this earlier article for information on diseases that commonly cause leaf spotting.
We are also getting reports of tomatoes not ripening. Tomato ripening is dependent on temperature, the cool nights we have been having will promote ripening. Many slicers have surprisingly long days to maturity, so if plants went in later than intended, things might just be a running a little behind.
Vine crops: Powdery mildew is becoming more widespread. Most products for this disease work best before the plant is infested. Pumpkins and winter squash need the shade from leaves to protect them from the sun as they finish ripening.
Squash bug damage is becoming more pronounced as nymphs that have been hatching over the course of the last month start to size up. Gray nymphs are the easiest life stage to treat, the older and larger they get, the harder they are to effectively manage with insecticides.
Cucumber beetles are still feeding on all plant parts, including fruit. The feeding is mostly cosmetic, and appears as white, shallow scarring.
Seasonable weather continues, NOAA is calling for below normal temperatures through the start of September. Read on for information on managing asparagus for maximum yields, updates on tomato ripening, and vine crop pests.
Soil Health Funding Opportunity Through MDA
Applications close the 30th for a unique granting program aimed at helping growers purchase or retrofit equipment to help implement soil health measures. See the MDA’s website for more information: https://www.mda.state.mn.us/soil-health-grant
Crop Updates
Asparagus: Asparagus plants still have another month or so of growth before they go totally dormant for the winter. Towards the end of the season we often see foliar diseases starting to build up. This is important, because disease pressure in the fall can cause early dieback, which translates to less energy stored in the roots for spring. These diseases include rust, purple spot, cercospora leaf spot, and Fusarium. Scout for these diseases this week, and consider a fungicide if you're seeing disease pressure. Towards the end of the fall as the ferns start to senesce, consider removing infected ferns from the field if it is practical to do so at your scale. Read more about these diseases in the MN asparagus guide, and review fungicide options at mwveguide.org.
Carrots: Carrots for fall harvest are chugging along. Surrounding states continue to report high amounts of aster yellows, remove plants you suspect might be infected to reduce reservoirs of the pathogen.
Dry beans: Irrigation can be cut off from dry beans when around 80% of the pods have begun to yellow, and beans can be harvested when the majority of pods are yellow. If you wait to long to harvest (especially with a combine), the likelihood of shattering increases. Read more about dry bean harvest in NDSU's dry bean guide.
Tomatoes: Plants are struggling on a lot of farms. The wet start to the season means plants were stressed from the start with wet feet and being held as transplants, then met in the field with disease pressure. See this earlier article for information on diseases that commonly cause leaf spotting.
We are also getting reports of tomatoes not ripening. Tomato ripening is dependent on temperature, the cool nights we have been having will promote ripening. Many slicers have surprisingly long days to maturity, so if plants went in later than intended, things might just be a running a little behind.
Vine crops: Powdery mildew is becoming more widespread. Most products for this disease work best before the plant is infested. Pumpkins and winter squash need the shade from leaves to protect them from the sun as they finish ripening.
Squash bug damage is becoming more pronounced as nymphs that have been hatching over the course of the last month start to size up. Gray nymphs are the easiest life stage to treat, the older and larger they get, the harder they are to effectively manage with insecticides.
Squash bug feeding. Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org
Cucumber beetles are still feeding on all plant parts, including fruit. The feeding is mostly cosmetic, and appears as white, shallow scarring.
Striped cucumber beetle fruit feeding. Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org
Growers are reporting wilting in their vine crops. Potential causes include bacterial wilt, squash vine borer, and soil borne diseases. We are also reaching the point in the season where cucumbers and summer squash are spent after giving what they have to give. Give wilted plants a close look, flipping over leaves and pulling up the crown to see how the roots look.
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