Vegetable Press

 Vol. 00 No. 03 March 31, 2000

 

Boyett Graves Retires from Truck Crops Station

Rebekah Ray, Editor/Writer, MSU Office of Ag Communications

Mr. Boyett Graves, superintendent of the MAFES Truck Crops Branch at Crystal Springs, retired effective January 30, 2000, after a 38-year career in horticulture.

Graves joined the Vegetable Research Unit in Perry County, Mississippi, in 1981. When that unit merged with the Truck Crops Branch in 1996, he was named superintendent of the two locations.

Before joining MAFES, Graves worked as an assistant county agent in Sabine and Morehouse parishes in Louisiana. He also worked as a horticulturist for the Virginia Truck Experiment Station, where he was involved in sweetpotato and Irish potato breeding programs, as well as general vegetable crops research.

Graves, who has undergraduate and master's degrees from Louisiana State University, will retire to Louisiana.

Organic Production Conference

Ken Rogers, Alcorn Extension Service

The Alcorn State University Cooperative Extension Program is proud to announce a conference to promote and develop organic agriculture in Mississippi to be held April 25 on the grounds of the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum in Jackson, Mississippi.

This exciting day long conference will give producers the information they need to develop their organic agricultural business. We also hope to increase consumer awareness and demand of organic products. The conference is packed with workshops of vital importance to the success of an organic enterprise.

The morning sessions will focus on practical production of organic fruit, vegetable, herb, livestock, poultry, fish, and agronomic operations being presented by successful Mississippi growers and organic specialists from in and out of the state. Value-added processing will be presented also. Then all participants will be served an organic meal for the luncheon while having the opportunity to hear from the National Organic Program representatives and an educational environmental

talk.

The following afternoon workshops will be especially important as they will address the marketing needs of organic producers. The marketing session will include food buyer cooperatives, farmer's markets, and internet and mail-order sales. New growers will share how to establish your own farm store and how to develop new market sources of your own from their actual experience for your practical implementation.

Also included will be government regulation, cooperative establishment, producer grants, consumer awareness, nutritional, and environmental concerns that are all so important to the development of organic agriculture. As a grower, you will obtain many important contacts will others in the business for increased sales and continued production improvement. The Agenda is attached later in this issue.

For more information contact Ken Rogers with Alcorn State University Cooperative Extension Program at 601-634-4816 or email to krogers@lorman.alcorn.edu.

 

Surface Black Cutworm Control

 Dr. J. Pat Harris, Extension Entomologist

Surface black cutworms are generally found attacking our sweet corn and other vegetable crops. Infestations are more common in low-lying, damp fields with higher organic matter. Larvae exhibit three different feeding habits depending on stage of growth. Young larvae (first and second instars) feed on the leaf surface giving it a scuffed appearance.

The late second and early third instars will eat holes in the leaves.

Larvae then move from the leaf area into the soil and begin feeding by cutting plants at the soil surface. Sometimes black cutworm damage is spotty in given fields, and replanting of these areas may be more economical than applying chemical controls.

For cutworm control on sweet corn, use soil surface applications of Lorsban 4 EC, Sevin XLR, 80 WP, or 50 WP. For control on cabbage, english peas, irish potatoes, and spinach, use applications of Sevin insecticide.

Cutworm activity occurs mostly in late afternoon. Therefore, time your application to coincide with their activity. Timing insecticide applications are important in your total insect program.

Aphid Control

Dr. J. Pat Harris, Extension Entomologist

Aphids (plant lice) are small, soft-bodied insects that vary in color from pink, yellow, orange, or black. They suck plant juices causing leaves to curl and turn yellow. They may also inject poisonous saliva or disease-causing organisms during feeding.

They may cause a failure of bloom set in some vegetable crops. They attack most vegetables, but tend to prefer peas, okra, mustard, turnip greens, cabbage, and tomatoes. They tend to be worse on late planted crops.

