PCC November December 2021 - Final Draft

November / December 2021 

Biological Fungicides to Manage 

Gray Mold in Strawberry 

Understand Winegrape Nutrition 

Goals to Establish Fertilizer Needs 

Beet Curly Top in Tomatoes 

Areawide Management for NOW: 

Learning From the Past 

Diamond Back Moth in 

Vegetable Crops 

January 5th, 2022 

Register Now at : wcngg.com/NVNC22 

Volume 6: Issue 6 

Photo by Z. Wang

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4 

IN THIS ISSUE 

Efficacy of Biological 

Fungicides in Managing 

Gray Mold in Strawberry 

PUBLISHER: Jason Scott 

Email: jason@jcsmarketinginc.com 

EDITOR: Marni Katz 

ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Cecilia Parsons 

Email: article@jcsmarketinginc.com 

PRODUCTION: design@jcsmarketinginc.com 

Phone: 559.352.4456 

Fax: 559.472.3113 

Web: www.progressivecrop.com 

8 

12 

14 

Winegrape Nutrition: 

Understand Your Goals to 

Understand Your Fertilizer 

Needs 

Crop Consultants and 

Industry Leaders Attend 

3rd Annual Crop 

Consultant Conference 

High Incidence of Beet 

Leafhopper Vectored Beet 

Curly Top Disease on 

Processing Tomatoes 

8 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & INDUSTRY SUPPORT 

Surendra Dara 

UCCE Entomology and 

Biologicals Advisor, San Luis 

Obispo and Santa Barbara 

Counties 

Bradley S. Higbee 

Field R&D Mgr, Trécé, Inc. 

Roger A. Isom 

President/CEO, Western 

Agricultural Processors 

Association 

JW Lemons 

CCA, CPAg, Account Manager, 

Verdesian Life Sciences 

Greg Montez 

PCA, Contributing Writer 

Dave Peck 

Manzanita Berry Farms, 

Santa Maria 

Jhalendra Rijal 

UCCE IPM Advisor for 

Northern San Joaquin Valley 

Fred Strauss 

CCA, Doctor Sustainable, LLC 

Zheng Wang 

UCCE Vegetable and 

Irrigation Advisor, Stanislaus 

County 

20 

24 

28 

32 

Areawide Management 

for Navel Orangeworm: 

Learning from the Past 

Diamondback Moth – A 

Serious Pest of Vegetable 

Crops 

Fertilizer Preparation for 

Fall Crops 

State Considering New 

Pesticide Application 

Advance Notifications 

14 

UC COOPERATIVE EXTENSION 

ADVISORY BOARD 

Surendra Dara 

UCCE Entomology and 

Biologicals Advisor, San Luis 

Obispo and Santa Barbara 

Counties 

Kevin Day 

UCCE Pomology Farm Advisor, 

Tulare and Kings Counties 

Elizabeth Fichtner 

UCCE Farm Advisor, 

Kings and Tulare Counties 

Katherine Jarvis-Shean 

UCCE Orchard Systems 

Advisor, Sacramento, Solano 

and Yolo Counties 

Steven Koike 

Tri-Cal Diagnostics 

Jhalendra Rijal 

UCCE IPM Advisor for 

Northern San Joaquin 

Valley 

Kris Tollerup 

UCCE Integrated Pest 

Management Advisor, 

Fresno, CA 

Mohammad Yaghmour 

UCCE Area Orchard Systems 

Advisor, Kern County 

24 

The articles, research, industry updates, company profiles, and advertisements 

in this publication are the professional opinions of writers 

and advertisers. Progressive Crop Consultant does not assume any 

responsibility for the opinions given in the publication. 

November / December 2021 www.progressivecrop.com 3

Efficacy of Biological Fungicides in 

Managing Gray Mold in Strawberry 

By SURENDRA K. DARA | UCCE Entomology and Biologicals Advisor, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties 

and DAVE PECK | Manzanita Berry Farms, Santa Maria 

Botrytis fruit rot or gray mold 

caused by Botrytis cinerea is a common 

fungal disease of strawberry 

and other crops damaging flowers and 

fruits. This pathogen has more than 200 

plant species as hosts producing several 

cell-wall-degrading enzymes, toxins 

and other compounds and causing the 

host to induced programmed cell death 

(Williamson et al. 2007). As a result, soft 

rot of aerial plant parts in live plants and 

postharvest decay of fruits, flowers and 

vegetables occurs. Pathogen survives 

in the plant debris and soil and can be 

present in the plant tissues before flowers 

form. Infection is common on developing 

or ripe fruits as brown lesions. Lesions 

typically appear under the calyxes but can 

be seen on other areas of the fruit. As the 

disease progresses, a layer of gray spores 

forms on the infected surface. Severe 

infection in flowers results in the failure 

of fruit development. Cool and moist 

conditions favor botrytis fruit rot development. 

Sprinkler irrigation, rains or 

certain agricultural practices can contribute 

to the dispersal of fungal spores. 

