Author: James Jasinski

Striped Cucumber Beetles Appearing Soon at a Field Near YOU!

Jim Jasinski (Extension), Ashley Leach (Entomology)

It’s been cool and wet in most of Ohio slowing most planting schedules but cucurbit planting is poised to hit it’s stride toward the end of May through mid-June. This means growers need to be on the lookout for the primary early season pest of pumpkin, squash, melons, cucumbers and zucchini, the striped cucumber beetle.

Striped cucumber beetle adult.

These adult beetles are overwintering now but will begin actively searching for cucurbit seedlings to feed on, sometimes inflicting severe enough damage to outright kill plants. Recall that while seedlings can survive and outgrow minor beetle damage, it is key to avoid severe damage to seedlings in order to prevent bacterial wilt transmission while the plants are most susceptible, typically prior to the 3-4 leaf stage. Bacterial wilt infected plants will become symptomatic once there is high demand to translocate water from the roots to the shoots, such as the time of fruit enlargement. No treatments are available to reduce bacterial wilt once a plant is infected.

Bacterial wilt infected plant in foreground, healthy plant in background.

Scouting newly emerged cucurbit plantings every few days is essential to determine if enough beetles or damage is occurring to warrant treatment. Action thresholds vary from 0.5 – 1 beetle per plant for cotyledon and 1st leaf stage seedlings to 1-2 beetles per plant for 3-4 leaf stage seedlings. Scout about 50 plants in both edge and interior areas throughout the field, flipping over leaves and especially looking under cotyledons to accurately determine beetle pressure and damage.

Severely damage cotyledon by striped cucumber beetle feeding.

Foliar insecticide recommendations for all cucurbit crops can be found in the Midwest Vegetable Production Guide (https://mwveguide.org/uploads/pdfs/Cucurbit-Crops.pdf).

To prepare for the arrival of striped cucumber beetles, consider reviewing a short but detailed video of several management options (beetles/plant thresholds, systemic seed treatment, use of transplants and in-furrow application) posted to the OSU IPM YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/RSzTT_gbma4).

A quick word about using insecticides to manage early season beetle populations. Based on your farm history with damage from this pest, field size, time of direct seeding or transplanting, you may not experience peak beetle pressure and can manage this pest by frequently scouting seedlings and treating if over threshold, the old fashioned IPM method!

If you purchased systemic insecticide coated seed (FarMore FI 400) which is very effective at controlling beetles, as evidenced by the pile of dead cucumber beetles on and near the treated plant, be aware that trace residues will accumulate in the pollen and nectar. If foraging honey bees, bumble bees, squash bees and other pollinators collect these food resources they may not be outright killed but more subtle sub-lethal effects on brood such as reduced feeding, fewer wax cells constructed, fewer eggs laid and other effects might occur. So, decisions about pesticide selection, pest severity, timing and non-target impacts should be considered before use.

Dead cucumber beetles at base of systemic insecticide treated plant. Courtesy of Celeste Welty.

If using FarMore FI 400 treated seed to raise transplants, do not treat them again with a systemic insecticide product during field setting as this will increase the residues found in pollen and nectar. If applying systemic products in-furrow, using the lowest labeled rate will still provide great beetle control for 2-3 weeks.

Mustard Project to Help Pollinators  

Jim Jasinski (OSU Extension), Chia Lin & Reed Johnson (OSU Entomology), Hongmei Li-Byarlay (Central State University)

Brassica cover crops like mustard (Brassica juncea) and rapeseed (Brassica napus) can be a good fit in some production systems, providing a range of benefits such as soil health, soil biofumigation and pollinator health.

Blooming mustard crop.

Recently it was reported that the natural biocides (glucosinolate compounds) produced by mustard plants could mitigate infections of Nosema (a fungal parasite) in honey bee colonies.  If glucosinolates are present in mustard pollen, mustard blossoms may provide the dual benefits of food source and disease control for honey bees.

