With the produce season essentially finished, it’s time to begin thinking about insect management in melons. Spring melon crops are rapidly growing, and so are insect pest populations. Cabbage loopers and leafminers are becoming evident in some areas, and PCAs should start ramping up their monitoring and sampling. More importantly, whitely populations are quietly becoming abundant on the spring melons of all sizes. Adults can easily be found on recently planted melons located at the Yuma Ag Center, and reports from local PCAs suggest that adult populations are beginning to show up on older plantings. As temperatures increase and crops/weeds mature, avoidance of excessive feeding from whitefly nymphs should be the primary concern on all melon types. Although CYSDV does occur in later spring melons, it is rarely yield limiting. But honeydew and sooty mold contamination on cantaloupes, mixed melons and watermelons can significantly reduce quality and marketability is whiteflies are not adequately controlled. Our research has shown that to prevent fruit yield and quality losses on spring melons, a foliar insecticide treatment should be applied on threshold; that is, when average adult numbers exceed 2 per leaf when averaged across an entire melon field. At this level of adult abundance, immature populations are beginning to colonize. Timing sprays based on the adult threshold has been shown to significantly reduce the chance of yield / quality losses during spring harvests. This threshold applies for the use of recommended IGRs (Courier, Knack, Cormoran, and Oberon), foliar applied neonicotinoids (Assail, Venom, Scorpion), neonicotinoid-like compounds (Sivanto prime and Transform), diamides, (Exirel and Minecto Pro) and the feeding disruptors (PQZ and Sefina). For more information on whitefly management and available insecticides, go to these documents on Insect Management on Spring Melons: Whiteflies and Whitefly Control Chart-Spring Melons -2024. Also, be aware of honey bees and other pollinators in or around melon fields. If bees are present, be sure to carefully read labels and determine bee safety of a product before making an application in a melon field. If applications are necessary during bloom, only apply a product that is considered bee safe (e.g., PQZ, Sefina, Sivanto, Assail). We also recommend that insecticides only be applied when honeybees are not actively working in the field (e.g. 10:00 pm – 3: 00 am).
2021-2022 Sclerotinia Drop of Lettuce Fungicide Trial
This study was conducted at the Yuma Valley Agricultural Center. The soil was a silty clay loam (7-56-37 sand-silt-clay, pH 7.2, O.M. 0.7%). Lettuce ‘Magosa’ was seeded, then sprinkler-irrigated to germinate seed on Nov 2, 2021 on double rows 12 in. apart on beds with 42 in. between bed centers. All other water was supplied by furrow irrigation or rainfall. Treatments were replicated five times in a randomized complete block design. Each replicate plot consisted of 25 ft of bed, which contained two 25 ft rows of lettuce. Treatments were applied with a tractor-mounted boom sprayer that delivered 50 gal/acre at 100 psi to flat-fan nozzles spaced 12 in. apart.
Month
Max
Min
Avg
Rain
November
84
53
67
0.00
December
71
44
57
0.27
January
72
42
57
1.31
February
75
43
59
0.02
March
81
48
65
0.00
Sclerotia of Sclerotinia minor were produced in 0.25 pt glass flasks containing 15 to 20 sterilized 0.5 in. cubes of potato by seeding the potato tissue with mycelia of the fungus. After incubation for 4 to 6 wk at 68°F, mature sclerotia were separated from residual potato tissue by washing the contents of each flask in running tap water within a soil sieve. Sclerotia were air-dried at room temperature, then stored at 40°F until needed. Inoculum of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum was produced in 2 qt glass containers by seeding moist sterilized barley seeds with mycelia of the pathogen. After 2 mo incubation at 68°F, abundant sclerotia were formed. The contents of each container were then removed, spread onto a clean surface and air-dried. The resultant mixture of sclerotia and infested barley seed was used as inoculum. Lettuce ‘Magosa’ was seeded and then sprinkler-irrigation was initiated to germinate seed in double rows 12 inches apart on beds with 42 inches between bed centers. Plants were thinned Jan 6, 2020 at the 3-4 leaf stage to a 12-inch spacing. For plots infested with Sclerotinia minor, 0.13 oz (3.6 grams) of sclerotia were distributed evenly on the surface of each 25-ft-long plot between the rows of lettuce and incorporated into the top 1 inch of soil. For plots infested with Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, 0.5 pint of a dried mixture of sclerotia and infested barley grain was broadcast evenly over the surface of each 25-ft-long lettuce plot, again between the rows of lettuce on each bed, and incorporated into the top 1-inch of soil. Treatment beds were separated by single nontreated beds. Treatments were replicated five times in a randomized complete block design. Each replicate plot consisted of a 25 ft length of bed, which contained two 25 ft rows of lettuce. Control plots received sclerotia but were not treated with any fungicide. As a point of reference, the original stand of lettuce was thinned to about 65 plants per plot.