Although removal of infected plant material 

and debris can reduce the source 

of inoculum in the field, regular fungicide 

applications are typically necessary 

for managing botrytis fruit rot. Since 

fruiting occurs continuously for several 

months and fungicides are regularly 

applied, botrytis resistance to fungicides 

is not uncommon. Applying fungicides 

only when necessary, avoiding continuous 

use of fungicides from the same 

mode of action group and exploring 

the potential of biological fungicides to 

reduce the risk of resistance development 

are some of the strategies for effective 

botrytis fruit rot management. In addition 

to several synthetic fungicides, several 

biological fungicides continue to be 

introduced into the market offering various 

options for the growers. Earlier field 

studies evaluated the potential of various 

biological fungicides and strategies for 

using them with synthetic fungicides 

against botrytis and other fruit rots in 

strawberry (Dara 2019; Dara 2020). This 

study was conducted to evaluate some 

new and soon-to-be-released fungicides 

in fall-planted strawberry to support 

growers and ag input industry, and to 

promote sustainable disease management 

through biological and synthetic 

pesticides. 

Methodology 

This study was conducted on a conventional 

strawberry field at Manzanita 

Berry Farms, Santa Maria in strawberry 

variety 3024 planted in October 

2020. Treatments included fungicides 

containing captan and cyprodinil + 

fludioxinil as synthetic standards along 

with a variety of biological fungicides of 

microbial, botanical and animal sources 

at various rates and different combinations 

and rotations. Products and active 

ingredients evaluated in this study included 

captan 38.75%, cyprodinil 37.5% 

+ fludioxinil 25%, potassium carbonate 

58.04% + thyme oil 1.75%, botanical 

extract 100 g AI/L, giant knotweed 

extract 5%, protein 15-20%, cinnamon 

oil 15% + garlic oil 20%, caprylic acid 

41.7% + capric acid 28.3%, Pseudomonas 

chlororaphis strain AFS009 50%, Bacillus 

subtilis strain AFS032321 100%, 

P. chlororaphis strain AFS009 44.5% + 

azoxystrobin 5.75%, Banda de Lupinus 

albus doce – BLAD (a polypeptide from 

sweet lupine) 20% with chitosan 2.3% or 

4 Progressive Crop Consultant November / December 2021

pinene (polyterpenes) polymers, petrolatum, 

alkyl amine ethxylate (spreader/ 

sticker) 100%, thyme oil 20% and a 

thyme oil blend. 

50% 

Botrytis infection after four spray applications 

3 DAH 3 DAH 

Excluding the untreated control, the 

rest of the 24 treatments can be divided 

into synthetic fungicides, a fungicide 

with synthetic + biological active 

ingredients (a formulation with two application 

rates), synthetic fungicides alternated 

with biological fungicides and 

various kinds of biological fungicides 

(Table 1). Treatments were applied at a 

7- to 10-day interval between April 22 

and May 17, 2021. Berries for pre-treatment 

disease evaluation were harvested 

on April 19, 2021. Each treatment 

had a 5.67’ x 15’ plot replicated four 

times in a randomized complete block 

design. Strawberries were harvested 

three days before the first treatment 

and three to four days after each treatment 

for disease evaluation. On each 

Continued on Page 6 

Infected Berries 


40% 

30% 

20% 

10% 

0% 

40% 

30% 

20% 

10% 

0% 

UTC 

Switch 

Switch 

Switch 

NSTKI-14-L 

NSTKI-14-H 

Botrytis infection after 1 spray 

3 DAH 3 DAH 

Switch 

Switch 

Switch 

Switch 

Switch 

Switch 

A22613-H 

EXP14 

Gargoil 

Dart 0.2 

Dart 0.35 

Howler 

ProBlad Verde 

ProBlad V+ Kiplant 

ProBlad V+ Nu Film P 

Theia 

Esendo 

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Continued from Page 5 

sampling date, marketable berries were 

harvested from random plants within 

each plot during a 30-second period and 

incubated in paper bags at outdoor temperatures 

under shade. Number of berries 

with botrytis infection were counted on 

three and five days after harvest (DAH) 

and percent infection was calculated. This 

is a different protocol than previous years’ 

studies where disease rating was made 

on a 0 to 4 scale. Treatments were applied 

with a backpack sprayer equipped with 

hollow cone nozzle using 90 gpa spray 

volume at 45 PSI. Water was sprayed in 

the untreated control plots. A surfactant 

with methyl esters of C16-C18 fatty acids 

was used at 0.125% for treatments that 

contained protein P. chlororaphis alone 

and in combination with azoxystrobin, 

B. subtilis, thyme oil and thyme oil blend. 

Research authorization was obtained for 

some products and crop destruction was 

implemented for products that did not 

have California registration. 

Percent infection data were arcsine-transformed 

before subjecting to the analysis of 

variance using Statistix software. Significant 

means were separated using the least 

significant difference test. 

