Johnston County Ag Report
0 votes
CUCUMBER DISEASE CONFIRMED IN JOHNSTON COUNTY
Cucurbit Downy Mildew disease has been detected in Johnston, Wilson and Lenoir County cucumber fields. This disease attacks cucumbers, watermelons, squash, pumpkins, muskmelons, and other cucurbits. This disease can kill plants if they are severely infected early. Downy mildew can reduce yield, fruit quality, and harvesting time. It does so by leaf infections, which impair necessary food production in the plant.
Fortunately farmers are finishing the spring crop and most cucumber fields are at or near harvest. For fields that are more than 10 days from harvest, growers should consider applying fungicides to control the disease. For growers considering a fall cucumber crop, fungicide applications are a must. Control recommendations for cucumber downy mildew are available online at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/cucurbit/control_2008.php . A new fungicide, Presidio, is available this year for downy mildew control. Presidio performed very well in North Carolina field studies conducted in 2007. Fungicide trial results are posted at the above website.
For current disease forecasts, tracking maps and a host of other helpful information on cucurbit downy mildew, go to http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/cucurbit/ .
COTTON APHIDS
Crop Consultants have reported low cotton aphid levels so far this season. However, the next 3 to 4 weeks are often our most likely time period for treatable levels of cotton aphids. Farmers and crop scouts should report any cotton aphid observations that show the characteristic upper terminal wilting from aphids, especially if these symptoms are widespread. Scouts should also recognize and report items such as aphid mummies, the parasitic fungus, and the moisture status of cotton plants. Aphid infestations only rarely cause an economic loss to Southeast cotton that is not under moisture stress.
COTTON SCOUTING SCHOOLS
Cotton scouting schools are being planned in Halifax County, Northampton County as well as a Wilson, Edgecombe, and Nash county-area school. The area school will cover cotton and soybeans. Persons interested is scouting schools should contact the Johnston County Cooperative Extension Center at 989-5380 for more information.
FOLLOWING IS AN ARTICLE FROM NCSU ENTOMOLOGY SPECIALISTS REGARDING TICKS AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPOTTED FEVER PREVENTION:
From: Mike Waldvogel and Charles Apperson, Extension Entomologists
Wilkes County Resident Dies from Rocky Mountain Spotter Fever
A July 9, 2008 press release from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services mentions the death of a Wilkes County resident likely due to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF). As noted by Dr. Leah Devlin, the state Health Director, North Carolina had 665 cases of RMSF reported in 2007.
There are no magic fixes to tick problems, but there are measures (both chemical and non-chemical) that people can use to reduce tick infestations around their property and to protect themselves and their family.
PETS
Pets that spend all or part of their time outdoors need to be protected for their own safety and also so that they don't serve as a local reservoir for ticks. There are already enough “potential” sources out there with deer, rodents, and other wild mammals including feral cats and dogs, plus ground-nesting birds. You can treat kennels/pens and other yard areas but please exercise extreme caution about allowing the animals (or your kids) into treated areas before the surfaces dry (or before any time interval specified on the pesticide label). Particularly with our usual hot dry conditions in the summer, insecticide coverage becomes even more of a critical issue. In these situations, outdoor treatments are best done professionally with a truck or trailer mounted spray rig, or by the consumer using a garden hose sprayer in order to get thorough coverage of tick habitats. Use enough spray volume (don't over apply the actual active ingredient) to ensure that the ground cover is saturated from the surface down to the soil. Consult the North Carolina Agricultural Chemicals Manual (http://ipm.ncsu.edu/agchem/5-24.pdf AND your veterinarian for information about products suitable for area and specific pet treatments.
HABITAT MODIFICATION
Ticks will be more abundant in areas frequented by wild animals. These areas are typically overgrown and weedy or covered with leaf litter and particularly during those hot summer months - they're often well-shaded places where the animal rests. Try to keep the ground
cover in these areas trimmed back as much as possible. Keep leaf litter and other debris out from under and around picnic tables.
