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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Dewayne Trail, Extension Agent UT-TSU Extension of Rutherford County
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
What is pest Management? . . . various measures taken by the home gardener to either prevent or reduce the amount of damage caused by garden pests.
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
What are garden pests? Major Pests: - Diseases - Insects - Weeds Minor Pests: - Wildlife - Livestock and Domestic Animals Other Pests (or things) - Environmental Conditions
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
How do you correctly identify pest (disease, insect, & weed) problems? Four ways to identify (ID) garden pests: - Extension Office for “on-site” ID - Digital photo for “on-line” ID by Distance Diagnostic Lab (DDL) - Garden pest samples for “DDL” ID at $15 per sample - Establish a Reference File
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Suggested References: - PB Disease Control in the Home Vegetable Garden - PB You Can Control Garden Insects ($) - SP I Weed Control in Home Gardens - PB Organic Vegetable Gardening (K) - PB Managing Nuisance Animals and Associated Damage Around the Home ? Many others available through UT, TSU and other sources
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
What methods are commonly used to deal with garden pests? - Mechanical - Non-Chemical - Chemical
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Mechanical Control Measures
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Non-Chemical or Cultural Control Measures
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Chemical control measures might include use of various pesticides to include: Fungicides (for diseases) Insecticides (for insects) Herbicides (for weeds) Baits, Repellants, etc. (for wildlife)
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Favorable Environment
THE DISEASE TRIANGLE - What factors are necessary for disease to occur? Favorable Environment Disease Pathogen Host Plant
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
How are plant pathogens disseminated? - Air Currents – mildews, rusts, leaf spots - Water – leaf spots, root rots, fire blight - Insects – virus, yellowing, bacterial wilt - Equipment – nematodes, root rots - Humans – late blight, Dutch elm disease, powdery/downy mildew of grape, white pine blister rust, phytophthora root rot
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Why control diseases? Diseases can: - Kill plants - Injure plants by reducing the photosynthetic area - Damage fruit or any edible portion of the plant - Reduce yield and quality
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
What pathogens cause disease and plant problems? Biotic Pathogens (cause plant disease) - Fungi - Bacteria - Virus Abiotic Pathogens (cause plant problems) - Herbicides - See other on next slide
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Abiotic Plant Problems - Mechanical Injury - Freeze Damage - Herbicide Injury - Nutrient Deficiency - Insect Damage
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Do Not Underestimate The Importance of: - Keeping plants in a healthy, vigorous state of growth - Carrying out the various cultural practices recommended for disease control
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Cultural Disease Control Methods Site selection Staking Soil tillage Disease resistant Crop rotation varieties Sanitation Correct irrigation Utilizing disease free Proper spacing seed/transplants Proper fertilization Seed treatments No tobacco use Solarization Control of other Timely planting garden pests Use of mulch
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Chemical Disease Control Measures Sometimes difficult for home gardeners Biological products (Sonata or Serenade) Bactericides (Kocide) Broad spectrum fungicides (Chlorothalonil, maneb, or mancozeb)
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Disease: Early Blight of Tomato - Caused by fungi - Symptoms include brown target spots followed by blighting of foliage, gradual loss of leaves, late season spots on fruit and loss of leaves - Sun scald can be a secondary symptom
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Disease: Early Blight of Tomato Cultural Control Measures: - Plant and row spacing - Staking - Correct irrigation Chemical Control Measures: - Mix and apply a fungicide according to label directions - Possibilities: chlorothalonil (0), mancozeb (5), or maneb (5) - Spray at 7-10 day intervals after plant establishment
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Disorder: Blossom End Rot - A physiological problem, not a disease - Symptom is a black, leathery spot on the blossom end of small green fruit - Caused by a lack of calcium in the developing fruit - Very common in Tomato, also in bell pepper and watermelon
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Disorder: Blossom End Rot Possible Causes: - Low calcium level in soil - Imbalance in soil pH - Lack of uniform ground moisture Control Measures: - Determine and correct cause of problem - Add calcium chloride as a foliar spray - Plant least susceptible varieties, avoid droughty soils
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Disease: Blossom Blight Blossoms rot and stick to young fruit. End of fruit turns black Cultural Control Measures: - Provide good air circulation for quick drying of foliage (by following plant and row spacing guidelines) - Mulch plants - Correct irrigation
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Disease: Powdery Mildew Fungi causes a white, powdery mold on foliage and stems Seen on bean, cucumber, squash, . . . Cultural Control Measures: Observe recommended plant and row spacing, correct irrigation Chemical Control Measures: Apply sulfur at first sign of disease and repeat at 7-14 day intervals. If temperatures exceed 90 degrees, delay sulfur application.
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Other common vegetable diseases include various: (TSWV) - Rot and seedling diseases - Leaf spot diseases - Blight and wilt diseases - Canker, rust, and virus diseases - Scab, scald, scurf
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Chemicals and Fungicides (common and trade names) - Chlorothalonil (Bravo, Fungi-gard, Vegetable Disease Control) - Fixed coppers (Basicop, Blue Shield, Kocide, Tri-Basic Copper Sulfate) - Mancozeb (Dithane, Manzate, Penncozeb) - Maneb (Maneb WP/Spray/Liquid Fungicide) - PCNB (Terraclor G/WP)
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Why control insects? They can: - Kill plants - Injure plants (by reducing photosynthetic area and allowing entry points for disease) - Serve as a vector in disease transmission - Damage fruit or any edible portion of the plant - Reduce yield and quality
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VEGATABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
How are garden insects controlled? Measures Available: - Mechanical - Non-Chemical - Chemical
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Insect control products which are considered more “user friendly” for those wishing to grow organically: Natural Protective Substances – Examples include water, bug juice, hot pepper, soaps, and oils. Microbial Agents - Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a type of bacterium deadly to certain insects but harmless to humans, pets, and beneficial insects (Examples are Dipel, Thuricide, and others.) Botanically Derived Chemicals – Insecticides with chemicals extracted from plants which break down into substances thought to be harmless; these products (pyrethrin, neem, and others) will not differentiate between harmful and beneficial insects.
