Plant Diseases Management

The Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) is now confirmed in Cecil and Harford Counties in Maryland, and has the potential to be a very significant pest in vineyards. For background information, please see the TimelyVit Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) I—Background, for basic information. This Timely Viticulture was created to give growers information of how to scout for the pest and some management options and strategies.

Now is the time to remove the egg masses that the adult spotted lantern fly (SLF) laid last year. To do this you will need some hand sanitizer, a plastic bag, and a firm card for scraping.

Managing Downy Mildew of Cucurbits

Downy Mildew of Lima Bean

Difenoconazole is a sterol-inhibiting (SI) fungicide recently registered for use on grapes and other fruit. It belongs to FRAC Group 3, along with myclobutanil (Rally), tebuconazole (Elite, Tebuzol, Orius), and fenarimol (Vintage, formerly Rubigan). Difenoconazole protects vines and fruit from powdery mildew (PM), black rot (BR), and Phomopsis cane and leaf spot.

Many vineyards are approaching or already within 30 days of the anticipated harvest date for early wine grape varieties. During this window, grape berries are becoming very susceptible to a variety of late-season rots, such as ripe rot, sour rot, Botrytis bunch rot, and other “secondary-fungi” associated with bunch rots.

For thousands of years, food has been produced utilizing naturally occurring minerals and organic nutrients. Historic discoveries from ancient Rome, to Egypt, to Mexico illustrate that the process of growing food crops heavily relied upon the use of manure and composted plant vegetation.

As wheat approaches flowering, here is a final list of reminders/tips to make the most of your fungicide applications that are targeted to manage Fusarium head blight (head scab):

Agronomy News is a statewide newsletter for farmers, consultants, researchers, and educators interested in grain and row crop forage production systems. The topic for this edition is Cost-Share Grants Expanded, Evaluating Wheat Stands, Fusarium Head Blight Management, Early-Season Wheat Disease Scouting, April IPM Insect Scouting Tips, Cover Crop Termination for 2021, Maryland Circuit Court Judge Reverses Final Maryland AFO Permit, Maryland Ag Land Preservation, Pesticide Disposal Program, Pesticide Recertification Workbook, US Corn & Soybean Planting Acreage Report, Cooperators Needed For On-Farm Nitrogen Trials, What To Do With Thinning Alfalfa Stands, Weather Outlook, and Regional Crop Reports.

The growth period from 2 weeks pre-bloom until 3 to 4 weeks post-bloom is the most critical for protecting foliage, and especially flowers and newly set fruit from black rot (BR), Phomopsis (Ph), powdery mildew (PM), Downy mildew (DM), and Botrytis bunch rot infections.