Tag: disease management
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Cucurbit Downy Mildew Arrives in SC
Prepared by Rob Last. Cucurbit downy mildew has been identified in South Carolina this morning (5/25/22). The identification came from a field of cucumbers in Bamberg County. Please remember to make fungicide applications seven days apart, a stretch longer than this is likely to increase the potential for disease spread. For cucumbers, some suggested products…
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Why Tomato Crops Today Are So Susceptible to Diseases
Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath was recently named as a columnist for American Vegetable Grower. Dr. Keinath’s first article was recently published featuring tomato disease. Check out an excerpt below. Why are tomatoes so susceptible to disease? Of three possible answers — aggressive pathogens that specialize on tomato, the tomato plant itself, or the growing…
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Fungicides to Manage Cercospora Leaf Spot on Beet
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath. Cercospora leaf spot is the most damaging disease on beet greens and bunched beets. This disease is one of the few diseases I have worked with that can be managed equally well by conventional and organic fungicides. Based on previous research in New York with processing beets, I tested…
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Planting Cucumbers Early Avoids Downy Mildew and Increases Yield without Fungicides
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath Growers who have flexibility in deciding when to plant cucumbers should plant them within 1 month of the earliest recommended planting date for their region. Planting dates for commercial growers are in the Southeast Vegetable Crop Handbook (Pg 75). Planting dates for home gardeners are in fact sheet HGIC…
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Grafting Reduces Southern Blight on Tomato by 83%
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath. Southern blight has become more common on tomatoes grown without fumigation throughout the southern United States. A joint project between the University of Georgia and Clemson University looked at grafting as a management option. In the 2021 trial in Charleston, SC, grafting reduced the percentage of diseased plants from…
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Fog and Downy Mildew on Collards
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath. Foggy fall mornings are nature’s warning that conditions are favorable for brassica downy mildew to get started on collard and kale. Remember that because downy mildew affects the harvested, edible portion of the crop, control practices must be very effective to increase yields. Use the following practices to maximize…
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Not Planting to Manage Phytophthora Blight by Reducing Disease Risk
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Anthony Keinath and Clemson Agricultural Economist Felipe Silva. After an absence of several years, Phytophthora blight reappeared in South Carolina in July 2021 on three farms. As expected, the outbreaks were on two of the three most susceptible vegetable crops: 2 cases on pepper and 1 case on pumpkin. (Summer squash…
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Accidentally Infesting Fields by Moving Soil on Equipment or How to Exclude Soil Pathogens from Fields
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath. Most growers probably have heard that it’s possible to infest a “clean” (pathogen-free) field by moving soil on equipment. The question is how much infested soil is too much. The answer depends on the pathogen and where the soil is deposited. Some pathogens are present in soil at very…
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What is NOT Proper Crop Rotation
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath. There seems to be some confusion about what is a proper crop rotation to manage diseases caused both by pathogens that survive a few years in soil and pathogens that survive in soil longer than anyone can measure. Here are some rotations I have heard about that are not…
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Cucurbit Downy Mildew Found In SC
Cucurbit downy mildew was found in SC this week in Bamberg, Barnwell, and Calhoun Counties. In each case it was found on cucumbers and for now severity seems low. This is about two weeks earlier than in the past couple years. If not already doing so, all cucumber and cantaloupe growers in SC should begin…
The South Carolina Grower 