These insects secrete "honeydew" that harbors sooty mold fungus, which can further spoil vegetables.

Control them by using spray applications of malathion, diazinon, thiodan, cygon, pyrenone, or pyrellin. Refer to individual product labels for crop registration, rates, usages, and precautions.

 Pyt Root Rot of Vegetable Cropshium

 Dr. David M. Ingram

Extension Plant Pathology Specialist

Are the vegetable transplants you recently set out in the garden or field not growing well? Are the plants stunted or perhaps taking on a yellow appearance and just generally unthrifty? If so, the problem may be Pythium root rot. Many vegetable crops are affected by this fungal-incited disease that can cause symptoms including seed rot, root rot, preemergence damping-off, postemergence damping-off, and even seedling death. The disease is common in greenhouses and in the field when soils remain cool and wet following seeding or transplanting.

Pythium is a water mold fungus that thrives in wet soils such as those found in low lying areas in a field. Several species of the causal fungus, Pythium spp., occur in Mississippi and can affect a wide variety of vegetable crops growing in a wide range of environmental conditions. Seeds planted in cool, wet soils are often soft and mushy following attack by the fungus prior to germination. Stand establishment problems are often the result of Pythium seed rot.

Sometimes seed begin the germination process and then are attacked by the fungus, which invades the newly emerging root tissue. The entire seed and root tissue is consumed by the fungus resulting in preemergence damping-off. Stems of seedlings can also be attacked by the fungus. Shortly after seedlings emerge from soil, the fungus can invade the stem tissues at the soil line causing a water-soaked to brown-colored lesion on the stem. If the fungus causes a lesion that completely girdles the stem, the plant will fall over under its own weight, dry up and die.

Transplants recently placed in the field are also susceptible to Pythium root rot. The fungus can invade the small root hairs and under favorable conditions for disease development, eventually grow into larger roots resulting in stunted plants that often take on a yellow or unthrifty appearance. Depending on the severity of infection, plants will often wilt in the heat of the day. Some plants may not recover from wilt and will eventually die.

The fungus survives in soil for long periods of time by means of resting spores (oospores). Germinating seeds or expanding roots release sugars into the soil that stimulate these resting spores to germinate. The fungus enters plant tissue through direct penetration or by means of wounds caused by insects or other injury. The fungus produces enzymes that result in cell collapse causing water-soaking and lesion formation on root tissue.

Some species of Pythium spp. produce motile spores (zoospores) that are capable of swimming in the soil water until they contact plant roots. The oospores are generally sources of initial infections and the zoospores perpetuate the disease during the growing season. It may be possible to see the fungus growing in the lesions on the stems of seedlings under high soil moisture conditions. The fungus produces resting spores in the rotted root tissue and these are returned to the soil as dead root cells slough off.

There is no known resistance to this the causal fungus in this phase of the disease. Prevention is the best method to avoid Pythium root rot. To prevent the seed and root rot phase of this disease, purchase high quality seed and transplants from reputable companies. Seedlings should be vigorous and have a good green color. Alter planting dates to avoid cool, wet soil conditions in the field. Wait until soils have warmed and moisture conditions are suitable for quick seed germination and emergence.

In fields with a history of Pythium root rot, fungicide seed treatments or transplant drenches may be desirable for added protection. Several fungicides are labeled for use on vegetable crops. Contact your county agent for assistance. Read and follow label directions carefully. Soil fumigation is an option in cases where the disease has historically been severe, but cost is a consideration.

FIRST ANNUAL MISSISSIPPI ORGANIC PRODUCTION CONFERENCE

Agenda -April 25, 2000

Registration- 8:00-9:00

General Assembly- 9:00-9:30

Alcorn State University Administrators addressing importance of organic agriculture

Morning Workshops- 9:30-11:30 am

 

Organic Production - interaction of potential & current growers with educators

Assembly Room-Value-Added Processing-

 

Meats-Luke Elliot-Blue Mountain Farm-Arkansas Grower/Processor

Produce- Ben Burkett-Indian Springs Coop-Mississippi Grower/Processor

 

Room 1-Horticulture

 

Greenhouse pro.- Steve Diver -ATTRA*

 

Fruit- ATTRA*

 

Vegetables- Dr. Owusu Bandele- So. Univ.

