Cole Crops, Root, Bulb and Leafy Vegetable Edition by
Jennifer Allen, Vegetable Crop Specialist, OMAFRA, Guelph

Simcoe Vegetable and Alternative Crop Open House

New Crops, Old Challenges. Tips and tricks for managing these new crops!

Date: Tuesday August 18, 2009 (Rain Date: Thursday August 20, 2009)
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Place: Simcoe Research Station, 1283 Blueline Road, Simcoe

Please register by August 14th by calling 519-426-7127 ext. 323.

Crops featured include: 

Chia (Salvia grain)	Bitter melon	Kohlrabi
Luffa	Celtuce	Gobo (Japanese Burdock)
Goji	Tomatillo	Gourds (bottle, hairy, winter)
Yard long beans	Edamame	Skullcap
Fenugreek	Calendula	Edible chrysanthemum
Tahtsai	Ethnic varieties of eggplant, peppers, cucumber, basil	Sweet potatoes

Other plots and hands-on demonstrations on alternative crops:

• Pest management and sprayer technology: discuss with provincial specialists            
• Cover crops: opportunities to save your nitrogen dollars    
• Current nitrogen research conducted by the University of Guelph

Enjoy refreshments, meet with other producers and take the opportunity to talk with University of Guelph staff and OMAFRA specialists.

ATTENTION CCA's: 2 CEU's have been requested.

Funding for this field day was generously supplied by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), the Norfolk Soil and Crop Improvement Association (NSCIA), OMAFRA, University of Guelph, Agrium Inc., and A & L Laboratories.

 Things to be on the lookout for….

Over the past week and half I’ve been seeing lots of activity.  Insects and beneficials / predators / parasites are on the rise in some crops. Some of the critters are expected (especially at this time of year), others are more of a surprise. Below are a few examples of some of the things I’m seeing in the field, on plants and traps.  

On the rise again ...	Slow but steady ...	Finally arriving ...
Flea beetles		Imported cabbageworm
Swede midge		Aster leafhopper  www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden /YGLNews/YGLN-Sept0100.html

 And now, something a little different...

Sap beetles

Sap beetles are also known as ‘beer beetles’ or ‘picnic beetles’.  They are often secondary invaders of damaged/decomposing plants.  The species I’m seeing on decaying garlic bulbs is Glischrochilus quadrisignatus, the 4-spotted sap beetle.  It is a small, black beetle with 4 yellow spots on it’s wings.  Adult sap beetles become active in early spring, mating and laying their eggs.  First generation adults begin emerging late-June with the peak emergence from late July into August.  Right now, they are not a real economic concern for garlic growers.   They are seemingly attracted to the bulbs of plants already injured from bulb and stem nematode.  With that said, the larval damage can be quite alarming.  The larvae bore into the bulb, leaving large entry/exit holes.  

If you see adults, the best thing to do is put out some traps.  Below are a few traps that might do the trick.

Bread Dough Bait Pitfall Trap 

• Put some bread dough into a glass/plastic contain, place a funnel into the container so that the funnel acts as a lid and encourages the beetles to move down the spout into the container;  Dig a hole and place the container into the hole so that the top of the funnel is flush with the soil surface.

Pan Traps

• Pour apple cider vinegar, beer or a combination of yeast, water and sugar, combined with a few drops of dish detergent into a bowl buried so that the rim is flush with the soil surface. 

Adult sap beetle

Sap beetle larva
Photo by Ken Gray, Oregon State University 
www.entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/field/corn/sap_beetle04.htm

  Degree Days

Area	Onion Maggot	Cabbage Maggot	Carrot Rust Fly	Carrot Weevil	Tarnished Plant Bug	Leaf-hopper	GDD
Bradford/ Holland Marsh*	842.2	n/a	933.8	576.4	234.3	424.3	751.2
Sarnia	856.0	680.3	948.2	598.0	259.5	446.5	766
London	935.2	752.9	1029.7	666.1	299.5	506.1	825
Waterloo	830.1	655.1	922.5	573.7	235.0	426.4	741
Windsor	1157.4	967.6	1255.3	876.6	463.6	703.5	1059

  Degree-day information for pests

	Degree Days
	1st Generation	2nd Generation	3rd Generation
Onion Maggot	210	1025	1772
Cabbage Maggot	314-398	847-960	1446-1604
Carrot Rust Fly	329 – 395	1399-1711	n/a
Carrot Weevil	138 – 156 455 (90% oviposition)	No model available	n/a
Tarnished Plant Bug	40	n/a	n/a
Aster Leafhopper	128	390	n/a

Disease Forecasts

BOTCAST — Disease severity index of 20—first spray threshold has been reached.  

DOWNCAST—Predicted no sporulation infection period for the last three days.  Risk of downy mildew on onions is low to moderate.

BREMCAST—Predicted one sporulation infection period in the last four days.  Risk of downy mildew on lettuce is moderate to high.  Downy mildew on lettuce has been found at the Muck Crops Research Station.

Data provided thanks to funding from the Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, Bradford Co-op Storage Ltd., Muck Crops Research Station, Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph., Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority, Bayer CropScience, BASF, DuPont, Engage Agro and Syngenta.