A few areas received rain over the last week, contributing to increases in disease and fruit split. Sunscald and blossom end rot are becoming common, and insect pressure remains high. See details below.
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Coastal Region
Zack Snipes
- We got some rain this past week and hope it continues. We had been so dry that some crops, like tomatoes, split when we had a few inches of rain.
- We are seeing high populations of leaf-footed bugs in tomatoes.
- I pulled a few squash, tomato, and eggplant plants that were in a field used earlier this season. The roots were absolutely loaded with nematodes. Next season or next year’s management starts as soon as this season’s crop is done. On a small scale or on organic farms, hand-pulling these plants to remove the roots is an excellent way to reduce nematode populations. On larger scale operations, nematicides can be applied via the drip to help reduce populations if fields will be double cropped.
Tomatoes left in the field after harvest can harbor insects such as leaf-footed bugs, root-knot nematodes, and many soil-borne diseases. Remove them to help with next year’s IPM.
Zack Snipes, ©2024 Clemson Extension
Midlands Region
Rob Last
- Plant disease and insect pressures will remain high as temperature and humidity remain high.
- Sun scorch will remain a risk to many crops. Applications of Kaolin clays may be beneficial.
- Keep scouting crops closely.
- As we are into July, now is a good opportunity to tissue test pecans and make any adjustments to fertilizer applications based on the tissue test results. Pecans look to be loading up with nuts and showing good shuck swell. Maintaining irrigation for these crops will be critical. Remember to keep up with fungicide applications on scab susceptible cultivars such as Stewart.
Sarah Scott
- Some much-needed rain fell this week, filling irrigation ponds just a tad. Disease pressure is still relatively low but we will be keeping a close eye on things as more rain may be in the forecast.
- Blossom end rot is the worst issue we are having in peppers and tomatoes.
- Squash bugs and leaf-footed bugs are the biggest insect pests we are seeing in vegetable crops.
- Peaches are still being heavily harvested. Scale is an issue in some areas, especially in fields where growers missed the second oil spray early in the season. We will keep an eye out for brown rot and continue preventative sprays prior to rain events.
Brown rot developing on peaches.
Sarah Scott, ©2024 Clemson Extension
Pee Dee Region
Christiana Huss
- Muscadine grapes are loaded with fruit and sizing up nicely.
- Peppers and tomatoes are being harvested in large quantities. Leaf-footed bugs are a common issue on tomatoes, causing a speckled pattern on the fruit. Southern blight is also showing up in many fields.
- I’ve seen gummy stem blight and anthracnose in several watermelon fields.
- Plenty of rain is forested this week, which is great news for fields without irrigation.
- Keep up with fungicide sprays since high humidity and heat are the perfect environment for many pests.
Muscadine grapes look beautiful.
Christian Huss, ©2024 Clemson Extension
White mycelia and spherical sclerotia on a tomato stem associated with Southern blight.
Christiana Huss, ©2024 Clemson Extension
