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Vegetables
Volume 61 Number 13 Date 07/28/2016


SQUASH BUG - Extension personnel and vegetable growers continue to report damaging squash bug populations on cucumber, summer squash and zucchini. The simplest control is to remove the eggs, nymphs and adults from plants, and submerge the bugs in a bucket of soapy water. Gardeners are also advised to dispose of dead leaves and other plant material which can harbor large numbers of nymphs.

BLOSSOM END ROT - This disorder of tomatoes, peppers, watermelons and squash is appearing in gardens as tomatoes ripen. The dark, water-soaked spot that starts at the blossom end of the fruit and enlarges around the fruit surface is caused by calcium deficiency or inconsistent soil moisture levels. Since this disease is physiological in nature, fungicides and insecticides are not an effective control. Maintaining even soil moisture levels throughout the season will usually limit the incidence of blossom end rot.

LATE BLIGHT - The state's first case of late blight of the 2016 season is suspected in an Adams County potato field. UW Potato and Vegetable Pathologist Dr. Amanda Gevens reports that the dark brown, water soaked lesions with pale green borders characteristic of late blight were observed in the field, though the Phytophthora infestans pathogen has not yet been confirmed. Dr. Gevens emphasizes the need for conventional and organic potato and tomato growers in Central Wisconsin to maintain a five- to seven-day preventive fungicide program (copper-containing fungicide treatments approved for organic use). Scouting efforts should also be intensified and concentrated on higher risk areas such as field corners and areas sheltered by trees, where late blight symptoms generally first appear. Registered fungicides for late blight in Wisconsin are listed at the UW-Madison Vegetable Pathology website: http://www.plantpath.wisc.edu/wivegdis/pdf/2016/Potato%20Late%20Blight%20Fungicides%202016.pdf

-- Krista Hamilton, DATCP Entomologist