To test that hypothesis, a two-year multi-site research project led by Dr. Chia Lin was recently funded to look at the effects of spring (mid-April) and late summer (late July) planted mustard as a cover crop to provide abundant pollen to foraging bees in order to measure specific effects on colony health. Both lab and field studies will be used to identify how much mustard pollen is collected by the bees and beneficial aspects of the targeted mustard planting on reducing Nosema impact on honey bees and improving winter survival of bee colonies.  Stay tuned for updates on this project.

Mustard cover crop emerging from one of the research sites.

HAL 9000 Meets Insect Monitoring: Introducing Trapview Camera Traps

Delta style Trapview trap in apple orchard with solar charger, humidity sensor and antennae.

Jim Jasinski, Frank Becker (Extension); Ashley Leach (Entomology)

Well, not quite HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The Ohio State University IPM Program and Department of Entomology have maintained an insect pest monitoring network for over three decades. Typically, pests are monitored using either sticky traps, scent-based traps or pheromone traps.

As trapping technology has evolved, OSU is now experimenting with Trapview camera traps that purport to identify pests captured internally on sticky film using Artificial Intelligence (AI) software. Each AI identified pest is then reviewed and verified by a trained employee for accuracy. While the camera based traps are relatively expensive compared to traditional monitoring traps ($650 apiece), they require very little maintenance except pheromone lure replacement. The cost savings will come from time saved physically inspecting the trap every few days or weekly throughout the season. The number of pests identified by the AI is tallied per day and shown on a website and app, along with a picture of the pests on the sticky panel inside the trap.

Trapview representative shows trap setup features.

Through a grant from Ohio Vegetable and Small Fruit Research and Development Program, five Trapview traps will be evaluated at three locations (Wooster (3), Celeryville (1), South Charleston (1)) on three different pests (Corn earworm (2), Grape berry moth (1), Codling moth (2)) compared to the standard trap for each pest. Updates on how well these AI based traps compare to standard traps will be reported at various times throughout the season.

Image capture inside Trapview trap. Insects caught are non-targets, otherwise they would be highlighted by green box indicating positive ID.

Insect Management & Vegetable IPM Survey – Last Call

Researchers at Purdue University and the College of Wooster are requesting responses from vegetable growers in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions to learn more about their insect pest management practices to help direct pest management research and extension programs in specialty crop production!

QR code to participate in survey

Spotted-wing Drosophila Webinar

Spotted-wing Drosophila is an invasive pest Ohio strawberry, peach, bramble and blue berry growers have been forced to deal with since 2011. This SWD team webinar will review the most recent information and tools for managing this pest. See details below.

We are excited to announce the 2022 SCRI NIFA Spotted-Wing Drosophila Management Team Webinar on Thursday, December 8th, 2022 at 12:00pm EST. This one hour webinar, titled “Advances in Behavior-Based Tactics for Management of Spotted-Wing Drosophila” will focus on behavioral control with a brief update on biological control. Researchers will present recent findings as well as highlight recent advancements in behavior-based strategies to control spotted-wing drosophila.

To register for this webinar, please follow this link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WSqvqIkESmWY0Lv_p40Oig

SWD webinar details

2022 Pumpkin and Squash Hybrid Trial Results

What better day to post the pumpkin and squash hybrid trial results than Halloween?

A pumpkin and squash hybrid demonstration trial was conducted at the Western Ag Research Station in South Charleston, OH. In order to have mature fruit for the late August field day, the following longer season hybrids were seeded early and transplanted on May 31: Giltedge Gold, Quigley Gold, Igor, Bannack Gold, Death Star, Tons of Fun, Sweet Baby Jane, Spartacus, Garnet Gold, Fireball, Autumn Frost and Icicle. The remaining eight hybrids were also direct seeded on May 31, bringing the total number of hybrids in the trial to 20. Hybrids in the trial included traditional orange jack-o-lantern fruit, other colorful or textured fruit, various edible ornamental squash types, and some recently released hybrids (Table 1).

The trial focuses on demonstrating host plant resistance to powdery mildew, as well as observing general plant health and vine growth. A second function of the trial is to evaluate hybrid fruit size, shape, color, etc. and to obtain some estimates of yield, average fruit weight and number of fruit per acre based on our production methods.