PERSONAL PROTECTION
* Whenever possible, avoid likely tick-inhabited areas (i.e., those tall weedy areas we mentioned previously).
* Apply repellents to your clothing, particularly shoes, socks and pants. Permanone is a good choice for treating clothing. If you're wearing shorts you can also spray your ankles and calves. Be careful about using (or overusing) repellents on small children. We have information about repellents at: http://insects.ncsu.edu/Urban/repellents.htm .
* Light-colored clothing has the advantage of making it easier for you to spot ticks that have decided to hitch a ride with you.
* If you wear long pants while working or hiking outdoors (not many people hike indoors), tuck the pants' legs into your socks. If you're the type of person who worries about looking like a “dork,” stop worrying you probably do look like one regardless of whether you tuck in your pants legs. Besides, you may start a new fashion trend.
* Inspection - when your kids come inside from playing outdoors check them over carefully for ticks (it works for chimpanzees!). Likewise, if you've spent time working in your garden or taking a hike, spend some additional valuable time checking yourself thoroughly for any hitchhiking ticks.
TICK REMOVAL AND REMINDERS
If you find a tick on yourself, your children or your pets:
* Remove the tick carefully by grasping it firmly with tweezers or with a tissue (not with your bare fingers). Pull until it dislodges. This is generally considered to be the best method of tick removal as opposed to using lit matches, oil (motor or mineral), detergent or some other chemical to try to dislodge the tick. If possible, save the tick for identification if necessary. You can keep it wrapped in a tissue or store it in ethanol (preferably 75 percent or higher).
* Wash the bite area with soap and water and then apply an antiseptic such as alcohol.
* Record the date of the tick bite on a calendar. Then, watch for any symptoms within the next 10 to 14 days and contact your doctor if necessary.
Tick-borne disease symptoms are described in our online publication Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases in North Carolina at http://insects.ncsu.edu/Urban/ticks.htm .
TICK TESTING
One of the questions frequently asked is whether there are labs that can test ticks for the pathogens that cause Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Erhlichiosis, etc.
The following webpage at the Rhode Island Department of Health lists private labs that will perform fee-based tests for the Lyme Disease pathogen only:
http://www.health.ri.gov/disease/communicable/lyme/ticktesting.php
There is at least one lab that will perform tests for several tick-borne disease pathogens: http://www.igenex.com/ticktest.pdf
We are not saying these are the only labs performing these tests. These are simply labs that we've found information about. Also, we are not endorsing the services provided by any of these companies or others that may provide tick testing services.
Anyone interested in this information must read the specific instructions given by the labs about the testing procedures. Some of the labs may perform tests only on particular tick species, which goes back to the basic point of why identifying the tick is important (and that's where you can help provide valuable assistance to your clients).
Now . . . all of that said, there are some important facts that you need to know before rushing to spend $60 to $100 for these tick tests.
Note the disclaimer posted at the bottom of Rhode Island website. "The testing of ticks for the presence of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease has no role in the clinical diagnosis of Lyme disease."
In other words, just because the tick tests positive for a pathogen or even multiple organisms, it does not mean that they transmitted the organisms while feeding (assuming that the tick had indeed fed before it was discovered). Typically, pathogen transmission requires 6 to 36 hours of feeding by the tick (depending on tick species and the particular pathogen). The results of such tests may alert the person's doctor to specific tick-borne diseases, the symptoms to watch for and the potential health risks to that patient. In some cases, this may be helpful by reducing unnecessary prescription of preventive antibiotic treatments. BUT, we need to emphasize to people that common sense and the tick-prevention steps outlined above are far more important of as priorities than relying on some analytical test to determine if a tick might be carrying disease organisms.
You can find additional information about ticks and tick-borne diseases at the following sites (which also have additional links): http://insects.ncsu.edu/Urban/ticks.htm and http://www.deh.enr.state.nc.us/phpm/index.htm .