Results 

Pre-treatment infection was very low and 

occurred only in some treatments with 

no statistical difference (P > 0.05). Infection 

levels increased for the rest of the 

study period. There was no statistically 

significant difference (P > 0.05) among 

treatments for disease levels three or five 

days after the first spray application. Differences 

were significant (P = 0.0131) in 

disease five DAH after the second spray 

application where 13 treatments from all 

categories had significantly lower infection 

than the untreated control. After the 

third spray application, infection levels 

were significantly lower in eight treatments 

in three DAH observations (P = 

0.0395) and 10 treatments in five DAH 

observations (P = 0.0005) compared to 

the untreated control. There were no 

statistical differences (P > 0.05) among 

treatments for observations after the 

fourth spray application or for the average 

of four applications. However, there were 

numerical differences where infection 



60% 

40% 

20% 

0% 

10% 

5% 

levels were lower in several treatments 

than in untreated control plots. 

In general, the efficacy of both synthetic 

and biological fungicides varied 

Botrytis infection after III spray 

3 DAH 3 DAH 

P = 0.0395 

P = 0.0005 

a 

a 

ab 

abcd 

ab ab 

abc 

ab ab 

abcde abcd 

abc abcde 

abcde 

abcdef abcde 

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abcde 

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bcde cde 

Pre-treatment Botrytis infection 

3 DAH 3 DAH 

UTC 

Switch 

Switch 

Switch 

NSTKI-14-L 

NSTKI-14-H 

A22613-L 

A22613-H 

Switch 

Regalia 

Switch 

Captan 

A22613-H 

EXP14 

Gargoil 

Dart 0.2 

Dart 0.35 

Howler 

ProBlad Verde 

ProBlad V+ Kiplant 

ProBlad V+ Nu Film P 

Theia 

Esendo 

Agricell Fun Thyme 

AS-EXP Thyme 

Although removal of infected plant material and debris can reduce the source of inoculum 

in the field, regular fungicide applications are typically necessary for managing botrytis fruit 

rot (all photos by S.K. Dara.) 

0% 

1 2 3 8 22 23 4 5 9 6 10 25 7 24 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 

Treatments and rates per acre 

Category 1st spray 2nd spray 3rd spray 4th spray 

1 Untreated control Untreated control Untreated control Untreated control 

Synthetic 

Synthetic+ 

Biological 

Synthetic 

rotated 

with 

Biological 

Biological 

2 Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz Captan 80 fl oz Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz Captan 80 fl oz 

3 Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz None 

4 Cyprodinil+fludioxinil None Cyprodinil+fludioxinil None 

5 Potassium carbonate+thyme oil 48 oz Potassium carbonate+thyme oil 48 oz Potassium carbonate+thyme oil 48 oz Potassium carbonate+thyme oil 48 oz 

6 Potassium carbonate+thyme oil 80 oz Potassium carbonate+thyme oil 80 oz Potassium carbonate+thyme oil 80 oz Potassium carbonate+thyme oil 80 oz 

7 Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz Botanical extract 27.4 fl oz Botanical extract 27.4 fl oz 

8 Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz Botanical extract 41.1 fl oz Botanical extract 41.1 fl oz 

9 Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz Botanical extract 27.4 fl oz Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz Botanical extract 27.4 fl oz 

10 Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz Giant knot weed extract 64 fl oz Giant knot weed extract 64 fl oz 

11 Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz Giant knot weed extract 64 fl oz Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz Giant knot weed extract 64 fl oz 

12 Cyprodinil+fludioxinil 14 oz Protein 48 oz Captan Protein 48 oz 

13 Botanical extract 41.1 fl oz Botanical extract 41.1 fl oz Botanical extract 41.1 fl oz Botanical extract 41.1 fl oz 

14 Protein 48 oz Protein 48 oz Protein 48 oz Protein 48 oz 

15 Cinnamon oil+garlic oil 1% Cinnamon oil+garlic oil 1% Cinnamon oil+garlic oil 1% Cinnamon oil+garlic oil 1% 

16 Caprylic acid+capric acid 0.2% Caprylic acid+capric acid 0.2% Caprylic acid+capric acid 0.2% Caprylic acid+capric acid 0.2% 

17 Caprylic acid+capric acid 0.35% Caprylic acid+capric acid 0.35% Caprylic acid+capric acid 0.35% Caprylic acid+capric acid 0.35% 

Pseudomonas chlororaphis strain AFS009 Pseudomonas chlororaphis strain AFS009 Pseudomonas chlororaphis strain AFS009 Pseudomonas chlororaphis strain AFS009 

18 80 oz 

80 oz 

80 oz 

80 oz 

Banda de Lupinus albus doce – BLAD 43 fl 

19 oz 


oz 


oz 


oz 

20 BLAD 43 fl oz + Chitosan 30 fl oz BLAD 43 fl oz + Chitosan 30 fl oz BLAD 43 fl oz + Chitosan 30 fl oz BLAD 43 fl oz + Chitosan 30 fl oz 

21 BLAD 43 fl oz + Pinene polymers … 8 fl oz BLAD 43 fl oz + Pinene polymers … 8 fl oz BLAD 43 fl oz + Pinene polymers … 8 fl oz BLAD 43 fl oz + Pinene polymers … 8 fl oz 

