Garlic - Watch for White Rot

The garlic crop in general overwintered well and scapes are emerging these days. As you all know, those needs to be removed before they unwind. This is also a time to monitor for diseases. The most devastating disease of the onion family is White Rot and it was unfortunately found in Nova Scotia in the past growing season.

Leaves of plants infected with the White Rot pathogen show yellowing, leaf dieback, and wilting. Leaf decay begins at the base, with older leaves being the first to collapse. 

Roots also rot, and the plant can be easily pulled from the ground. Associated with the rot is a fluffy white growth which develops around the base of the bulb.

As the disease progresses, the mycelium becomes more compacted with numerous small black bodies. These sclerotia, the resting bodies of White Rot, are approximately the size of poppy seed and may persist in soil for over 20 years.

Healthy Garlic Crop

Garlic with signs of White Rot infection

If you are interested in a CD copy of the talks on Diseases by Rick Delbridge from the Garlic Workshop held in March 2012, please call Gail at (902) 678-7722.  We will ten copies at the office by Monday and then hope to have them available on line shortly thereafter.

Cabbage Maggot Control

Cabbage maggot is one of the most destructive pests of cole crops in the Maritimes. The first generation is the most important to control because plants are small and very susceptible to damage.

The best control method consists of preventing the flies from laying eggs. Physical barriers such as row covers or netting of fine screening can be used for this purpose. The research shows that these can be as effective as insecticide application as long as it is placed over the crop immediately after the seeding (rutabaga) or transplanting (cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli).  In order to be effective, there must be no gaps or tears in the material, the material must be placed over the crop before or immediately upon crop emergence or transplanting, and no hosts of the pests should have been grown on that site the previous year. It is also important to bury the edges of the netting so that  cabbage maggot flies cannot get under the edges, and to allow the cover to be a little loose so the plants have room to grow.

Large commercial planting will have to be treated with insecticide for cabbage maggot. For more information please visit: http://www.agrapoint.ca/Pest%20Management%20Guides/Vegetables/2012/Cole%20Crops%202012.pdf

Given that the first generation of cabbage maggot was strong in 2012 it is fair to expect that the second generation which is less severe might be significant.

Rutabaga grown under netting.

Welcome to 2012 Vegetable Blog!

It has been a phenomenal spring for vegetable crops establishment, growth and development. Despite some frost injury late in April crops in general are doing very well. Majority of crops are 7-14 days ahead of last year. This is a good news for vegetable farmers as being early in the market usually means higher prices. It also allows growers to expand the harvest window for longer season crops and better contribute to a farm's bottom line.

The lack of precipitation is a concern to vegetable producers. In the month of April, Kentville recorded 54.5mm of rain (10 year average of 85.4mm) while the month of May has been even drier with total precipitation of 25.5mm (compare to 84.7mm 10 year average). Last year during the month of May, Kentville recorded 170 mm of rain!!!

The warm and dry weather has accelerated insect development. Insects such as cabbage maggot, flea bettle and Colorado potato beetle are in much greater numbers that in previous years. Cucumer bettle has already emerged.

Aside from keeping crops irrigated growers will be busy to manage what I would call greater insect pressure than what we experienced in previous years.

Let's cross our fingers that we receive moisture soon so that crops can continue to prosper and this great start of a season ends on a high note.