Field Update – 4/27/20

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Justin Ballew

Late last week, the Clemson Agribusiness team sent out some updated information on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Emergency Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). Be sure to take a look at that info here.

Coastal

Zack Snipes reports, “We had a few storms last week that brought heavy rains to the Lowcountry totaling 5 inches in some places. The good news is that wind and sunny days have followed those storms which is helping to dry things out. Highbush blueberries are in mid-harvest right now and rabbiteye varieties are sizing up and may be somewhat early this year. Our strawberry crop has been disappointing this year in terms of yield. I am seeing a ton of thrips damage in strawberry. The threshold used for thrips is 10 per blossom. More thrips information from NC State. Tomato and watermelon growers need to be scouting for thrips, as problems will develop later on from infestations we are having now. I found the first cucumber beetles (striped and spotted) on crops this spring. We had terrible infestations last year on cucumbers and melons that made fruit unmarketable. If you find these on your farm you need to develop a plan to manage them (first generation) right now.”

Severe Thrips damage causes unmarketable fruit. Photo from Zack Snipes.

Midlands

Justin Ballew reports, “We had really nice weather last week and crops are growing very well. Strawberry harvest volumes are still good, but it appears bloom is slowing down in some fields. Thrips pressure has been high recently and we’re seeing damage on some berries as a result. If thrips are present, they can be found in the flowers or under the cap leaves of developing berries. If you’re seeing lots of damage, an application of Radiant may be needed. Brassicas are growing quickly right now. We’re still seeing high pressure of diamondback moth caterpillars. Be sure to rotate insecticide MOA’s when treating for DBM. If you suspect a population of DBM has developed resistance to one or more insecticides, let us know and we can arrange to test that population.”

Thrips damage is characterized by a bronze color and cracks in the skin of the berry. Photo from Justin Ballew

A young broccoli head, about an inch and a half wide, beginning to form. Photo from Justin Ballew

Pee Dee

Bruce McLean reports, “Strawberries, strawberries! Strawberries are coming off very well, right now. Quality is for-the-most-part very good, although last week’s showers did cause some water damaged fruit in some locations. Blueberry harvest should begin later this week. Volumes will be very light for the first week or so but should pick up soon. Muscadines are looking good, so far. Carlos variety is just beginning to bloom. Vegetables are still being planted heavily. Potatoes and greens are looking very good.”

Pandorus Sphinx Moth hanging out in the muscadine vineyard at Pee Dee REC. Photo from Bruce McLean.

Tony Melton reports, “Late peach varieties have a short crop, early ones are ok. Strawberry glut is over now producing a normal crop of smaller fruit. Early large crop with big fruit was a large strain on the plants. Thank goodness for these cool temperatures allowing flowers to set which should give us a good set into June. Beans, cucumbers, and peas are slow due to these cool temperatures and wind. Some having damping-off problems and applying Quadris or potassium phosphide now. Mowing tops of sweet potatoes in the beds now and will be planting in a week or so. Yellow margined beetle on brassicas getting worse in parts of the Pee Dee – look for the ugly small larvae eating leaves – easy to see.”

Upstate

Andy Rollins reports, “We are finding San Jose scale on peach in the upstate. Crawling stage is out now and sprays are recommended for this pest. It can when build up and completely kill a block of peach trees. It is worse on late-season varieties. Movento, Esteem, and Centaur are all labeled on this crop for that pest. Make sure to remove completely dead limbs before spraying, if possible, and make sure you get extremely good coverage. 200 gallons of total spray solution is recommended to achieve that goal.”

San Jose scale on a dead peach limb. Photo from Andy Rollins.

Be sure to remove dead limbs prior to spraying for San Jose scale. Photo from Andy Rollins.

Field Update – 9/2/19

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Justin Ballew

Coastal Region

Zack Snipes reports, “Fall peppers and eggplant are looking nice this week due to cooler temperatures. We received lots of brassica transplants this week including broccoli, kale, collards and rutabagas from plant nurseries. Planting on these crops has begun and will continue for the next couple months. Overall, these transplants look weak and have some disease in them. Some of our fall watermelons, cantaloupe, and hard squash are starting to come in strong.”