22 Bacillus subtilis strain AFS032321 48 oz Bacillus subtilis strain AFS032321 48 oz Bacillus subtilis strain AFS032321 48 oz Bacillus subtilis strain AFS032321 48 oz 

P. chlororaphis strain 

23 AFS009+azoxystrobin 44.8 oz 


AFS009+azoxystrobin 44.8 oz 





24 Thyme oil 128 fl oz Thyme oil 128 fl oz Thyme oil 128 fl oz Thyme oil 128 fl oz 

25 Thyme oil blend 40 fl oz Thyme oil blend 40 fl oz Thyme oil blend 40 fl oz Thyme oil blend 40 fl oz 

throughout the study period among 

the treatments. When the average for 

post-treatment observations was considered, 

infection was numerically lower in 

all treatments regardless of the fungicide 


Multiple biological fungicide treatments either alone or 

in rotation with synthetic fungicides appeared to be as 

effective as synthetic fungicides. 

category. Since the rates, rotations, and combinations 

were all experimental, additional 

studies can help determine optimal use strategies 

for these active ingredients. Multiple 

biological fungicide treatments either alone 

or in rotation with synthetic fungicides appeared 

to be as effective as synthetic fungicides. 

These biological fungicides can be an 

important part of integrated disease management, 

especially for the botrytis fruit rot that 

has frequent resistance problems. 

Thanks to AgBiome, AgroSpheres, Biotalys, 

NovaSource, Sym-Agro, Syngenta, and Westbridge 

for funding and Chris Martinez for his 

technical assistance. 

References 

Dara, S. K. 2019. Five shades of gray mold control in 

strawberry: evaluating chemical, organic oil, botanical, 

bacterial, and fungal active ingredients. UCANR 

eJournal of Entomology and Biologicals. https://ucanr. 

edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=30729 

Dara, S. K. 2020. Evaluating biological fungicides 

against botrytis and other fruit rots in strawberry. 

UCANR eJournal of Entomology and Biologicals. 

https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail. 

cfm?postnum=43633 

Williamson, B., B. Tudzynski, P. Tudzynski, and J.A.L. 

van Kan. 2007. Botrytis cinerea: the cause of grey mold 

disease. Mol. Plant Pathol. 8: 561-580. 

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Winegrape Nutrition 

Understand Your Goals to 

Understand Your Fertilizer Needs 

By FRED STRAUSS | CCA, Doctor Sustainable, LLC 

goals. Let’s address how to build the 

right fertilizer program for your needs. 

Know Your Needs 

You must know the nutritional needs 

of your grapes to know how much to 

apply. Conventional wisdom is winegrapes 

use 9 lbs. of nitrogen, 3 lbs. of 

phosphorus and 13 lbs of potassium for 

each ton harvested. Again, there are 

slight differences from white or red and 

even varieties. 

You must know the nutritional needs of your grapes to know how much to apply. Conventional 

wisdom is winegrapes use 9 pounds of nitrogen, 3 pounds of phosphorus and 13 

pounds of potassium for each ton harvested (photo by Marni Katz.) 

Winegrape growers are a very 

diverse group. Some growers 

grow for volume or high yield, 

not necessarily high quality. Some 

growers grow for high quality while 

yield is secondary. There are, of course, 

many growers in between. Maybe you 

are a conventional grower, or a sustainable 

grower, or an organic grower, or a 

biodynamic grower, or, well, you get my 

point. In order to understand your fertilizer 

needs, you must understand your 

If you have established grapes, you 

must determine where you are at with 

the condition of your soil and quality 

of your water. Soil sampling is a yearly 

function as well as a water sample, no 

matter the source of the water. The 

amount of nutrients, or lack of, in the 

soil will help you realize what you need 

to do. Water quality needs to be known 

as well as the amount of nutrients in 

the water. Well water can contain some 

levels of nitrogen and other needed nutrients, 

but also excess salts and boron. 

The pH level of your water can affect 

the availability of nutrients in the soil 

as well as the fertilizers you apply. Since 

many fertilizers are applied through 

irrigation systems, pH becomes a big 

deal and causes fertilizer to separate in 

the system. 

A CCA can help you get through these 

technical issues. How much fertilizer 

do I apply, what kind, when, and will it 

go through my system? A good advisor 

will also do in-season leaf samples to 

see where you are with the health of 

your grapes. These samples are done 

at specific stages of growth and even 


post-harvest. They are even doing sap 

analysis now to potentially give you 

another tool to determine plant health. 

Know Your Method 

Now that you know where you are 

at with soil and water, what kind of 

fertilizer do you use? Your irrigation 

system becomes your main way of 

applying fertilizers, so liquids become 

your primary type. Remember, with the 

fertilizer going in with the water, it will 

be next to the roots and will be taken 

up at the same time as the water. This is 

very efficient and sustainable. 

’ 

A good advisor will also do 

in-season leaf samples to 

see where you are with the 

health of your grapes. 