 

Cut flowers, -Wolf River Plant Farms, Picayune, MS-Mississippi Grower

 

Herbs-Terence Miller-Mississippi Grower

 

Room 2-Agronomic

 

Agronomic Crops- Jim Whitfield -Mississippi Grower

 

Composting- Valerie Gatewood-Mississippi Grower

 

Soil Fertility - Steve Diver- ATTRA *

 

Room 3-Animal Science

 

Livestock-Rosa Shareef-Mississippi Grower

 

Aquaculture- Mike Steward-Mississippi Grower

 

Poultry-Dr. Jim McNitt-.So. Univ.

*Appropriate Technical Transfer for Rural Areas, an information service funded by USDA

 

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Luncheon- 12:00-1:00 p.m. organic food to be served

 

Keith Jones- National Organic Program, USDA Bob Kochitsky, MS 20/20 Sustainable Communities

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Afternoon Workshops- 1:00-3:00 p.m.

 

Environmental Concerns- Avery Rollins- Ecology & Pollution in Mississippi

Dr. Jim Hendricks- Dangers of Agricultural Chemicals

 

Marketing

Farmer's Markets- Natchez, MS; Jackson, MS; Baton Rouge, LA

 

Make Mine Mississippi and other marketing service- Miss. Dept of Ag

 

Food Cooperatives- Blue King- Rainbow Whole Foods

Developing Market Sources- Rick Shafer- success story, Vicksburg, MS,

 

International Markets- Adam Murray, Hinds County International Trade Center

Internet and mail-order sales- Jennifer-Claire Klotz-USDA

Your Own Farm Store- Bill Freeman, farmer success story, Vicksburg, MS

 

Starting A Cooperative -Melbah Smith, Mississippi Association of Cooperatives

 

Producer Grants - Dr. John Mayne- S-SARE and Roger Jones- Heifer Project International

 

Government Regulation

 

Organic Certification-Guy Feltenstein, MS Dept of Ag. & Comm.

 

Food Safety - John Tillson & Jim Meadows-MDAC,

Charlene Bruce & Deborah Taylor- Miss. Dept of Health

 

Calendar of Coming Events

Dr. Rick Snyder, Vegetable Specialist

April 8 - Great Herb Sale - at Woodland Hills Parking Lot, Jackson, MS, 8 am to 2 pm. For information, call Everyday Gardener at 601-981-0273.

April 25 - Organic Production Conference, at Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum, Jackson, MS. For information, contact Ken Rogers with Alcorn State University Cooperative Extension Program at 601-634-4816, or email to krogers@lorman.alcorn.edu. 

Dr. Richard G. Snyder,

Vegetable Specialist

Truck Crops Research & Extension Center

Mississippi State University

P.O. Box 231

Crystal Springs, MS 39059

PHONE: _ (601) 892-3731

Fax: (601) 892-2056

Internet: RickS@ext.msstate.edu

 

Web Pages

Central Mississippi Research & Extension Center http://www.msstate.edu/dept/cmrec/

North Mississippi Research & Extension Center
http://www.msstate.edu/dept/nmrec/

Greenhouse Tomato FAQ http://ext.msstate.edu/anr/plantsoil/vegfruit/tomato/ghtomato/faq.html/

 Vegetable Resource Page
http://www2.msstate.edu/~ricks/

Organic Fruit and Vegetable Web Page
http://www.msstate.edu/dept/cmrec/organic/

Greenhouse Tomato Short Course
http://www.msstate.edu/dept/cmrec/GHSC.htm

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