For treatments first applied at seeding, sclerotia were introduced into plots before the first application of treatments. The first application for at seeding treatments was made on Nov 8, with an additional application on December 16th. For treatments first applied after thinning, sclerotia were introduced into plots after thinning before the first application of these treatments, with additional applications as noted in the data sheets. An initial sprinkler irrigation supplied water for seed germination, with subsequent furrow irrigations for crop growth. The final severity of disease was determined at plant maturity by recording the number of dead and dying plants in each plot due to Sclerotinia minor or Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (March 8th, 2022). As a point of reference, the original stand of lettuce was thinned to about 65 plants per plot.
In nontreated plots, 16-17% of lettuce plants were dead or dying due to infection with Sclerotinia minor and about 11 % due to S. sclerotiorum, at the end of the trial. Please refer to the data tables to compare treatments of interest, using the Least Significant Difference Value listed at the bottom of each table to determine statistically significant differences among treatments. (UA-3)+Silwett, (UA-2)+Silwett, and Endura fb Merivon +Silwett were most effective against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Endura+Silwett, (UA-3)+Silwett, (UA-2)+Silwett, Merivon+Silwett and Luna Sensation + silwett gave the best results against Sclerotinia minor (see table). Phytotoxicity was not noted in any of the treatments in this trial.
Controlling Fusarium Wilt of Lettuce Using Steam Heat – Trial Initiated
Earlier this week, we initiated a trial examining the use of band steam for controlling Fusarium wilt of lettuce. The premise behind this research is to use steam heat to raise soil temperatures to levels sufficient to kill soilborne pathogens. For Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lactucae, the pathogen which causes Fusarium wilt of lettuce, the required temperature for control is generally taken to be > 140°F for 20 minutes. Soil solarization, where clear plastic is placed over the crop bed during the summer, exploits this concept. The technique raises soil surface temperatures to 150-155˚F, effectively killing the pathogen and reducing disease incidence by 45-98% (Matheron and Porchas, 2010).
In our trials, we are using steam heat to raise soil temperatures. Steam is delivered by a 35 BHP steam generator mounted on a custom designed elongated bed shaper (Fig. 1). Preliminary results were encouraging. The device was able to increase the temperature of the top 3” of soil to over 180°F at a travel speed of 0.5 mph as shown in this video of the machine in action (shown below). These temperatures exceed that of those known to control pathogens responsible for causing Fusarium wilt of lettuce (> 140°F for 20 minutes).
Stay tuned for final trial results and reports on the efficacy of using steam heat to control Fusarium wilt of lettuce.
If you are interested in evaluating the technique on your farm, please contact me. We are seeking additional sites with a known history of Fusarium wilt of lettuce disease incidence to test the efficacy and performance of the device.
References
Matheron, M. E., & Porchas, M. 2010. Evaluation of soil solarization and flooding as management tools for Fusarium wilt of lettuce. Plant Dis. 94:1323-1328.
Acknowledgements
This project is sponsored by USDA-NIFA, the Arizona Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and the Arizona Iceberg Lettuce Research Council. We greatly appreciate their support.
A special thank you is extended to Cory Mellon and Mellon Farms for allowing us to conduct this research on their farm.
Weeds are one of the most visible of all agricultural pests. They can’t move or hide and once established often stick up over the crop. Just one weed in a 10 acre field is annoying to look at. With insects and diseases, the damage is often more visible than the pest. That is not the case with weeds. A moderate weed infestation is approximately 10 weeds per square foot. If a herbicide produces 90% control, that leaves 1 weed per square foot or 43 weeds per acre. Without an untreated check, this can look like the herbicide failed! It is easy to leave an untreated spot in a field and it is well worth doing. Many applicators do so unintentionally because of skips, powerlines and other causes. They help determine crop injury and weed control. Here are some examples of what various levels of control looked like from one of our cole crop trials: