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LEXINGTON, KY 40546 KENTUCKY PEST NEWS ENTOMOLOGY • PLANT PATHOLOGY • WEED SCIENCE On line at: www.uky.edu/Agriculture/kpn/kpnhome.htm Number 974 January 27, 2003 ANNOUNCEMENTS LIVESTOCK • Upcoming pesticide training meetings • Hog lice and mange mites • Random checks of private applicator pesticide records • Winter clean out good for litter beetle management and WPS compliance GREENHOUSE TOBACCO • Tomato spotted wilt and impatiens necrotic spot viruses • Rigorous sanitation very important to successful and their vector, western flower thrips- threats to tobacco transplant production using the float system ornamental production in the greenhouse CORN HUMAN • Kits for testing grains for mycotoxins • Head Lice STORED GRAIN • Don’t forget your stored grain!! ANNOUNCEMENTS sheets. Identity and results of individual inspections will remain confidential. UPCOMING PESTICIDE TRAINING MEETINGS Keeping pesticide records is good business practice and has numerous benefits! Here are a few examples: Saves These meetings start at 9 am local time and end about 3 money - Accurate pesticide records will enable you to pm know and buy the correct amount of pesticides for each growing season. Shows what is working - Good records •Feb 5 – Mayfield, Graves Co Extension Office will help you determine how a pesticide application (4 gen + 2 specific) 1a, 1b, 10, 12 No test achieved the best results or why a pesticide may have •Feb 7 – Burlington, Boone Co Extension Office performed poorly and prevent future repeated failures. (6 general hours) 3, 10, 12, 18, 19, 20, Testing Documents correct use - Should a question arise • Feb 10 – Lexington, Fayette Co Extension Office concerning pesticide use, your records may provide (4 gen + 2 specific) 1a, 1b, 10, 12 No test liability protection. Improves management decisions - • Feb 11 – Louisville, KFACA - Executive Inn Since some pesticides have restrictions on what can be (4 gen + 2 specific) 1a, 1b, 10, 12 No test planted the following year in the same field, good records • Feb 26 – Elizabethtown, Hardin Co Extension Office can help you plan your crop rotations. (4 gen + 2 specific) 1a, 1b, 10, 12 No test TOBACCO RANDOM CHECKS OF PRIVATE APPLICATOR PESTICIDE RECORDS AND WPS COMPLIANCE RIGOROUS SANITATION VERY IMPORTANT TO SUCCESSFUL TOBACCO TRANSPLANT Inspectors from the Ag Branch of the Kentucky Division PRODUCTION USING THE FLOAT SYSTEM of Pesticide Regulation will check the pesticide records by William C. Nesmith and Worker Protection Standards compliance of approximately 200 randomly-selected private applicators Hopefully, after last season more of the tobacco industry this winter. Farmers will receive and advance written appreciates that having healthy, disease-free transplants is notice. During the visit, the inspector will provide the an important first step to controlling diseases in the field farmer with information on recordkeeping requirements, and having a profitable tobacco crop. Most tobacco review pesticide application records, and provide transplant production in our region uses containerized- compliance assistance, if needed. This is a national transplants, by way of the float system in either program to see how well private applicators are greenhouse or outdoor locations. In this system, cells of complying with the law. Individual farmers names or styrofoam trays are filled with a soilless medium, seeded certification numbers will not appear on the inspection Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND KENTUCKY COUNTIES COOPERATING with a pelletized seed, and floated in a shallow bay of Tray Sanitation: water from germination until ready for the field. The cells in the styrofoam trays are perforated in the bottom to What is available to disinfect trays? Steam, methyl- allow water and nutrient uptake, but a portion of the tray bromide fumigation, chlorine-bleach, and quaternary (0.25 to 2.0 inches) is submerged plus “water-roots” grow ammonium chloride salts are available in Kentucky. None into the liquid medium. This keeps much of the root of these materials have been totally effective in killing all system under constant saturation on most farms, and in the pathogens and exactly how to best use them at the poorly managed situations portions of the lower stem are farm-level is not fully understood. Each has positive and constantly wet, too. Moreover, the trays of plants are negative points, which have been addressed in several taken to the field and typically reused, providing an ideal previous Ky Pest News articles. mechanism for cycling and new introduction of pathogens into the system. STEAMING TRAYS: In our studies, aerated-steam (and other forms of wet heat) have been the most effective High plant density and high moisture conditions are often disinfectants - does the best job of killing the range of also present in these systems providing extended periods pathogens we are facing in