Specialized Vegetable Activities for 2010

Published: May 1, 2010

MU Extension has received support from the EPA Region 7 for 2010 to continue and enhance it’s specialized programming on IPM and vegetable producers selling at produce auctions. Lincoln University will continue to be a partner in Missouri, and Iowa State University is involved with four auction sites there.

Several growers have experimented with plastic mulch the last two years, including green, white on black, and fall applying. This year others are trying the corn starch based biodegradeable black product.

Two rounds of 'mini clinics' will be held, one in the spring, and another mid summer. The clinics will focus on insect pest and disease topics as well as other relevant current production issues. Farm visits by specialists following the clinics are a key feature.

Other activities are a farm tour in late summer, with a feature of that tour being IPM tactics or techniques that some growers are 'trying' with support of the project. (support is receiving the growing supply of interest for free). What growers are trying varies with the different locations (see list to the lower left), but include plastic mulch, reduced risk pesticides, floating row cover, insect traps for scouting, and pest resistant vegetable varieties (e.g. BT sweet corn).

For the Highway C Produce Auction in Seymour, we have a grower using pheromone insect trapping to monitor populations of corn earworm, and a grower who has modified a backpack sprayer to improve performance and aid in calibration .

We’d also like to conduct a survey on typical pesticide uses for the most common vegetable crops/pests. So if you’d give us your mailing address this growing season to help out with that, we’d appreciate it.

Special thanks to the EPA Region 7, Strategic Agricultural Initiative Program for another year of support.