Black rot already showing up on transplants. Photo from Zack Snipes.

Butternut squash almost ready to pick. Photo from Zack Snipes.

Midlands

Justin Ballew reports, “This past week felt a little like fall. We had some scattered showers and the temperatures cooled down a bit, especially in the mornings. Hemp is blooming well and we are seeing some caterpillars feeding on the buds in some areas. Fall brassicas are still being planted and the young plants are looking good so far. Beans, squash, zucchini, muscadines, eggplant, and tomatoes are being harvested.”

Corn earworm feeding on hemp buds. Photo from Justin Ballew.

Great crop of muscadines in the midlands this year. Photo from Justin Ballew.

Sarah Scott reports, “Peaches are wrapping up throughout the Ridge. Late summer plantings of squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and cole crops have been planted and are starting to take off. Plastic is going down in many fields for fall plantings of strawberries. We’ve had slightly cooler temperatures and varying amounts of rain throughout the week.”

Broccoli transplants taking off. Photo from Sara Scott.

Late season tomatoes with a good bloom load. Photo from Sarah Scott.

Pee Dee Region

Bruce McLean reports, “On most years, the beginning of muscadine harvest occurs right around the Labor Day weekend. This year was no different. A few weeks ago, there were some concerns that a few vineyards may have been experiencing early ripening due to this summer’s heat. Luckily, the heat broke a bit, and the grapes were able to hold on for a timely harvest. So, harvest of juice/wine grapes began earlier this week. Carlos and Noble varieties’ volume looks very good. Doreen is still a little ways out, and needs a few more days of ripening. Harvest will likely be pretty steady for the next couple of weeks. Fresh market muscadines are still coming off in good volumes. Strawberry growers are busy putting down plastic and getting beds ready for planting. Strawberry planting is just a few weeks away. Other produce available in good volumes are: late peas and butterbeans, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, and canary melons. The start of sweetpotato harvest is not too far away.

Harvesting muscadines mechanically in the Pee Dee. Photo from Bruce McLean.

Muscadine harvester emptying a load. Photo from Bruce McLean

Tony Melton reports, “Fall butterbeans, snapbeans, and peas are flowering and starting to set pods. Land prep (laying plastic) for strawberries has started. Fall pickling cucumbers are setting fruit and some will be harvested this week. Sweet potato harvest has begun.”

Field Update – 8/19/19

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Justin Ballew

Coastal Region

Dr. Tony Keinath reports, “Phomopsis blight is showing up on eggplant at the Coastal REC. On susceptible cultivars, like ‘Black Beauty,’ the disease starts as leaf spots; later in the season stem cankers and fruit rot appear. Although several fungicides are registered on eggplant, none are specifically labeled for Phomopsis blight. Aprovia Top and Priaxor might give some control; more testing is needed before a definite recommendation can be made.”

Phomopsis blight on eggplant foliage. Photo from Dr. Tony Keinath.

Midlands

Justin Ballew reports, “Last week we had some scattered rains, but some areas remain bone dry. Irrigation is running a lot in those areas. Muscadine harvest has started and so far, this is the largest yield we’ve seen in recent years. Squash, zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, and tomatoes are also being harvested. Quality looks good, but volume is down a bit in some areas. More fall brassicas are being planted and strawberry growers are just starting the process of prepping their fields.”

Great crop of muscadines in the midlands this year. Photo from Justin Ballew.

Good looking eggplant harvested in the midlands. Photo from Justin Ballew.

Pee Dee Region

Bruce McLean reports, “Much of the upper Pee Dee Region received beneficial rains late last week. This helped to drop temps back to about normal, following the excessive heat from a few days earlier. On most crops, the rain really helped to push production again. Late season cucumbers, squash, zucchini, and okra are looking good. Canary melons are looking excellent. Volumes on these crops are good. Last week’s heat did take a toll on watermelons, though. Volumes are significantly down from the prior week and are likely winding down for the season. Muscadines are a bit varied across the region. In some locations, ‘Carlos’ and ‘Noble’ (wine and juice varieties) are getting very close to harvest, while other vineyards are ripening a bit slower. Harvest on the most mature wine and juice muscadines could begin as soon as next week.