Each plot in the trial was 60’ long and planted on 15’ row centers (0.02A per plot). There was no replication of the plots, all data was collected from a single plot. In-row plant spacing was set at 3.5’ for all hybrids. Despite using FarMore FI400 treated seeds when possible some additional seedling losses occurred due to bacterial wilt infections. Some plants were also lost to mid-season infestations of squash vine borer. Reduced stand is noted in Table 1.

For weed control, Strategy (4pt) plus Dual (1.3pt) plus glyphosate (32oz) per acre was applied pre-emergent followed by Sandea (1oz/A) between the rows prior to the vines running. Hand hoeing and pulling on weekly basis prevented major weed escapes. Based on soil sampling no P or K was applied but ca. 75 lb N was sidedressed using 28-0-0 on June 24.

Table 1. Hybrids in trial and associated development notes. * = reduced stand, BW = bacterial wilt, BLS = bacterial leaf spot

Harvest data was collected on September 1 as the majority of plots showed 95+% mature fruit. From each plot, four representative fruit were clipped and weighed, with all other remaining mature and immature fruit counted and used to estimate yield data per acre. Please keep in mind this report only provides an estimate of yield and fruit potential based on our production methods which are likely quite different than traditional production farms. If harvest was delayed a few weeks later in the season, yield estimates would likely increase as immature fruit become mature.

Table 2. Hybrid trial yield data. * = reduced stand.

For powdery and downy mildew control, fungicides were initially applied July 25 but then re-applied on a 7-10 day schedule throughout the season following proper resistance management rotation guidelines. The last application was made on August 26. Spray applications were made at 36 GPA and 65 PSI using hollow cone nozzles.

 A group photo of all the fruit in the trial can be found in Figure 1, with a basketball and softball for size reference.

Figure 1. Group shot of 2022 pumpkin and squash fruit with basketball and softball as a size reference. On straw bales (L to R) Giltedge Gold, Lemonade, Eros, Fireball, Hermes, Garnet Gold, Spartacus. Large fruit in front of straw bales (L to R) Quigley Gold, Tons of Fun, Igor, Bannack Gold, Death Star, Sweet Baby Jane. Small fruit in front of straw bales (L to R) Autumn Frost, Autumn Pearl, Fort Knox, Winter Blush, Moon Stacker, Icicle, Warty Gnome.

If you have any questions about the trial, please feel free to contact Jim Jasinski, Jasinski.4@osu.edu.

Proper winterizing and storing your sprayer now help you mitigate costly problems in the spring

It is very likely that you will not be using your sprayer again until next spring. If you want to avoid potential problems and save yourself from frustration and major headaches next spring, you will be wise to give your sprayer a little bit of TLC (Tender Loving Care) this time of the year. Yes, there may be still crop to be harvested, and you may still be a busy time of the year for some of you. However, do not forget about winterizing your sprayer. Do not delay it too long, if you already have not done so. You don’t want a pump that is cracked and/or not working at its full capacity because you did not properly winterize it before the temperature falls below freezing.  Here are some important things you need to do with your sprayer this time of the year.

Rinsing

It is very likely that you did the right thing when you used the sprayer the last time: you rinsed the whole system (tank, hoses, filters, nozzles) thoroughly. If you did not, make sure this is done before storing the sprayer. A sprayer that is not rinsed thoroughly after each use, and especially after the spraying season is over, may lead to cross-contamination of products applied for different crops next spring. Pay even more attention to avoid cross-contamination problems that may result in serious crop injury if you are using some of the new 2,4-D and Dicamba herbicides. Another problem that may result from lack of, or insufficient rinsing of the complete sprayer parts is clogged nozzles. Once the nozzles are clogged, and they remain in that condition a long time, it is extremely difficult to bring them back to their normal operating conditions you expect from a comparable clean nozzle. Leaving chemical residues in nozzles will usually lead to changes in their flow rates, as well as in their spray patterns resulting in uneven distribution of chemicals on the target.

