Cucurbit Downy Mildew was detected in New Jersey on June 13th, 2023

The first incidence of Cucurbit Downy Mildew was detected in New Jersey, United States on June 13th, 2023. Previously (in 2021 and 2022) Clade II has been detected in Nova Scotia, in the Annapolis Valley region, which predominantly infects cucumbers and cantaloupes. Clade I, which affects watermelon, pumpkin, squash, and zucchini has not yet been detected, but monitoring should still be undertaken in these crops on the chance that it does make an appearance.

It is important that growers remain vigilant and scout their fields regularly for this disease, as spores may be blown into the province by storm systems in the United States. We are not recommending protectant fungicides at this point in time, but strongly recommend weekly scouting for disease.  Downy mildew may be identified initially as water-soaked lesions that appear on the top side of the leaf, which may first appear on any region of the canopy. The most ideal time to identify these lesions are during or right after a heavy dew. The centre of the lesion initially appears chlorotic or yellow before eventually the tissue dies, becoming brown or necrotic (Fig 1 and 2). This disease is very fast spreading, the lesions will continue to spread across the canopy, and quickly kill the entire plant if left unchecked.  When conditions are humid, a “downy growth” may be observed on the underside of the initial water-soaked lesions. These symptoms may first appear before lesions on the upper leaf. This growth is particularly apparent in the morning, after a period of wet weather or dew formation.

Growers must stay vigilant, scout often, and report any positive findings they may see.

 

Figure 1: Chlorotic lesions associated with downy mildew infection on cucurbits.

Figure 2: Necrotic lesions associated with downy mildew infection on cucurbits.

If you suspect downy mildew in your field, please contact Dustin MacLean, the Field Plant Pathologist at dustinmaclean@perennia.ca or 902 324-9623.

 

 

Posted by Dustin Maclean, Horticulturalist and Field Plant Pathologist with Perennia

Be on the Lookout for Cucurbit Downy Mildew in Nova Scotia

Cucurbit downy mildew was detected in Nova Scotia for the first time in 2021 in Annapolis, Kings, and Hants Counties. It has not yet been found in Nova Scotia in 2022, but has been reported in New Jersey, USA on June 11^th, 2022. Currently, only Clade II has been discovered in Nova Scotia, which predominantly infects cucumbers and cantaloupes. Clade I, which affects watermelon, pumpkin, squash, and zucchini has not yet been detected, but monitoring should still be undertaken in these crops on the chance that it does make an appearance.

It is important that growers remain vigilant and scout their fields regularly for this disease, as spores may be blown into the province by storm systems in the United States. We are not recommending protectant fungicides at this point in time, but strongly recommend weekly scouting for disease.  Downy mildew may be identified initially as water-soaked lesions that appear on the top side of the leaf, which may first appear on any region of the canopy. The most ideal time to identify these lesions are during or right after a heavy dew. The centre of the lesion initially appears chlorotic or yellow before eventually the tissue dies, becoming brown or necrotic (Fig 1 and 2). This disease is very fast spreading, the lesions will continue to spread across the canopy, and quickly kill the entire plant if left unchecked.  When conditions are humid, a “downy growth” may be observed on the underside of the initial water-soaked lesions. These symptoms may first appear before lesions on the upper leaf. This growth is particularly apparent in the morning, after a period of wet weather or dew formation.

Growers must stay vigilant, scout often, and report any positive findings they may see.

 

Figure 1: Chlorotic lesions associated with downy mildew infection on cucurbits.

Figure 2: Necrotic lesions associated with downy mildew infection on cucurbits.

If you suspect downy mildew in your field, please contact Dustin MacLean, the Field Plant Pathologist at dustinmaclean@perennia.ca or 902 324-9623.

 

 

Posted by Dustin Maclean, Horticulturalist and Field Plant Pathologist with Perennia

Upcoming Perennia events

The Dirt on Dirt: Sustainable Soils on the South Shore  
Please join Amy Sangster, Perennia Soils Specialist, Rosalie Gillis-Madden, Perennia Vegetable Specialist, and Brian MacCulloch, NSDA Agriculture Resource Coordinator, for an afternoon focusing on soils, potting mixes, and transplant health.

Tuesday March 27, 2018 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Provincial Building Boardroom, 312 Green St. Lunenburg, NS

More details can be found on the Facebook event here.

Registration is required, please contact Gail Walsh 1-877-710-5210 (toll-free) or 902-678-7722 to register by March 23, 2018.

