Category: Industry News

Biological Fungicides for Managing Alternaria Leaf Blight in Organic Carrots

By Jaspreet Sidhu, Vegetable Crops Advisor, University of California Cooperative Extension

Alternaria leaf blight, caused by the pathogen Alternaria dauci, is a significant problem for carrot producers in California. Symptoms appear as dark brown to black necrotic lesions (often surrounded by a yellow halo) along leaf margins and petioles. These lesions may coalesce and expand to kill the leaves. In severe infections, tops will have a scorched or blackened appearance. Yield losses occur as the carrots cannot be lifted by the tops during mechanical harvest due to weakened tops.

California carrot growers manage Alternaria leaf blight using cultural controls and fungicides. However, there is limited data on the efficacy of organic products (OMRI) labeled for Alternaria leaf blight control in carrots. Another challenge with the OMRI-certified products is the inconsistency in performance.

Research

A biological screening trial was conducted in 2022 to evaluate the efficacy of biological products at the University of California research station in Shafter, California. The objective of this study was to evaluate and identify organic options that can effectively manage Alternaria leaf blight in organic carrot production.

The trial was conducted as a randomized block design with four replications and six treatments. Rates and timings for each treatment are listed in Table 1. Each plot was 30 inches wide and 20 feet in length. Five biological fungicide products, in addition to an untreated control, were evaluated in this trial. Treatment applications began at the first sign of disease development on June 27 and continued thereafter until Aug. 22. Treatments were applied using a battery-operated backpack sprayer calibrated to deliver 50 gallons per acre at 30 psi using a flat fan JSF11002 nozzle. Data on disease incidence was taken four times during the season. At harvest, carrots from a 1-meter row in the middle of each bed were hand harvested, topped and weighed to determine yield per plot.

Results

At the beginning of the trial, the average symptomatic foliage ranged from 0 to 5 percent in different treatments. On the final rating, the average symptomatic area for different treatments varied from 28 to 44 percent. The percentage of symptomatic foliage increased substantially between the third and fourth observations on July 28 and Aug. 9. Statistically, there were no differences among treatments, but the treatments Howler and EcoSwing had lower disease incidence compared to the other treatments (Fig. 1). Yields did not differ significantly among treatments, but the treatments Howler and EcoSwing had numerically higher yields per plot and CWT/acre compared to the other treatments (Fig. 2). Larger data variations across replications might have resulted in non-significant treatment effects at α=0.05.

The trial is being repeated this year.

Evelyn Brandt Thomas, co-founder of BRANDT, a leading retailer of professional agronomic services and manufacturer of specialty input products, celebrates her 100^th birthday. A century of life and legacy marks a remarkable milestone for Evelyn. It’s a true inspiration and a shining example of her dedication and passion for life, as well as her unwavering commitment to serving others.

Her journey through a century of life is not just a personal achievement but a testament to the remarkable role that the agriculture industry and community involvement has played in keeping her mind sharp and her body resilient.

Evelyn Brandt Thomas has not only witnessed the evolution of farming practices but actively participated in them. Her connection with the land began at an early age on the family farm where her father farmed with horses. Through the decades, she embraced innovations while never losing sight of the fundamental values that have shaped the agricultural landscape.

Further to strong sales and worldwide demand for Tong’s industry leading FieldLoad PRO, the company’s fieldloading machine is now available in a compact 1800mm wide specification. The new model has been designed to suit vegetable growers and producers looking to create post-harvest efficiencies at lower throughputs than the company’s flagship machine.

“The FieldLoad PRO continues to be an very popular set-up for truly versatile and efficient post-harvest handling,” says Richard Knighton, Sales Manager at Tong Engineering. “… we work with vegetable producers of all sizes and not everyone needs such a high capacity machine; and this is where the new, narrower machine can ensure all the same efficiencies to suit lower throughput requirements.”

Suitable for use on a wide range of root crops including potatoes, carrots, onions and more, the new, more compact FieldLoad PRO features all the same options as the flagship machine but simply in a narrower format.

Custom-built to suit grower’s exact specification, the new FieldLoad PRO model will feature the standard 4-man inspection cabin and a 1300mm wide fully foldable cart elevator. A super-silent onboard generator provides power efficiency for in-field operation, which can be bypassed for mains power when operating on-farm. Like the larger model, the new compact model can be specified with the latest optical sorting equipment as an alternative to the standard inspection cabin, for ultimate automation and sorting efficiency.

World Ag Expo showcases the latest in innovation and education. Exhibitors and ag experts can now apply to put their mark on the 2024 show via the Top-10 New Products Contest and the Seminar series.

The Top-10 New Products Competition at World Ag Expo has introduced the world to autonomous sprayers, handheld feed analyzers, electric tractors, and more. The show is now on the lookout for the next 10 standout products and services. Previous award winners have pointed to the Top-10 New Products Contest as a catalyst for success.

“Winning our first Top 10 award when we debuted GUSS at the 2018 World Ag Expo gave us instant publicity across the agricultural industry,” shared Gary Thompson, COO and Co-Founder of GUSS Automation.

The Top-10 New Products Contest application is available now at https://bit.ly/wae24top10app. Entrants must be exhibitors at the 2024 World Ag Expo and products released anywhere in the world between February 10, 2023 and February 15, 2024 are eligible. The application deadline is October 31, 2023 and winners will be announced in December 2023.

SOURCE: AgExec

Wednesday, November 1 at 1:00 pm to Thursday, November 2 at 12:00 pm.