Depending on the tank, proper rinsing of the interior of the tank could be easy or challenging. It will be very easy if the tank is relatively new and is equipped with special rinsing nozzles and mechanism inside the tank. If this is not the case, manual rinsing of the tank interior is more difficult, and poses some safety problems such as inhaling fumes of leftover chemicals during the rinsing process. To avoid these problems, either replace the tank with one that has the interior rinse nozzles, or install an interior tank rinse system in your existing tank.

For effective rinsing of all the sprayer components, circulate clean water through the whole sprayer parts several minutes first with the nozzles off, then flush out the rinsate through the nozzles. Rinsing should be done preferably in the field, or on a concrete chemical mixing/loading pad with a sump to recover rinse water. Regardless, dispose of the rinsate according to what is recommended on the labels of the pesticides you have used. Always check the label for specific instructions. However, most labels recommend following procedure: If rinsing is done on a concrete rinse pad with a sump, put the rinsate collected in the sump back in the tank, dilute it with water and spray it in the field where there is no potential for the rinsate to reach ditches and other water bodies nearby. If the rinsing is done in the field, make sure you are not flushing out the rinsate in the system in one area. It is best to further dilute the rinse water in the tank and, spray it on the field on areas where there is no potential for the rinsate to reach ditches and other water bodies nearby.

Cleaning

Rinsing the system with water as explained above may not be sufficient to get rid of chemicals from the sprayer. This may lead to cross-contamination problems. Residues of some pesticides left in the sprayer may cause serious problems when a spray mixture containing these residual materials is applied on a crop that is highly sensitive to that pesticide. To avoid such problems, it is best to clean and rinse the entire spraying system with some sort of a cleaning solution. Usually, a mixture of 1 to 100 of household ammonia to water should be adequate for cleaning the tank, but you may first need to clean the tank with a mixture containing detergent if tank was not cleaned weeks ago, right after the last spraying job was done. Some chemicals require specific rinsing solution. There is an excellent Extension Publication from University of Missouri which lists many commonly used pesticides and the specific rinsing solutions required for them. It is available online. Check it out (http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G4852). However, you should always check the product label to find out the most recent recommendations on cleaning agents.

Cleaning the outside of the sprayer components deserves equal attention. Remove compacted deposits with a bristle brush. Then flush the exterior parts of the equipment with water. A high-pressure washer can be used, if available. Wash the exterior of the equipment either in the field away from ditches and water sources nearby, or a specially constructed concrete rinse pad with a sump. Again, the rinsate should be disposed of according to the label recommendations. As I mentioned earlier, most labels recommend the same practice: put the rinsate collected in the sump back in the tank, dilute it with water and spray it in the field where there is no potential for the rinsate to reach ditches and other water bodies nearby.

Winterizing

Check one more time to make sure there is no liquid left inside any of the sprayer parts to prevent freezing. Especially the pump, the heart of a sprayer, requires special care. You don’t want a pump that is cracked and/or not working at its full capacity because you did not properly winterize it before the temperature falls below freezing.  After draining the water, add a small amount of oil, and rotate the pump four or five revolutions by hand to completely coat interior surfaces.  Make sure that this oil is not going to damage rubber rollers in a roller pump or rubber parts in a diaphragm pump. Check the operator’s manual. If oil is not recommended, pouring one tablespoon of radiator rust inhibitor in the inlet and outlet part of the pump also keeps the pump from corroding. Another alternative is to put automotive antifreeze with rust inhibitor in the pump and other sprayer parts. This also protects against corrosion and prevents freezing in case all the water is not drained. To prevent corrosion, remove nozzle tips and strainers, dry them, and store them in a dry place. Putting them in a can of light oil such as diesel fuel or kerosene is another option.

Storage

Find ways to protect your sprayer against the harmful effects of snow, rain, sun, and strong winds. Moisture in the air, whether from snow, rain, or soil, rusts metal parts of unpro­tected equipment of any kind. This is especially true for a sprayer, because there are all kinds of hoses, rubber gaskets and plastic pieces all around a sprayer. Yes, the sun usually helps reduce moisture in the air, but it also causes damage. Ultraviolet light softens and weakens rubber materials such as hoses and tires and degrades some tank materials. The best protection from the environment is to store sprayers in a dry building. Storing sprayers in a building also gives you a chance to work on them any time during the off-season regardless of weather. If storing in a building is not possible, try covering the sprayer with some material that will protect it from sun, rain and snow. When storing trailer-type sprayers, put blocks under the frame or axle and reduce tire pressure during storage.