® 

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Sometimes, you have to use dry sources 

because there are some forms that 

don’t mix well. You can band them on 

with ground spreaders that will lay a 

band down next to the row. Potassium 

is one type that is done this way. Soil 

amendments such as gypsum, lime and 

sulfur would be another example of soil 

applied as well as compost. 

So, let’s say you want a five-ton crop to 

achieve your yield and quality goals. 

Reviewing your soil samples, previous-year 

leaf samples and post-harvest 

application of fertilizer, you now have 

an understanding of what you need to 

do. 

You now want to apply through your 

drip system 45 lbs N, 15 lbs P and 65 

lbs K. You might also want to put on 

some zinc, iron and sulfur. Your advisor 

and fertilizer supplier can design a 

liquid mix that will contain all of these 

nutrients. If your water source is good, 

you know these materials will not separate 

and can be applied safely. 

Time Your Applications 

Timing your applications can be tricky 

because you don’t want to apply the 

full amount at one time. Many growers 

don’t start watering until after bloom, 

and if it was a wet winter, it can be even 

later. Your post-harvest application is 

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done to give the grapes the start-up 

they need if you have to wait to do 

the first watering the next year. 

We know the greatest uptake of both 

water and nutrients is during the prebloom 

and bloom period. Nitrogen is 

perhaps the most important nutrient 

during this time period, and using a 

fast source of nitrogen is important. 

Look at a calcium nitrate source for 

speed, but be weary of what you can 

mix with it. You will probably need 

to put at least 30% of your N needs 

in the first watering and spread the 

balance over the next two to three 

irrigations. Remember this is just an example of what can be 

done to achieve your goals. 

To achieve yield and quality goals, reviewing soil samples, previous-year leaf samples 

and post-harvest application of fertilizer is necessary (photo courtesy Lodi Winegrowers 

Workbook 2 nd Edition.) 

is skilled and trained in these areas and can put into place an 

overall plan to modify these issues. 

Overcoming Obstacles 

What about obstacles like high pH water, or you only irrigate 

three times a year, or you have poor-drainage soil that 

doesn’t take water well? These and other issues have to be addressed 

as part of your overall farming operation. Your CCA 

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logo are registered trademarks of Kim-C1, LLC. Always read and 

follow label directions. 559-228-3311 

Soil amendments, such as gypsum, sulfur or lime, can help 

modify the soil to help it take water better and provide some 

of the other nutrients grapes need. If you want to apply 

compost, you minimize multiple applications by having the 

gypsum, sulfur or lime mixed with the compost so you can 

do one application per year with ground application equipment. 

Remember, we are trying to reduce our application by 

ground to limit our carbon footprint and be more sustainable. 

Finally, the methods I have discussed work for all types of 

grape farming; only the sources of the nutrients change. 

Organic sources like nitrogen are much lower in analysis, so 

higher volumes are required to achieve the levels I have discussed. 

Mix ability can also be a concern; again, a good CCA 

knows about these issues and can get you going in the right 

direction. Organic generally requires more ground application 

for some of the types of fertilizers required, so combining 

the products together to reduce applications is important. 

Organic farming does not necessarily have a reduced carbon 

footprint, so trying to combine nutrient sources is important. 

This information is broad and each vineyard is different. 

When you spray for pests, you generally use the same products 

on all blocks. When it comes to nutrition, all blocks are 

different, and it can even be broken down by varieties even 

if they are in the same block. Soils are not all the same, and 

when you sample, you find that out and react accordingly. 

I did not mention foliar nutrients; that is a whole different 

topic and will be saved for another time. Finally, fertilization 

is an art and can increase yields and quality when done 

properly. Remember your goals and then act accordingly. 

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel 

free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com 


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Figure 1. Beet leafhopper adult (source: G. Oldfield, USDA; bugwood.org.) 

High Incidence of Beet Leafhopper 

Vectored Beet Curly Top Disease on 

Processing Tomatoes 

By ZHENG WANG | UCCE Vegetable and Irrigation Advisor, Stanislaus County 

and JHALENDRA RIJAL | UCCE IPM Advisor for Northern San Joaquin Valley 

Figure 2. Diseased plants emerge in multiple rows (marked in yellow boxes) 

inside a processing tomato field. Note the western foothills in the background 

(photos by J. Rijal.) 

If you ask tomato growers in the 

northern San Joaquin Valley what 

the most seen disease in 2021 is, beet 

curly top virus (BCTV) is the one that 

stands out. Undoubtedly, we have seen 

an exceptionally high incidence of BCTV 

on processing tomatoes vectored by the 

beet leafhopper (BLH). From April to 

July, most farm calls were about the curly 

top virus infestations in tomato fields in 

San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Not 

only in the northern San Joaquin Valley, 

similarly alarming reports also came 

from the southern San Joaquin and 

lower Sacramento Valleys. The unusually 

high incidence of BCTV in the Central 

Valley seems to be associated with 

drought, which likely has caused an earlier 

withering of the vegetations on the 

foothill that led to the earlier migration 

of BLH down the valley. 