Fall cucumbers were showing some downy mildew earlier on. Fungicide applications seem to have held down further development. Photo from Bruce McLean.

Canary melons are looking excellent. Photo from Bruce McLean.

Tony Melton reports, “Heavy rain in certain area but none in others. Some fresh market sweet potatoes are ready for harvest. Processing sweet potato harvest will begin end of August. Pickling cucumbers for machine harvest are still being planted most growers are favoring the parthenocarpic varieties. Brassica planting has begun – seeds and transplants. Fall bearing blackberries are yielding well.”

Upstate

Mark Arena reports seeing pecan scab. “Pecan Scab fungus is a weather dependant disease. There are varieties/cultivars that exhibit tolerance to this disease as shown below in the photos. Observed in Picture #1, we see both the nuts and foliage are showing signs of infection (the brown lessions). Picture #2 shows no sign of disease on either the nuts and/or foliage at the present time. Pecan scab can go undetected for days before the lessions appear, therefore, it is imperaitive to use a preventitive fungicide program to insure nut production.

Nuts and leaves infected by pecan scab. Photo from Mark Arena.

Nuts and leaves appear free of pecan scab. Photo from Mark Arena.

Field Update – 8/12/19

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Justin Ballew

Coastal Region

Zack Snipes reports, “We are in the middle of muscadine and scuppernong harvest right now. Okra and mixed peppers are still pushing out despite the heat. We had a great Strawberry Production Meeting in Charleston last week. If you have any questions on strawberry production now is the time to ask before planting.”

Muscadines and scuppernongs from Ravenel, SC. Photo from Zack Snipes.

Great strawberry production meeting in Charleston (8/6/19). Photo from Zack Snipes.

Midlands

Justin Ballew reports, “We had a storm come through Saturday night that brought a little rain to some parts of the midlands, but overall we are still quite dry. More fall brassicas are going in the ground and there is already some caterpillar pressure on those that are up. Downy mildew is showing up on cucumbers and pumpkins on a more widespread scale now. Stick to fungicide programs if you’re growing fall cucurbits.”

Fall collards in Lexington County are already seeing diamond back moth caterpillar pressure. Photo from Justin Ballew.

Downy mildew in fall cucumbers. Photo from Justin Ballew.

Sarah Scott reports, “We have had hot and dry conditions along the Ridge with hit and miss showers. Running irrigation heavily. Late cherry tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and broccoli are being planted. Leaf footed bugs on late season tomatoes causing minimal damage. Peaches still producing through late August, possibly into early September. Field work is still being done to prepare for fall planting of new orchards.”

September Sun peaches are nearing harvest. Photo from Sarah Scott.

Leaf footed bugs causing minor damage to late tomatoes. Photo from Sarah Scott.

Upstate

Mark Arena reports fall webworms and tent caterpillars are showing up on pecans. “This is truly a nuisance pest and generally does not influence nut production. Proper control may be challenging since the webbing should be broken apart prior to spraying. Once the webbing is broken apart, the insecticide can make contact with the caterpillars and offer effective control. Any insecticides labeled for caterpillars will work.”

Fall webworm in the canopy of a pecan tree. Photo from Mark Arena.

Pee Dee Region

Bruce McLean reports, “Temps have been soaring and rain has been scarce across the Pee Dee Region. Most crops are looking good though. Watermelon, cantaloupe, canary melons, cucumber, zucchini and yellow squash volumes are still up and quality is good. Okra volumes are really starting to pick up and the quality is very good. Okra is flowering heavy, so volumes should be good for the foreseeable future. Muscadines are continuing to ripen. Muscadine brix levels (sugars) are rather high for this time of the season. Harvest should be very good this year. Fresh market muscadines should be available starting this week.

