TAES Melon Breeding Line Evaluations: David Wolff
This Spring we will be doing the first on-farm testing of cantaloupe and honeydew lines which are being developed at the Weslaco Station. Twelve cantaloupe and 6 honeydew lines will be evaluated at 6 or more locations in the LRGV. These lines have been selected for general disease resistance and adaptation to LRGV conditions, and have good fruit quality. In addition, 6 of the cantaloupe lines have been through several cycles of selection for tolerance/resistance to Monosporascus root rot/vine decline. All entries will be grown adjacent to the commercial hybrid trials conducted by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station & Extension service (Carmen Lander). In addition, the vine decline tolerant lines will also be grown in areas where vine decline has been a severe problem.
These TAES lines are being developed as potential open-pollinated varieties for the LRGV, and also as parental lines for hybrid production by seed companies. If used as open-pollinated varieties, they would best fit a main season planting slot. Hybrids provide the earliness and size required for the early plantings. Please contact me (968-5585) if you have any questions or would like further information on the trials.
Don't Forget Program Tuesday February 25 "Weeds, Water, and the Laws that Affect You"
This program will cover current laws and regulations, weed control in the valley, and the water situation and how to manage what we have (or don't have). The program is on Tuesday February 25, 1997 at the Hoblitzelle auditorium at the Weslaco Extension Center. Presentations will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the final program beginning at 12:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided. A registration fee of $5.00 will be payable at the door. To R.S.V.P. for this event, or if you would like an informational flyer mailed to you, please contact Brad Abrameit at the Hidalgo County Extension Office at 383-1026. 2 TDA CEU's and 4 CCA credits will be given.
Update on Downy Mildew of Onions: Tom Isakeit
Downy mildew of onions has been confirmed in the Pharr and Edinburg areas. It has also been reported from Rio Grande City. Growers should be especially observant for this disease and should be prepared to apply fungicide formulations containing Ridomil or Aliette on a preventative basis.
Some fields have been extensively damaged by the fungus. Initial symptoms are elongated, light green areas on leaves. These areas may show a purple-gray fuzzy growth under moist conditions. Later symptoms include a series of white to brown circular areas running along the length of one side of the leaf. Leaf tissue adjacent to these lesions is discolored or dead. It is possible that severe symptoms of this disease may be mistaken for purple blotch. Some of the lesions may be colonized by Stemphyllium, which, like the purple blotch fungus, Alternaria, has dark-colored spores.
The acreage affected by downy mildew is small at this time. The potential for a wide-spread epidemic should not be underestimated if we subsequently experience a period of weather favorable for disease development. The disease is favored by temperatures less than 72F and a wet leaf surface or relative humidity greater than 95%. In part, because we have periods of warm, dry weather during the onion-growing season, this disease is not a consistent problem in the Rio Grande Valley.
Dual Herbicide Trial on Peppers: Brad Abrameit & Lynn Brandenberger
Two trials with Dual herbicide on Direct seeded pepper were carried out this past fall in the L.R.G.V. in cooperative trials with Novartis (formally Ciba) and Texas A&M. The trials were part of a state wide effort to provide information for future requests to label this material for use on several different Texas vegetable crops.
Based on both the effectiveness for weed control and low amount of crop damage that occurred, it appears that Dual preemergent herbicide does hold some potential for use in direct seeded pepper. Trial data in the report includes both efficacy and phytotoxicity ratings which were recorded on four different dates, (Table 1).
A report of the results from these particular trials can be obtained from Mr. Brad Abrameit/Hidalgo Co. Extension Horticulture Agent. He can be reached by phone at (210) 383-1026 or by mail at the Hidalgo Co. Extension Office at P.O. Box 600, Edinburg, Tx 78540.
| Table 1. Overall average of phytotoxicity and efficacy ratings for fall 1996 Dual herbicide trial on direct seeded pepper at both Plantation farm and Duda Texas locations. | |||||||
| Treatment | Plantation | Duda | |||||
Phytoxicity % damage |
Efficacy rating |
Phytoxicity % damage |
Efficacy rating | ||||
| Non-treated check | 0.09x | by | 1.14z | a | 0.00 | c | 0.80 |
| Dual @ 0.5 pts/acre | 0.00 | b | 0.63 | b | 0.54 | a | 0.69 |
| Dual @ 0.75 pts/acre | 0.19 | b | 0.58 | b | 0.08 | bc | 0.95 |
| Dual @ 1.0 pts/acre | 0.17 | b | 0.62 | b | 0.00 | c | 0.80 |
| Dual @ 1.5 pts/acre | 0.00 | b | 0.37 | b | 0.00 | c | 0.80 |
| Dual @ 2.0 pts/acre | 0.94 | ab | 0.56 | b | 0.00 | c | 0.88 |
| Dual @ 3.0 pts/acre | 1.58 | a | 0.56 | b | 0.46 | ab | 0.79 |
| Column average | 0.42 | na | 0.64 | na | 0.15 | na | 0.82 |
xPhytotoxicity % damage=the estimated percent damage to the crop compared to the untreated check. yNumbers in a column followed by the same letter exhibited no significant differences, based on Duncan's Multiple Range Test where P=0.05. zEfficacy ratings based on 0 to 5 scale where 0=0% of the bare soil surface covered by weed growth, 1=20% of the bare soil surface covered by weed growth, 2=40% of the bare soil surface covered by weed growth, 3=60% of the bare soil surface covered by weed growth, 4=80% of the bare soil surface covered by weed growth, and 5=100% of the bare soil surface covered by weed growth. | |||||||
Section 18's and Food Quality Protection Act: Alton N. Sparks
Last week Mr. Steve Thompson attended the Texas Pest Management Assoc Annual meeting and gave a couple of presentations on the registration process and the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). Steve is the individual who applies the final signature to pesticide registrations at EPA so he is quite familiar with the entire process. He did not paint a pretty picture for registrations in the near future. The FQPA immediately required all new registrations (Section 3's and 18's) to meet several new standards - several of which no one knows how to determine at this time. The most apparent impact at this time on section 18's is the requirement of establishment of a tolerance. Many of our section 18 and section 3 labels were granted on temporary tolerances. Prior to the FQPA, these tolerances could be extended with a signature, but no longer. It appears that for the near future, section 18's will be looked at quickly to determine the likelihood of a tolerance being established. If EPA is extremely confident that a tolerance can be established, they will allow the State to declare a crisis exemption which allows the use of the pesticide. Then the race is on. If EPA gets a tolerance established before harvest - you can sell your crop. If a tolerance is not established - you can NOT sell your crop. Admire on cucurbits and Confirm on cole crops and leafy greens are currently in this position. Now of course, EPA would not allow the crisis exemption if they foresaw any problem, but be aware that under the current crisis exemptions, use of these products does have an additional risk.
Lynn Brandenberger/Editor
The information given herein is for educational purposes only. References to commercial products or trade names are made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Cooperative Extension Service is implied.