The Vector: Beet Leafhopper 

BLH, Circulifer tenellus (Baker), has a 

typical leafhopper wedge-shaped body 

with tapering posterior. An adult BLH 

is approximately 1/8-inch long and has 

a distinct and broad head with a rounded 

anterior margin (Figure 1). The 

adult BLH body color varies from olive 

green to light tan, with small darkbrown 

and black markings. Although 

BLH is believed to have originated in 

the Mediterranean region, its presence 

in North America has been reported 

for over a century ago. In the U.S., it 

is considered a serious pest of several 

crops in semi-arid and arid areas of the 

southeastern and western states, including 

Colorado, Washington, Oregon, 

Utah, Idaho, Arizona and California. 

BLH has multiple generations per season, 

with up to five generations reported 

in California. BLH has numerous 

weed and crop hosts that are common 

in the Central Valley. Adult leafhoppers 

overwinter in the foothills. As the 

temperature warms up in February and 

March, the overwintered females lay 

eggs in various early weed hosts, such 

as pepperweed and desert Indian wheat 

in the foothills, and complete the first 

generation (and partial second generation 

in some years) before the vegetation 

dries. The first-generation nymphs 

acquire BCTV through direct feeding 

on the infected early season weed hosts, 

and the newly emerged virus-carrying 

adults migrate down to the valley. 

The migrating adults feed or probe on 

summer weed hosts such as Russian 

thistle, London rocket, annual saltbush, 

goosefoot, lamb’s quarters, pepperweed, 

filaree, redroot pigweed, etc., and cultivated 

plants such as sugar beet, bean 

and tomato. Several leafhopper gener- 


The leafhopper ingests the virus from the phloem of the 

infected plant. The virus circulates through the insect 

blood (hemolymph) and finally reaches the insect’s salivary 

gland. When the insect feed on the healthy plant, the virus 

passes down to the healthy plant through saliva. The virus 

circulates within the insect body but does not multiply. The 

virus-infected BLH is an efficient vector and can transmit 

BCTV within a minute of feeding as it has a ready-to-go 

virus load in its salivary gland. On the other hand, once a 

healthy leafhopper picks up the virus from a diseased plant, 

it takes about four hours for that leafhopper to be infective 

(i.e., incubation period). Also, infected leafhoppers cannot 

transmit the virus through the egg to their progenies. 

Since BLH probe and feed on multiple hosts that appear 

in their flight path indiscriminately, the degree of disease 

incidence varies among tomato fields. Although it seems 

that field margins or isolated plants with exposed soils are 

more vulnerable, we did see clusters of infected plants in the 

middle of tomato fields (Figure 2, see page 14). Once fed and 

inoculated by BLH, tomato plants begin to exhibit purpling 


Progressive Crop Consultant Ads With No Banners 08132021 RRR.pdf 1 8/13/2021 9:27:37 AM 

Figure 3. Tomato plants infected with BCTV exhibit purpling of veins 

and stunting (photo by Z. Wang.) 

ations are produced before the maturity of the weeds or crop 

M 

harvest. The leafhopper populations from the summer generations 

can transmit the curly top virus to the host crops, such 

Y 

as processing tomatoes, and produce disease. Unfortunately, CM 

there are no processing tomato commercial varieties that are 

MY 

resistant to BCTV. In 2021, due to unusually dry springtime, 

CY 

likely BLH migration to the valley occurred early, which 

CMY 

might have contributed to the increased BLH abundance and 

curly top disease incidence in tomatoes. 

K 

Vector and Virus Interaction: Disease Transmission 

BCTV is taxonomically in the genus of Curtovirus within the 

family of Geminiviridae, containing a single-stranded circular 

DNA. BCTV is currently known to be only vectored by 

BLH and has over 300 host plant species in the western U.S. 

The virus must be inoculated from diseased to healthy plants 

by BLH feeding. So, there is no risk of disease spread from 

one plant to another without the insect vector involved. The 

mechanism of virus transmission by BLH is called circulative 

persistence transmission. 

C 

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Figure 5. Single diseased plant is typically compensated by the healthy “neighbors” (top), while 

several infested plants in a row are likely to cause yield losses (bottom) (photos by Z. Wang.) 

Figure 4. Premature fruit of a diseased plant 

turns red (photo by J. Rijal.) 


of veins and stunting within two weeks 

(Figure 3, see page 15). After infection 

with BCTV, younger plants usually die, 

while plants infected at a later stage 

may survive, but premature green 

fruits, if any, will turn red (Figure 4). 

Regarding the yield loss, a field with 

a BCTV incidence below 5% may still 

reduce productivity if several diseased 

plants emerge next to each other in 

multiple rows (Figure 5). 

Field infestations over 10% are more 

likely to cause significant yield losses. 

CDFA has an active statewide control 

program by applying insecticide to 

the western foothills using a threshold 

(treatable if the sweep net sampling 

produced a minimum of eight BLH per 

sweep.) However, the sporadic occurrence 

of BCTV and likely presence of 

the population below the treatment 

threshold makes the control sometimes 

challenging as there might be a lot of 

areas left out without treatments due 

to the mild leafhopper populations 

based on that sweep net sampling. 