“Noble” muscadines are getting close to harvest. Photo from Bruce McClean.

Okra is rolling along in the summer heat. Photo from Bruce McLean.

Tony Melton reports, “Fall pickling cucumbers are being planted. Pythium is still prevalent on pickling cucumbers and may need to be controlled. Fall peas and snap-beans are up and growing and need thrips control, but I have found thrips are in low numbers this fall and they may grow out of damage. I have found some beet armyworms on peas in some locations – scout. Also, lesser cornstalk borers are bad on both peas and snap-beans mainly due to the dry conditions; therefore, irrigate if possible or apply Coragen or similar systemic product. Loopers are present on sweet potatoes but doing mostly very little economic damage. I have found some striped armyworms in certain locations which need to be controlled. Starting to plant fall processing greens.

Field Update – 8/5/19

Posted on August 5, 2019 by Justin Ballew

Coastal Region

Zack Snipes reports, “Summer cover crops are looking good in the Lowcountry. Cowpeas are one of my favorite cover crops for their ability to shade out weeds, particularly nutsedge, and provide the land with nitrogen for the next crop planted. We have had some timely rains to keep everything green and prepare fields for the fall. Some fields are being laid out and prepared for the fall season now. One technique used for weed management is called the stale bed technique. This involves working the soil and bedding up a few weeks to a month before growers plan to transplant. An herbicide or a flame is used once weeds germinate on the bed tops. This process is repeated 1-3 more times before the crop is planted. Because the soil is not disturbed after the initial bedding process, weeds are less likely to germinate once a crop is seeded or transplanted.”

Cowpeas taking off with warm weather and timely rains. Photo from Zack Snipes.

Field being prepared by using the stale bed technique. Photo from Zack Snipes.

Midlands

Justin Ballew reports, “We had a few isolated showers throughout the week, but overall we’re still pretty dry in the midlands. Muscadines are ripening and some of the earliest varieties should be ready to pick this week. The first of the fall brassicas are up and growing now. Fall tomato, eggplant, and peppers are looking good. We are seeing some spidermites in tomatoes, so scout closely. If treatments are needed, remember to use high spray volumes to get good coverage and rotate IRAC groups.”

Muscadines are ripening and will be ready to pick very soon. Photo from Justin Ballew.

Kale planted for fall harvest is growing well. Photo from Justin Ballew.

Lalo Toledo reports, “Fall bell peppers and Broccoli are being planted. We are continuing to pick string beans, processing tomatoes, and cucumbers. Field preparations are underway for fall planting for Brassicas. We finally got some rain over the weekend, which will help with the new plantings.

Still picking beans and peas in the midlands. Photo from Lalo Toledo.

Upstate

Mark Arena reports, “Fall webworm or tent caterpillars are showing up on pecans. Breaking the web apart and spraying with an appropriate insecticide is an option.”

Kerrie Roach reports, “Peaches are still coming in strong in the mountains, and the apples are continuing to build. The earliest ‘Ginger Gold’ apples (right photo) are just about finished. ‘Golden Supremes’ (left photo) are still a little low on the sugar (Brix) scale, but will sweeten up a little more this week. We should be picking ‘Galas’ within the next two weeks if the weather cooperates.”

Pee Dee Region

Bruce McLean reports, “Well, it’s starting to look a bit like harvest time for muscadines. We’re seeing some advanced ripening this year due to heat, primarily in Carlos. There’s still some ripening to do, but it won’t be long. The crop looks really good this year… just a bit early. Watermelons, cantaloupe, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers and okra are being harvested in good volumes, and grading out well.

‘Carlos’ muscadines really coloring up. Photo from Bruce McLean.

Seeded watermelons harvested in good volume and condition. Photo from Bruce McLean.

The South Carolina Grower

Fruit and Vegetable News for Growers and Agribusinesses in South Carolina

Tag Archives: muscadines

Field Update – 4/27/20

Field Update – 9/2/19

Field Update – 8/19/19

Field Update – 8/12/19

Field Update – 8/5/19