Biosecurity is important in horticulture crops too!

Biosecurity, often thought of as a livestock issue, is important in horticulture crops too.  The old adage "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is very true for horticulture biosecurity risks, especially since many issues don't have viable solutions.  Equipment can carry soil-borne pests like clubroot, Verticillium wilt, and nematodes from field to field.  The more soil that gets transported between sites, the higher the risk of infection from these soil-borne pests.  Diseases such as downy mildew, late blight, and angular leaf spot can be inadvertently carried on clothes, boots, and gloves.  Difficult to control weeds such as yellow nutsedge can also be carried from field to field on equipment.

Clubroot can be transmitted on equipment, boots, and eroding soil

Important biosecurity management steps are first to make sure that these diseases and pests don't come on to the farm.  If you know you already have problem areas, takes steps to manage and contain them so that it doesn't spread to the rest of your fields.  Manage your culls and plant certified disease-free seeds and root stock.

To read more about biosecurity risks and how to manage them, check out Perennia's Horticulture Biosecurity Fact Sheet.

Vegetable Industry Consultation and Prioritisation Workshop

We are proud to be hosting a Vegetable Industry Consultation and Prioritisation Workshop on Wednesday December 6th at the Kentville Research Station from 9:30 to 3 pm (lunch included).

The morning will start off with some research updates, followed by discussions about the priorities of the vegetable industry as well as research needs.  An online survey has been recently sent out through Horticulture Nova Scotia to identify Vegetable Research Priorities, you can add your priorities by clicking here. Your participation is essential to identifying industry research needs and your time is greatly appreciated.  All private information will be kept confidential.

After lunch, we will do the annual Vegetable Minor Use Priority Setting.  Please email Gail Walsh to register, or call 902 678-7722 so that we can get a headcount for lunch.

Alliette re-evaluation

Alliette (fosetyl-aluminum) has recently undergone re-evaluation by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency.  Alliette is a systemic fungicide used manage a wide variety of diseases in various crops.  In vegetable production, it is used to control downy mildew in onions, lettuce, spinach, rutabaga, and many Brassicas, as well as white rust in spinach, purple blotch in onions, and damping-off in some greenhouse transplants.

There are a few new measures that have been proposed that may be relevant to Nova Scotia vegetable production.  Always follow the label.  Labels for all pesticides registered in Canada can be found here.

To protect workers entering treated sites, the following measures are proposed:

• Increase REIs for Brassica leafy vegetables (currently 12 hours), onions (currently 12 hours), spinach (currently 12 hours), as well as apples, blackberries, highbush blueberries, red/black raspberries, grapes, and ornamental plants.
• Establish a minimum 12-hour REI for other crops where appropriate.

To protect mixers, loaders and applicators, the following measures are proposed:

• Prohibit the use of fogging equipment (handheld or automated) or handheld mistblowers.
• Wear a chemical-resistant hat for airblast applications.

To read the full decision, please click here. There is a 90-day public consultation period if you wish to make your voice heard.