Eliminating host weeds before transplanting 

and during the season as well 

as delaying tomato planting are usually 

tried. Insecticide application to control 

the BLH population may reduce disease 



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spread even though infested plants will 

not recover. More detailed information 

can be found at ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/tomato/Beet-Leafhopper/, 

ipm. 

ucanr.edu/agriculture/tomato/Curly- 

Top/, and cdfa.ca.gov/plant/IPC/curlytopvirus/ctv_weekly_reports.htm. 

Collaborated Study with California 

Tomato Research Institute 

With the California Tomato Research 

Institute (CTRI) funding support and 

in collaboration with the CDFA’s BCTV 

Control Program, we began a research 

project to monitor BLH population 

dynamics and BCTV incidence in processing 

tomato fields. To monitor BLH 

activity, we set up yellow sticky traps 

on 4-ft-tall metal posts at 10 different 

locations near 22 processing tomato 

fields along the highway-33 corridor in 

Stanislaus County (Figure 6, see page 

19 and Figure 7). The gross acreage of 

the monitored tomato fields is 2,180 

acres. During the study, we replaced 

sticky traps biweekly and took sweep 

net samples monthly. By inspecting collected 

traps and sweep net samples, we 

submitted all suspicious BLH together 

with diseased tomato tissues to the CD- 

FA-Integrated Pest Control and UC Davis 

for laboratory confirmation prior to 

estimating BLH population and BCTV 

incidence at each monitored location 

(Figure 8, see page 19). As fields are 

being harvested, we will work closely 

with growers to estimate the potential 

yield loss. Besides the 22 monitored 

fields, eight additional tomato fields 

which were not part of the study were 

Figure 7. Yellow sticky traps were set up representing different locations with various vegetations near prospective processing tomato fields in 

March 2021 (photos by Z. Wang.) 


Figure 8. Suspicious BLH were sorted from sweep net and sticky trap samples and saved in vials filled with alcohol before submitting 

them for laboratory identification (photos by Z. Wang.) 

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Figure 6. Locations of the 10 sites 

where yellow sticky traps were 

installed (LOC = Location). 

also reported for BCTV infection by 

growers or their PCAs. 

Current results indicated that of all 

the 10 monitored sites (22 fields), six 

sites, including 14 tomato fields, were 

identified to have a BCTV incidence 

of 5% to 10%. The disease incidence 

levels of 0% to 5% and >10% were 

found in the remaining eight monitoring 

fields. For the additional 

infested fields reported by growers 

and PCAs, three, four, and one fields 

had estimated 0% to 5%, 5% to 10% 

and >10% BCTV, respectively. The 

complete results of this study will be 

reported later in the year. 

Comments about this article? We 

want to hear from you. Feel free to 

email us at article@jcsmarketinginc. 

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By BRADLEY S. HIGBEE | Field R&D Mgr, Trécé, Inc. 

SUBSCRIBE TO 

at wcngg.com/subscribe 

Areawide Management for Navel 

Orangeworm: Learning from the Past 

The navel orangeworm (NOW) 

continues to be public enemy 

#1 for most almond growers in 

California. Current efforts using the 

sterile insect technique and future 

efforts with new technologies could 

benefit from an areawide approach. 

In simple terms, this strategy coordinates 

control efforts over relatively 

wide areas in which hosts of a given 

pest are grown. These programs 

have proven successful in a number 

of crop systems, including pink 

bollworm in cotton, codling moth 

in apples and screw worm in cattle. 

Percent NOW Damage 

interior windrow sample 

7.5 

5.0 

2.5 

0.0 

2006 

Type 

Chem 

Both 

MD 

2007 

2008 

2009 

2010 

Shortly after I arrived in Bakersfield, 

Calif. in 2002 to start an 

entomology research program for 

Paramount Farming (which later 

became Wonderful Orchards), it 

was apparent that NOW could benefit 

from such a program because of the 

importance of sanitation, the need 

for good spray timing and the recent 

demonstration of mating disruption as 

an effective management tool. Having 

directed two such areawide projects 

in apples and pears for codling moth 

management during my tenure with 

USDA-ARS in Yakima, Wash., I approached 

the National Program staff 

of USDA-ARS to explore the possibility 

of funding such a program for NOW. 

The funding was ultimately approved 

in 2007, and Joel Siegel of the Parlier 

Station was chosen to administer the 

NOW Areawide Project, which began 

in 2008 and continued to 2012. For the 

purpose of this project, the definition 

of areawide was expanded to a statewide 

focus on nut crops. Researchers 

from UC, USDA-ARS and the private 

sector were enlisted to perform research 

seeking new knowledge and 

solutions to several questions. Meanwhile, 

Wonderful Orchards (WO) had 

taken the initiative to start two separate 

2,500-acre NOW Areawide projects 

(Lost Hills in 2006 and Santa Fe in 

2007) to complement the individual 

research projects funded by the USDA. 

