News
Blightline August 6, 2018
No late blight has been reported in ND or MN or MB. Conditions have been favorable for late blight the past few days especially in eastern ND and western MN, and morning dews continue to provide leaf wetness that favors infection. Late blight severity values have reached the late blight severity threshold value of 15 at all locations except Hofflund and Williston. Protectant fungicides should be applied to fields in areas that have reached the threshold value of 15 or greater on a seven day schedule for irrigated fields and a 7 to 10 day schedule for non-irrigated fields.
Aphid Alert Aug 3, 2018
We recovered a total of 130 aphids,120 of which were vector species (15 different species!) from 13 of the 14 traps reporting this week. Some surprises, some expecteds... About 1/3 of the aphids captured were small grain aphids; no surprise there, harvest has begun and grain aphids are seeking better hosts.
Blightline July 30, 2018
Conditions have not been favorable for late blight the past few days due to the dearth of rain, but morning dews are appearing that can be favorable for late blight infection. Late blight severity values have reached the late blight severity threshold value of 15 at all locations except Hofflund and Williston.
Aphid Alert for July 30, 2018
This week as had 43 aphid vectors (from 13 different species) recovered from 9 of the 13 sites reporting this week. Sabin and Ada reported the heaviest flights with 12 and 9 vector aphids respectively.
Blightline July 23, 2018 - Late Blight found in Ottertail county
Late blight had been found in tomatoes in Ottertail county MN, no other late blight has been reported in our region. Late blight has also been reported in the Columbia Basin in Washington. Late blight severity values continue to increase and all locations except for Hofflund and Willinston- have reached the late blight severity threshold value of 15.
Aphid Alert
The aphids are coming, the aphids are coming.... We trapped significantly more aphids this week - 51 aphid vectors (from 7 different species) were recovered from 11 of the 13 sites currently reporting. This is a higher vector count than previously captured over the past 4 weeks COMBINED.
Technology Corner
Reaching Audiences with Social Media: A New Report What social media platforms do you use? Facebook, Twitter or YouTube? How about Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, Pinterest or LinkedIn? Many people in the U.S. use at least three of these eight platforms according to data released in March 2018 by the Pew Research Center. If you are conducting nutrition and health education reinforced with social media, knowing your users and how to reach them is very important.
2018 Conference Review
This year’s conference featured remarkable speakers, “networking while walking” mini grant presentations, and a pre-conference social event where members toured the Prairie Roots Food Co-Op and participated in a volunteer project making tee shirts into grocery bags.
Legislative Update Summer 2018
Every 4 years, you hear about the Farm Bill, which really is about more than farming – it’s about food; from growing it to eating it. Set to expire on September 30, 2018, Congress has been working on a new Farm Bill for the past few months.
Blightline July 16, 2018
No late blight has been reported in ND or MN or MB. Late blight has been reported in the Columbia Basin in Washington. Late blight severity values continue to increase and all locations except four – Hofflund, Linton, Mandan, Williston - have reached the late blight severity threshold value of 15. At this value, conditions for late blight have been favorable and disease is expected to occur if inoculum is present. Protectant fungicides should be applied to fields in areas that have reached the threshold value of 15 or greater.
Powdery Scab of Potatoes
Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea (referred to as S. subterranea), the causal agent of powdery scab and root gall formation in potato, is a soil- and tuber-borne funguslike pathogen. S. subterranea first was reported in the U.S. in 1913. During this same year, the disease was found established in potato-growing states such as Maine, Florida, Minnesota and Oregon. To date, the pathogen can be found causing disease throughout the U.S., as well as several other potato-growing regions around the world.
MN Area II Field Day
The MN Area II Field day will be held on July 17, 2018 at the Sand Plains Research Farm in Becker, MN. The field day will begin with a plot tour followed by supper.
Blightline July 9, 2018
No late blight has been reported in ND or MN. Late blight has been reported in the Columbia Basin in Washington. Due to the rain activity, late blight severity values have accumulated rapidly and most locations have reached the late blight severity threshold value of 15.
Early Blight in Potato
Early blight of potato is caused by the fungal pathogen Alternaria solani. The disease affects leaves, stems, and tubers, and can reduce yield, tuber size, storability of tubers, quality of fresh-market and processing tubers, and marketability of the crop. This Extension article discusses the basics of early blight and fungicide resistance in Alternaria solani.
Planting tips
As the long winter ends and we begin a new growing season, here’s a few items to help you with planting. A couple of years ago I published a planting rate/seed calculator. This table can be viewed and downloaded from the NDSU / U of M Potato Extension website www.ag.ndsu.edu/potatoextension.
Scout School weeds and herbicides
This is information on common weeds in potato production in ND and MN. The presentation covers injury symptoms on potatoes from various chemistries. Crop rotation restriction for potato and herbicide efficacy for potato is also available.
Blightline June 1, 2018
Welcome to the first NDSU Potato Blightline for 2018 sponsored by Syngenta Crop Protection. We are up and running for the 24th consecutive year of operation. The Blightline includes disease forecasting and control recommendations for late blight and early blight, and other potato disease and insect information on a local and national basis. The Blightline is updated weekly, or more often if late blight is present, through mid-September. Information and recommendations are available anytime through the toll free number 1.888.482.7286 and the NDSU Potato Late Blightline at www.ndawn.ndsu.nodak.edu. On the website, click on applications, select potato, and choose late blight. There is also a link there to the NDSU Plant Pathology Late Blight website at this site. The NDAWN website for potato disease forecasting uses both tabular data and colored maps of ND and western MN to illustrate quickly the late blight severity values (both two day and seasonal) and favorable day values, and P-day values for early blight throughout ND.
Potato Seed Calculation
A pertinent subject for the season is calculating planting rates. Here is a table that can help you calculate the amount of potato seed needed to plant at different row widths, within-row spacing, and by seed piece size. Formulas are available in the tables to enable to user to put their own numbers in if the preset numbers do not accurately represent planting on your farm.
NDAWN Potato Blight App tutorial
This tutorial will walk you through how to use the NDAWN Potato Blight app. This app is available for free at the iTunes or Google Play stores by searching "NDAWN Potato Blight" or going to z.umn.edu/potatoapp.
Non-irrigated Red Norland Crop Budget
The data generated here was taken from feedback from a small group of potato growers and local grower cooperatives and operating costs from other Extension publications. The non-irrigated budget provides a generalized budged of a model farm and does not represent any single potato growing operation. This budget is only intended to be used as a guide, because there is great variation amongst potato farms.
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