McGregor Building, 85 East Baseline, Rupert, Idaho

All interested in crop protection are invited to attend the 2023 annual meeting of the Idaho Association of Plant Protection at the University of Idaho Extension office (McGregor Building), in Rupert, ID. The conference is open to anyone and will cover all aspects of plant protection including entomology, nematology, weed science, and plant pathology.

Registration begins at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday and the program will begin at 1:00 p.m. Registration costs $30.00 ($20.00 for students) and can be made by check, cash, or credit card at the door. Payment can be made prior to the meeting by making arrangements with Jeff Miller (jeff@millerresearch.com). All credit card payments will be assessed a 4% processing fee.

Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) and State Pesticide Recertification credits (ISDA) will be available. We anticipate 5-6 credits for both programs.

Anyone that would like to share data of observations related to crop protection is invited to submit an idea for presentation. Presentation slots are 20 minutes. If you are doing a formal presentation, please plan on presenting for 15 minutes allowing for 5 minutes of questions and discussion. Any graduate students can participate in the grad student competition. Cash prizes are awarded to the top three students. The deadline for topic submission is September 15. This will allow for timely advertising of the agenda.

Hotel reservations must be made on your own. Please, contact any of the nearby hotels listed below for room rates and reservation. Burley Inn (www.burleyinn.com or 208-678-3501) Budget Motel (www.burleybudgetmotel.com or 208-678-2200); Holiday Inn Express & Suites (website or 208-678-0885); Hampton Inn Burley (website or 208-878-7040); Fairfield Inn & Suites Burley (website or 208-677-5000).

If you have questions, please contact the co-chairs for this year:

The first bees evolved on an ancient supercontinent more than 120 million years ago, diversifying faster and spreading wider than previously suspected, a new study shows.

Led by Washington State University researchers, the study provides a new best estimate for when and where bees first evolved. Newly published in the journal Current Biology, the project reconstructed the evolutionary history of bees, estimated their antiquity, and identified their likely geographical expansion around the world.

The results indicate their point of origin was in western Gondwana, an ancient supercontinent that at the time included today’s continents of Africa and South America.

Previous research established that the first bees likely evolved from wasps, transitioning from predators to collectors of nectar and pollen. This study shows they arose in arid regions of western Gondwana during the early Cretaceous period.

The researchers found evidence that as the new continents formed, bees moved north, diversifying and spreading in a parallel partnership with angiosperms, the flowering plants. Later, they colonized India and Australia. All major families of bees appeared to split off prior to the dawn of the Tertiary period, 65 million years ago—the era when dinosaurs became extinct.

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Agricultural producer sentiment improved slightly in July as the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer rose two points above its June reading to an index value of 123. This month’s two-percent rise in the barometer was primarily the result of farmers’ improved perception of current conditions on their farms as the Index of Current Conditions rose 5 points to a reading of 121. The Index of Future Expectations changed little compared to June, rising just one point to 124. This month’s Ag Economy Barometer survey was conducted from July 10-14, 2023. 

Farmers’ rating of financial conditions on their farms was virtually unchanged in July, compared to June, as the Farm Financial Conditions Index rose just one point to 87 vs. a reading of 86 in June. Looking back to May, however, the percentage of producers rating their farm’s financial performance as better than last year improved from 14% to 17%, while those rating financial performance as worse than a year ago fell from 38% to 30% of respondents. When asked to look ahead one year, there was a one percentage point increase in farmers expecting farm financial conditions to improve in July vs. June and, correspondingly, a one-point decline in the percentage of farmers expecting conditions to worsen. And farmers’ longer-term perspective on the U.S. agricultural economy improved somewhat in July, as the percentage of respondents expecting bad times in the upcoming 5 years fell from 41% in June to 39% in July.

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SOURCE: PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Two Fumigation Stewardship Training meetings will be held in Washington.

1) August 8, 2023 in Moses Lake at the Big Bend Community College
2) August 9, 2023 in Kennewick at the Three Rivers Conventions Center.

The agenda is the same for both days and features topics like Telone safety and handling, recordkeeping, personal protection equipment and more.

This meeting is organized by Teleos Ag Solutions and event partners: Novasource, Trident Ag Products, Amvac, and Eastman Taminco.

Please RSVP by August 4 by emailing rmatson@teleosagsolutions.com. Don’t forget to note which date or location you plan to attend.

SEE FULL AGENDA

Equipped with sensors, drones can identify weeds and pests faster than humans – and speed up treatment

The July 22nd Sustainable, Secure Food Blog looks at how drones are being used in crop science.

According to blogger Filipe Matias, drone advancements and lower costs have helped drones become more common in the daily activities of crop science research. They can replace the hard work of walking through fields, taking measurements, and identifying problems. They help scientists accelerate discoveries and reduce labor costs to create more nutritious, high-yielding, and flavorful crops.

The sun emits radiation, which is called the “electromagnetic spectrum.” This includes the visible light that we see and also microwaves, near infrared waves, x-ray, and gamma-rays. We can “see” different parts of the spectrum by attaching specific sensors to drones, just like wearing night vision goggles to detect the heat of people hiding in the woods. By using sensors and drones, we can 1) distinguish plants from their surroundings and 2) capture images of the inner workings of crops.

Once weeds are detected, spraying drones now can be used to eliminate weeds in the field with targeted herbicide application. This targeted spraying is sustainable, reducing herbicide use, labor costs, human health, and environmental impacts.

In the future, drones could be used more and more by farmers and scientists to make people’s lives easier. With the reducing costs of drones, sensors, and tools to use the data, they will become more accessible worldwide.

To read more about the research findings and the entire blog, visit:

https://sustainable-secure-food-blog.com/2023/07/22/how-are-drones-used-in-crop-science/