Finally, check the condition of all sprayer parts one more time before leaving the sprayer behind. Identify the parts that may need to be worked on, or replaced. Check the tank, and hoses to make sure there are no signs of cracks starting to take place. Check the painted parts of the sprayer for scratched spots. Touch up these areas with paint to eliminate corrosion. By the way, don’t forget to cover openings so that birds don’t make a nest somewhere in your sprayer, and insects, dirt, and other foreign material cannot get into the system.

Erdal Ozkan, Professor and Extension Agricultural engineer, can be reached at 614-292-3006, or ozkan.2@osu.edu.

Weather Update: Cool, Dry Weather Continues

This article was originally posted in the CORN newsletter, 2022-34, written by Aaron Wilson.

After making landfall as a destructive Category 4 storm with winds to 155 mph along the southwest coast of Florida last week and another landfall in the Carolinas, the remnants of Hurricane Ian skirted across our far southeastern counties over the weekend with generally light rain and gusty winds (Figure 1). Elsewhere, lake-effect rain showers earlier in the week impacted counties in the northeast, but much of the state was dry. Temperatures have been running 3-10°F below normal for the past 7 days as well. Cool temperatures are limiting impacts from an overall drying trend across much of western and southern Ohio, but this is a good environment to continue drying crops ahead of harvest. The situation should be monitored in the coming weeks though for the potetnial for field and combine fires as the forecast indicates continued dry condtions. For the latest up-to-date conditions, seasonal outlooks, and monthly climate summaries, please visit the State Climate Office of Ohio.

Figure 1). Total precipitation over the period September 27- October 3, 2022. Figure courtesy of the Midwestern Regional Climate Center (https://mrcc.purdue.edu).

Figure 1). Total precipitation over the period September 27- October 3, 2022. Figure courtesy of the Midwestern Regional Climate Center (https://mrcc.purdue.edu).

Forecast
High pressure will keep fair skies and calm winds locked over the state for Tuesday through Thursday. After a chilly start in the 30s on Tuesday morning with scattered frost, temperatures will moderate throughout the week with highs in the mid to upper 60s (north) to mid to upper 70s (south). A series of cold fronts will sweep through late in the week with spotty showers possible on Friday. Cooler air will filter into the state with highs on Friday and Saturday only likely to reach the upper 40s to mid 50s, with overnight lows well down into the low to mid 30s. This raises the possability of some areas of Ohio (e.g., NW and NE) reaching their first fall freeze conditions (temperatures < 32°F); though at this time, upper 20s are not likely. For more informaton on historical fall freeze conditions, check out October Usually Brings Our First Fall Freeze also in this week’s C.O.R.N. Newsletter.

The Weather Prediction Center is forecasting less than 0.10 of an inch of precipitation in Ohio this week (Figure 2).

Figure 2). Precipitation forecast from the Weather Prediction Center for 8pm Monday October 3 – 8pm Monday October 10, 2022.

Figure 2). Precipitation forecast from the Weather Prediction Center for 8pm Monday October 3 – 8pm Monday October 10, 2022.

The Climate Prediction Center’s 6–10-day outlook for the period of October 9 – 13, 2022 and the 16-Day Rainfall Outlook from NOAA/NWS/Ohio River Forecast Centershow temperatures and precipitation are leaning toward below normal levels (Figure 3). Climate averages include a high-temperature range of 68-72°F, a low-temperature range of 46-50°F, and average weekly total precipitation of about 0.70 inches.

Figure 3) Climate Prediction Center 6-10 Day Outlook valid for October 9 – 13, 2022, for left) temperatures and right) precipitation. Colors represent the probability of below, normal, or above normal conditions.