Pest Management in the Hopyard

There are many factors to consider when managing pests in a hopyard: life-cycle of the organism, good Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques, mode of action and efficacy of the products, and pesticide application efficiency. Pesticide Points will be available.

April 5th from 2-4 pm

This workshop is designed for growers with existing hopyards and will be informative for organic, conventional, and spray-free growers.

A session will be held in-person at the Perennia offices at the Kentville Research Station (32 Main Street, Kentville, NS) OR you can join remotely from

• The Truro Perennia offices (199 Dr Bernie MacDonald Drive, Bible Hill, NS)

• The Antigonish NSDA offices (190 Beechhill Road, Antigonish, NS)

More details can be found on the Facebook event here. Please contact Gail Walsh 1-877-710-5210 (toll-free) or gwalsh@perennia.ca to register by April 3, 2018, so we can be sure to accommodate numbers.

Sprayer Efficacy Workshop - Location

The Sprayer Efficacy Workshop will take place on Thursday, July 20, 2017 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm.  The approximate street address is 9780 NS-201, Wilmot, NS.  Keep your eyes peeled for Perennia signs!
 


If you contact Gail Walsh 1-877-710-5210 (toll-free) she will email you a map.


Perennia IPM Specialist Peter Burgess and Vegetable Specialist Rosalie Madden will discuss nozzle selection, canopy penetration, and the importance of water volume!  Pesticide points available.

Thursday, July 20, 2017 

Spurr Brothers Farms, Melvern Square 

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Sprayer Efficacy Workshop

Please join Perennia Integrated Pest Management Specialist Peter Burgess and Vegetable Specialist Rosalie Madden for a discussion about sprayer efficacy.

We will discuss nozzle selection, canopy penetration, and the importance of water volume!  Pesticide points available.

Thursday, July 20, 2017 

Spurr Brothers Farms, Melvern Square 

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Please contact Gail Walsh 1-877-710-5210 (toll-free) or gwalsh@perennia.ca to register by July 17, 2017.

Be sure to give Gail your e-mail address as we will send out a map of the field locations the day before the workshop.

 

Compost Tea

Perennia hosted a workshop on Tuesday, May 17^th, 2016 at the Wolfville Farmer’s Market.  In attendance were some of Perennia’s summer students.  Jonathan Bent, Tamara Dondi, and Jessica MacDonald have written up a brief overview of the morning’s discussion.

Dale Overton, President of Overton Environmental Enterprises Inc. (OEE) situated in Manitoba, held a talk in Wolfville, NS outlining the science behind Eco-Tea. Eco Tea is actively aerated compost tea, infused with an organic blend of humic and fulvic acids, Atlantic kelp extract, complex carbohydrates and enzymes.  Humic acid can be found in compost and acts as a chelating agent, which increases the availability of nutrients to plants and prevents nutrients from leaching.

Eco-Tea is made from four different types of compost. To reduce the number of pathogens, the compost goes through a thermophilic stage where it is heated enough to work against the growth of pathogens.  When making the compost it is essential that air (oxygen) is allowed to move through the pile because anaerobic conditions (no oxygen) favour the development of disease. The compost aims to support the growth of a complex microbial community which will outnumber pathogenic organisms.

A broad definition of compost tea is that it is a liquid extract of compost. In general, compost tea contains nearly 20,000 different species of microorganisms. Similar to when making compost, the goal when brewing compost tea is to produce conditions in which beneficial microbes can grow.
Other things can be added to the tea as well, such as grain meals (food for the microbes), minerals, and bio-stimulants.  Bio-stimulants are not added to the compost until the end to allow enough time for the beneficial organisms to build a complex community. 

If a fungicide is being applied, Dale recommends waiting to spray the tea for 5 to 7 days to limit the detrimental effect of the fungicide on the beneficial microbes in the compost tea.  Sprays should go on either before 10:00 am or after 6:00 pm using a field-jet nozzle, with no filters. For transplants, he recommends a 50:50 dilution in water.

For more information about compost tea, please check out this eXtension webinar: http://articles.extension.org/pages/73211/making-and-using-compost-teas

*** Note that compost teas can pose a food safety risk. To minimize the food safety risk, only use compost tea produced under conditions that are not a source of biological (e.g., pathogens), chemical (e.g., heavy metals) or physical (glass) contamination, and with a documented composting procedure.  Compost teas are approved for use under the CanadaGAP Food Safety Program but their use does require that a letter of assurance from the supplier be filed with the CanadaGap records. For additional information refer to Section 4 and Appendix C of your CanadaGap Manual. ***