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Mechanical Insect Control Measures: - Solarization (during the summer) - Reflective mulch (yellow repels aphids and silver repels thrips) - Physical barriers (aluminum foil, small cans, etc.) - Hand picking (hornworms, Colorado potato beetles, etc.) - Cutting out vine borers - sweeping
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Cultural Insect Control Measures: Site selection Soil preparation Use of healthy plants Timely planting Companion planting Diversified planting Crop rotation Sanitation Control weeds Timely harvest Use of beneficial insects
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Companion Planting . . . realizing insect control and increased yields by locating certain plants close-by others. Examples include: - Eggplant and catnip (flea beetles) - Tomato and basil (tomato hornworm) - Beans and rosemary (Mexican bean beetles) - Cabbage and thyme (cabbage worms)
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Beneficial Insects: - Feed on harmful insects - May be killed with insecticides aimed at eliminating harmful insects - Examples include ladybug larva, spiders, lacewings, stink bugs, praying mantids, ground beetles, ambush bugs, tachnid flies, predatory mites, etc.
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Chemical Insect Control Placement of insecticide on: - In the soil - On the seed - On the plant foliage - On the fruit of the plant Common insecticides: - Natural protective substances - Microbial agents - Botanically derived chemicals - Synthetic and other insecticides (malathion, sevin, bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, spinosad, etc.)
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Insect: Hornworm (tomato or tobacco) - Green caterpillars, 3-4 inches long, with short, white stripes and a slender horn projecting from near the rear end - They feed on and consume large portions of leaves which results in stunting and fruit scald. - Cultural control – Handpicking - Chemical control – Bt products (0) very effective; Cyfluthrin (0), permethrin (0), bifenthrin (1), spinosad (1), or carbaryl (3)
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Insect: Aphid - A common, soft bodied insect (pale green, grey, or red) found in clusters on the underside of plant leaves - They suck plant juices, cause leaves to wrinkle/discolor, severely weaken plants, and may spread disease. - Cultural control measures include use of aluminum foil, natural protective substances, beneficial (or predator) insects - Chemical control measures include use of safer soap (0), malathion (1), or bifenthrin (1) (Do not use sevin.)
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Insect: Corn Earworm or Tomato Fruitworm Larvae up to 1 ¾ inches long; variable in color from light green to pink to brown to black; yellow, unspotted head, course skin with short hairs Chews on buds and leaves; may cause plant stunting; feeds on silk (preventing pollination) and kernels from tip of ear downward; introduces fungi into ear; eats holes in tomatoes causing rotting Control: Early planting and insecticide use – cyfluthrin (0), bifenthrin (1), permethrin (1), spinosad (1), or carbaryl (2)
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
What is a weed? An unwanted plant which: - Is considered undesirable by gardeners - Is neither eaten nor considered attractive - Is usually invasive and difficult to control because they: - Have efficient root systems for rapid growth and tremendous seed production - Tolerate drought and low fertility - Thrive where vegetables struggle to grow
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Why control weeds? Weeds compete with crops for: - Water - Nutrients - Sunlight Weeds reduce yields, lower quality, and make harvest more difficult. Weeds provide a refuge for insects. Weeds serve as an alternate host for disease organisms.
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
What are the primary weed control methods: - Mechanical - Cultural - Chemical
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Mechanical Weed Control: . . . involves removing weeds while they are small and preventing them from producing mature seed. It consists of: - Mowing - Plowing - Rototilling - Hoeing - Hand Pulling
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Cultural weed control measures are aimed at prevention. They include: - Site selection - Solarization - Timely planting (multiple or wide-row) - Use of mulches - Prevent weeds from going to seed
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Chemical Weed Control Measures: Problems include: - Difficult to apply in small areas - Limited in availability to homeowners - Some gardeners object to their use Understand: - Difference in pre/post emerge herbicides - Different formulations available
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Chemical Weed Control Measures: Available herbicides include: - Glyphosate (Roundup) - a post-emerge, non-selective product - Trifluralin (Treflan) - a pre-emerge, grass product - Sethoxydin (Poast) - a post-emerge, grass product Application: - Make application at correct stage of weed development - Mix and apply herbicide according to label directions
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Wildlife Damage Control Measures: - Exclusion - Habitat Modification - Frightening - Repellants - Toxicants/Fumigants - Trapping - Shooting
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Control of Deer Feeding: - Don’t feed the deer - Fencing - Scare tactics - Repellents (contact, area) - Shooting
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Rabbit Control: - Trapping very effective - Use of Repellents - Exclusion (fencing) - Shooting (where permitted)
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Livestock/Domestic Animal Control - Exclusion (fencing) - Repellents - Frightening
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Temperature Extremes Cold damage - Spring and fall - Cool/Warm season plants - Frost protection Heat and drought conditions - Shade protection - Irrigation
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VEGETABLE GARDENING (Pest Management)
Thanks for your attention! Questions?
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