Figure 3) Climate Prediction Center 6-10 Day Outlook valid for October 9 – 13, 2022, for left) temperatures and right) precipitation. Colors represent the probability of below, normal, or above normal conditions.

October Usually Brings Our First Fall Freeze

The article below was originally posted in the CORN newsletter, 2022-34, written by Aaron Wilson and Eric Richer.

The calendar has turned to October, and with it, harvest and fall activities will accelerate over the next few weeks. We have already experienced a few chilly nights this past week with patchy frost in some areas, but when do we typically see our first freeze conditions? This first (last) official freeze is defined as the first fall (spring) day where the overnight low reaches 32°F.

The Midwest Regional Climate Center (MRCC) has developed a new Freeze Date Tool (https://mrcc.purdue.edu/freeze/freezedatetool.html) that relies on historical temperature data at the county level back to 1950 and allows users to select a freeze temperature threshold between 20°F and 40°F to visualize the earliest, average, and latest fall or spring event. For instance, many of us are interested in the hard freeze threshold of 28°F, the temperature at which our corn and soybean growing season comes to an end.

Figure 1 shows the average first fall freeze date for areas of the eastern corn belt for the period 1950-2021 using the 32°F threshold. The online version allows users to hover their mouse over a county of choice to view the average freeze date for that county. For instance, the Knox County average is October 8, October 11 in Darke and Fulton Counties, and October 17 in Fayette County. Areas near bigger cities like Cleveland and Cincinnati have first freeze dates closer to the end of the month.

Figure 1: Average first fall freeze (32°F) for the period 1950-2021. Figure courtesy of the Midwest Regional Climate Center.

Temperatures are expected to flirt with 32°F on Tuesday morning and again Saturday and Sunday mornings. Still, most of the earliest dates and even the earliest 10% of dates on record occurred in late September, so we are beyond those thresholds. More recent first freeze dates have been occurring later in the year, with some counties reporting a trend of more than 3 days later per decade (~21 days later over the full period). The Freeze Tool also allows users to view these trends as well as more detailed analysis for individual counties.

Other MRCC climate related tools are available with cli-MATE. For instance, Figure 2 shows the probability of an earlier freeze in the fall for the Wauseon Water Plant in Fulton County using data over the last 30 years. Note that 50% of the time, a hard freeze (28°F) occurs by October 30th (green line) for this site. These graphs can be generated for stations across the state.

Figure 2: Probabilities of an earlier freeze in the fall for five temperature thresholds for the Wauseon Water Plant in Fulton, County Ohio. Figure courtesy of the Midwestern Regional Climate Center.

Reminder – Pumpkin and Sunflower Field Day – August 25

For over 20 years The Ohio State University has held a pumpkin field day as a source of production and pest management information for both new and experienced growers. This year we will be adding some flair as we begin to tackle the production and pest management issues surrounding the popular trend of sunflower fields for photography and cut flowers as an additional source of revenue on diversified farms. For growers who want to learn about two popular fall attractions, pumpkins and sunflowers, this is a field day that can’t be missed.

Pumpkin and sunflower

The field day will be divided roughly in half, with the first hour focused on sunflower topics ranging from grower experiences in production (Matt Sullivan, grower) to impacts from the ag tourism perspective (Kate Hornyak, OSU). A nine-hybrid sunflower demo strip trial will be in various stages of bloom for attendees to walk through and examine.

The second hour will focus on pumpkin production and pest management, with presentations on managing pollinators in cucurbits (Ashley Leach, OSU), foliar fertilizers and plant nutrition (Bryan Reed, Sunrise), a review of powdery mildew fungicide management followed by a walk through the 24 pumpkin and squash hybrid trial (Jim Jasinski, OSU).

The field day will be held August 25 at the Western Ag Research Station, 7721 S. Charleston Pike, South Charleston Ohio. The field day will begin promptly at 5:30 PM and end at 7:30 PM. Pre-registration is required for attendance and there is a $5 charge per person for handouts and refreshments (and likely a few sunflowers).

Pre-register by Aug. 23 at this link: https://go.osu.edu/pumpsun22

More details are listed on the attached flyer.
Pumpkin and Sunflower 2022 Flyer