Kentucky. But its cost is high of stem and leaf wetness. Where fertilization is not and some items are damaged by steaming. Moreover, managed well, succulent plant tissue and/or nutrient most growers do not have it available. Our studies with starved conditions favor development and spread of heavily contaminated trays have demonstrated that the seedling diseases. In addition, certain diseases that may trays need to reach at least 160F to 175F for 30 minutes not be a problem in outdoor soilbeds become a problem in (timing starts once the desired temperature is reached, not greenhouses. The most common diseases found in tobacco total time), but lower temperatures at much longer times float systems are Pythium diseases (damping off, root rot have been effective in other research. Some commercial and stem rot), Rhizoctonia diseases (damping off, stem transplant producers are successfully using steam, the rot, and target spot), Bacterial Blackleg/bacterial soft rot, temperature/times being used mainly depends upon the Sclerotinia collar rot, Fusarium diseases (root rot, stem rot, assessment of risk potential. and wilt), Black Root Rot, Botrytis gray mold, blue mold, and black shank. FUMIGANTS: Methyl bromide with 1% chloropicrin has been almost as effective as steam in some of the tests. It Infectious diseases in transplant production have become provides excellent control of Rhizoctonia and other fungi increasingly important and last year they caused major on the surface of the tray. It will also greatly reduce the losses in both the transplant sites and later in the field. I level of Pythium, but has not been as effective as steam or urge all to appreciate that the current transplant proper bleaching in reducing Pythium, probably because production methods being used are highly conducive to a significant amount of Pythium is found embedded in disease development once the pathogens have been the tray. We find great variation in the amount of control introduced. Therefore, the key to controlling these provided within the lot of trays, also. It is important to us diseases is to keep the pathogens out of the system. A an air-tight plastic seal, to pre-wet the trays, and to avoid diligent sanitation program is how you keep them out! large stacks of trays. Methyl-bromide is heavier than air, so it sinks, therefore best results occur with long, short The pathogens causing such diseases are entering the stacks rather than tall, deep stacks. We have found little system through contaminated trays, in contaminated soil, control is provide at the low rates, so use the maximum contaminated water, through vents, on workers'/visitors’ labeled rates (3 lbs/1000 cubic feet or about 500 trays, hands and shoes, on tools, on animals, etc. Therefore, the stacked criss-crossed). Temperatures need to be above 50F keys to managing diseases in the float system are to keep and the fumigation event needs to last at least 24 hours, the pathogen out of the system and manage with a least 48 hours of aeration before using. Do not environmental conditions to keep humidity low and float fumigate inside a greenhouse. Certain types of styrofoam water temperature cool. However, that is easier said than trays appear to be more easily damaged with this done, especially where trays are reused. Note that several chemical. Pay special attention to ALL label precautions of the above diseases are field pathogens, so all related to safety. precautions should be taken to ensure that field soil or used media does not enter the system. CHLORINE BLEACH: Just dipping trays in bleach will not provide satisfactory results with contaminated trays. Everything used in the system needs to be free of However, properly used this material can provide a pathogens, and if not free, at the lowest population levels significant level of sanitation for the small grower unable feasible. The media and water being used should be to manage either steam or fumigation. Chlorine bleach pathogen-free. All equipment and tools that come in solutions have given a high level of control in our tests contact with the system should be pathogen-free. That with highly contaminated trays but, over-all, are not as means either new trays must be used or re-used trays effective as either steam or properly conducted must be properly washed and sanitized. fumigation. We have found little benefit to using more than 10% solution, plus there is increased phytotoxicity potential. Without proper aeration and post-washes, salt residues can cause serious problems, especially with older trays that tend to soak up more materials. Bleaches work 2 best when the trays are washed with soapy water, then - Never allow weeds to develop in the greenhouse. dipped several times into clean 10% solution, followed by - Growing vegetable and bedding plants in tobacco covering them with tarp to keep them wet over-night with greenhouses greatly increases the chances of virus the bleaching solution.