Coastal Region
Rob Last reports, “Crops are continuing to develop well with few insect or disease problems. The disease pressure may increase given the welcome rainfall forecast today. Please remember to scout regularly and thoroughly. Problems caught early are easier to manage.”
Midlands Region
Justin Ballew reports, “We enjoyed the beautiful fall weather last week. Growers are harvesting lots of brassicas right now. Thanksgiving is a big time for collard sales, so folks are going to be busy over the next few days. Most brassicas look great. We haven’t had much rain this fall, so disease is very low. However, caterpillar pressure is high in some places. Just a reminder, diamondback moths can develop insecticide resistance very quickly. Monitor population levels closely and always base treatment decisions on thresholds. Do not spray just because it’s been 7 days since the last application. Make sure the population level justifies the application. Also, avoid spraying the same material twice within a 30-day period and NEVER use a pyrethroid or organophosphate when caterpillars are the only pests present.”
Insecticide resistance to multiple modes of action has allowed the diamondback moth population in this field to cause severe damage. Multiple pyrethroid and organophosphate applications have also wiped-out beneficial insects. It is unlikely a field like this can recover.
Justin Ballew, ©2021, Clemson Extension
Phillip Carnley reports, “Just like much, if not all the state, it has been exceptionally dry in Orangeburg and Calhoun counties. Despite that, crops are looking good and growing well. Strawberries here are a little behind, like much of the state, due to late planting, but thanks to being dry, we are not seeing any fungal problems yet. I have seen some death/decline of crowns due to J rooting, but that has not been significant. There have been some flaring populations of diamondback caterpillars in collards exacerbated by the use of broad-spectrum insecticides, which left few to no beneficials in the field. When dealing with diamondback caterpillars, make sure to scout early and often and use more targeted MOA’s to give your beneficial insects a helping hand. One or two applications of the various broad-spectrum insecticides can be detrimental and cause a boom in DBM populations.
J-rooting kept this strawberry plug from getting established. J-rooting is one of the most common reasons plants fail or are slow to get established.
Phillip Carnley, ©2021, Clemson Extension
