SC Fruit and Vegetable Field Report August 9, 2021

Coastal Region

Rob Last reports, “Generally speaking, we are in the changeover period from spring to fall crops, with some fumigants being applied to next year’s strawberry plantings. If fumigants are used, make sure soil moisture is good and beds are firm to maximize efficacy. One thing we have observed in blackberries and blueberries in the area is the emergence of bark scale. Bark scale is a new pest to South Carolina and has previously been noted in ornamentals. However, reports for Asia, where the pest is native, indicate the bark scales can survive on Rubus species.

Bark scale egg sacks and adults. Rob Last, ©2021, Clemson Extension

Bark scale egg sacks and adults.
Rob Last, ©2021, Clemson Extension

The images show the egg sacks and adults of the bark scale. The insects appear white and are very waxy, similar in appearance to mealybugs. The wax coatings can make management complex, preventing insecticides from penetrating the layer to be effective against the insects. The addition of crop oils to the pesticide solution may enhance efficacy by helping to strip off the waxy coatings. In blueberries, adults can be found underneath the exfoliating bark, making contact with the insecticides more difficult. When crawlers emerge, they will be pink and barely visible to the naked eye, and monitoring will be easier with the aid of a hand lens. We will find crawlers hatching in April or May, with a second flush emerging in late summer. An excellent way to detect crawler movement is to wrap the branches in double-sided sticky tape to help to catch the crawlers. Contact insecticides can be very effective against the crawlers. Insect growth regulators may also be effective for management. Unfortunately, systemic materials such as imidacloprid appear to have little effect. Please get in touch with an Extension Agent to help with identification and management options.”

Bark scales have a waxy coating that helps protect them from insecticides. Rob Last, ©2021, Clemson Extension

Bark scales have a waxy coating that helps protect them from insecticides.
Rob Last, ©2021, Clemson Extension

Zack Snipes reports, “It’s wet in the Lowcountry. We are getting heavy rain showers, what seems like every day. This is making it hard to get equipment in fields to spray or prepare for fall plantings. I have seen some watermelon and tomato fields, which look ok considering the rain and soggy conditions. I saw some bacterial spot on pepper and expect to see the same on fall tomato with the rain and humidity we’ve had. Get out your preventative fungicides, if you can. I also saw some leafminer damage on these crops, which is unusual in my tenure. It seems plants were impacted a few weeks ago, but the new growth looks to be unaffected. Melonworms were found in cucumbers, so get ahead of them.”

Leafminers are showing up on tomatoes on the coast. Zack Snipes, ©2021, Clemson Extension

Leafminers are showing up on tomatoes on the coast.
Zack Snipes, ©2021, Clemson Extension

Melon worms were found in cucumbers this week. Zack Snipes, ©2021, Clemson Extension

Melon worms were found in cucumbers this week.
Zack Snipes, ©2021, Clemson Extension

Midlands Region

Justin Ballew reports, “This past week was a relatively nice, mild week compared to the week before. We had some rain to start the week and more to finish it out. Planting of fall crops continues and what’s been planted seems to be growing well. I looked at a few fields this week of seedling brassicas, and I’m already seeing diamondback moth caterpillars and armyworms feeding. Remember to start scouting as soon as plants go into the ground. It doesn’t take many caterpillars to eat up seedlings and small transplants. Don’t forget we can run field bioassays to screen for insecticide resistance, so call us when you start seeing worms.

Diamondback moth caterpillars are already showing up on fall brassicas. Justin Ballew, ©2021, Clemson Extension

Diamondback moth caterpillars are already showing up on fall brassicas.
Justin Ballew, ©2021, Clemson Extension

It doesn't take many caterpillars to eat up these small plants. Justin Ballew, ©2021, Clemson Extension

It doesn’t take many caterpillars to eat up these small plants.
Justin Ballew, ©2021, Clemson Extension

Pee Dee Region

Bruce McLean reports, “Vegetable crops are still harvesting well, for the most part. Other than cucurbit downy mildew affecting cucumbers and some powdery mildew affecting squash, there are no widespread vegetable diseases seen in the fields. Cowpea curculio is still widespread on peas and must be intensively managed (starting prior to bloom) to minimize damage. Spotted Wing Drosophila is still very active in late-season blueberries, with trap counts showing very high capture numbers. Grape root borers (GRB) emergence is starting to increase in muscadines. Trap captures for GRB are on the rise. Much of the state is outside the window of Chlorpyrifos application for GRB… except on late harvesting cultivars (more than 35 from application to harvest) and maybe some wine grape cultivars in the Upstate. Pecan weevil emergence is just getting started (in pecans). Ground and lower canopy application of Carbaryl and/or a trunk application of Tanglefoot are effective control methods. Monitor traps and weevil movement through September (especially after rains). Re-treatment of Carbaryl will be necessary and can be reapplied at (up to) 7-day intervals. Pecan scab is becoming more evident in pecan orchards. Also, fall armyworm numbers have exploded over the last two weeks. This is a pest that can affect a wide variety of crops.

Who is spitting in my muscadine vines? That is not actual spit. It is a sticky, frothy substance produced by the spittlebug for protection from predation. Bruce McLean, ©2021, Clemson Extension

Who is spitting in my muscadine vines? That is not actual spit. It is a sticky, frothy substance produced by the spittlebug for protection from predation. 
Bruce McLean, ©2021, Clemson Extension

This tiny insect is the spittlebug (what is inside the frothy spittle on muscadines and other plants). They feed upon the foliage of the muscadine vine and do not cause any noticeable damage to the plant. Bruce McLean, ©2021, Clemson Extension

This tiny insect is the spittlebug (what is inside the frothy spittle on muscadines and other plants). They feed upon the foliage of the muscadine vine and do not cause any noticeable damage to the plant.
Bruce McLean, ©2021, Clemson Extension

Populations of grapevine aphids on muscadines can be quite significant in late summer. They feed primarily on the foliage and late flower clusters. They seldom require chemical management except when present during spring bloom. Heavy rains and natural predation usually keep them in check. If extended periods of dry weather occur and their feeding leads to noticeable problems (or if honeydew and sooty mold become evident on fruit and leaves), an insecticide application may be necessary. Photo from Bruce McLean, ©2021, Clemson Extension

Populations of grapevine aphids on muscadines can be quite significant in late summer. They feed primarily on the foliage and late flower clusters. They seldom require chemical management except when present during spring bloom. Heavy rains and natural predation usually keep them in check. If extended periods of dry weather occur and their feeding leads to noticeable problems (or if honeydew and sooty mold become evident on fruit and leaves), an insecticide application may be necessary.
Bruce McLean, ©2021, Clemson Extension

If this document didn’t answer your questions, please contact HGIC at hgic@clemson.edu or 1-888-656-9988.

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