Vegetable Pest and Cultural Management Field Meeting - Seneca County

July 23, 2014


This course will demonstrate pest management in fresh market vegetables in both field and greenhouse (high tunnel) vegetables; primarily for those growing for wholesale auction. A hands-on demonstration of weed, insect and disease identification in vegetables including management options such as inter-row cover crops, grafting and where appropriate, spray options will be used to educate growers. Judson Reid, Senior Extension Associate with the Cornell Vegetable Program will instruct participants and facilitate peer-based learning. This meeting will be held at Daniel Esh's farm in Romulus, NY. Details on each topic will focus on field observations at this farm.

7:00 Welcome

7:05 Weed control in row crop vegetables

• Why? (moisture completion, insect and disease management, labor efficiency)
• How? (cultivation, herbicides, inter-row cover crops: spring seeding or winter rye; pros- and cons)

7:45 Tomato and potato disease updates

• Late blight and early blight updates
• Grafting for improved root-zone disease resistance in greenhouse and high tunnels

8:15 Cucurbits

• Greenhouse cucumber grafting for vigor and yield
• Downy mildew management: cucumbers, cantaloupes and watermelon (tunnels/greenhouses, effective fungicide programs)
• Cucumber beetle, squash bug, stink bug
• Powdery mildew (resistance, effective fungicide programs)

8:45 Questions and answer/other farm specific crop observations /Food safety news

9:00 Adjourn

Attendees will present an ID and record their certification ID number, print name and sign the Recertification Training Roster. The roster will be secured by a Cornell Vegetable Program representative and only the attendees who sit for the entire course will be awarded a certificate.