Year 

The USDA funding for the NOW 

Areawide Project amounted to $3.5 

million over five years and funded a 

myriad of projects. Research on NOW 

flourished during this period (2008-12), 

and included research directly funded 

through the Areawide project, co-funded 

with the Almond Board of California 

and independent work. In all, over 

25 peer-reviewed scientific papers were 

published during this period, expanding 

our knowledge and improving our 

ability to manage NOW substantially. 

Among the topics were identification of 

the minor components of the NOW sex 

pheromone (allowing development of 

an attractive lure for monitoring), spray 

coverage improvement, discovery of 

a new kairomone attractant, multiple 

2011 

2012 

2013 

2014 

2015 

Figure 1. The combination of insecticides and NOW MD (both) achieved the lowest levels of 

NOW damage in eight out of ten years compared to insecticides (Chem) or MD alone in the 

Lost Hills Areawide Project (Higbee and Burks 2021). 

studies on aspects of NOW monitoring 

and relationships among trapping 

options, variable development rate of 

NOW on the same and different diets, 

spray timing and efficacy of insecticide 

programs, duration of control for 

commonly used NOW insecticides and 

relative efficacy of NOW insecticides. 

In addition, WO self-funded two areawide 

projects (Lost Hills and Santa Fe) 

and related research projects investigating 

NOW, including insecticide 

program efficacy, spray coverage characterization 

and improvement, NOW 

monitoring and new lure development, 

predictive NOW damage modeling, 

bifenthrin resistance in NOW moths, 

mating disruption and NOW dynamics. 

A list of publications and patents associated 

with the USDA-ARS NOW AW- 

IPM program can be found at github. 

com/ChuckBV/Y2008_to_2012_navel_orangeworm_areawide. 


Results from the Areawide Sites 

The combination of mating 

disruption (MD) and insecticides 

resulted in the lowest NOW 

damage 

(Higbee and Burks 2021). 

One of the major outcomes of the 

Lost Hills Project (2006-15) was the 

demonstration that MD supplemented 

with two hull split sprays resulted in 

lower NOW damage than MD alone or 

the insecticide program alone (Figure 

1, see page 20). All treatment areas 

received identical sanitation, nutrition 

and secondary pest inputs. The 

project site covered 2,500 contiguous 

acres and was planted in 1996 with 

Nonpareil, Monterrey, Sonora, Fritz, 

Carmel, Wood Colony and Price, with 

a relatively small area that included 

Ruby and Butte. Treatment areas were 

rotated each year of the study such 

that the insecticide-only treatment was 

situated on either the north or south 

end to minimize pheromone drift from 

NOW MD areas. The NOW insecticide 

program in all years consisted of two 

applications of methoxyfenozide (Intrepid), 

one spray directed at the first 

flight (typically in April) and one spray 

targeting the second flight (typically in 

late June/early July.) Aerosol dispensers 

were used as the pheromone source. 

NOW MD and sanitation 

could stand alone with 

increased monitoring effort. 

(Rosenheim et al, JEE, 2017) 

The idea that NOW MD along with 

sanitation could stand alone, with sufficient 

monitoring efforts that provided 

the confidence to make a “no-spray” 

decision, was validated in the Santa Fe 

Areawide Project (2007-12). The site 

chosen was a historical hot spot, largely 

due to very large trees that were difficult 

to sanitize adequately. This project 

was made up of two large ranch units; 

R370 was planted in 1990 with Nonpareil, 

Price, Butte and Sonora for a total 

of 950 ac and R371 was planted in 1993 

with these same varieties plus Monterey, 

Carmel, Fritz, Price, less than 100 

ac of Padre and Mission for a total of 

1,700 acres. All treatment areas received 

identical sanitation and secondary pest 

inputs. These two ranch units were 

divided by a two-lane highway. 

Figure 2 summarizes Nonpareil 

damage as measured from truckload 

 

Percent NOW Damage 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15 

12 

9 

6 

3 

0 

Sante Fe NOW MD Areawide Site 

Processor samples - NP 

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 

1.3 

2.9 

3.2 

2.7 

Conv Insecticides 

R370 

0.2 

0.1 

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ISOMATE ® is a registered trademark of Pacific Biocontrol 

3.2 

2.4 

2.0 1.8 

1.1 

0.3 

0.2 

0.9 0.4 

0.3 0.1 

0.3 

samples delivered to the processor. This 

project was managed as a demonstration 

of what could be achieved with 

NOW MD combined with sanitation 

and increased monitoring over large 

PROVEN EFFICACY YOU CAN TRUST 

ISOMATE® Mist NOW 

Pheromone Mating Disruption 

 

 

 

Grower 

Standard 

Conv + 

MD 

MD + 360 

ac 

Intrepid 

ISOMATE® 

Mist NOW 

MD + 3 

edges 

bifenthrin 

R371 

MD only 

0.5 0.3 0.5 

Figure 2. Processor grade samples from the Nonpareil variety in the Santa Fe Areawide 

Project from 2002 through 2012. The project began in 2007 with a combination of insecticides 

+ NOW MD and with increased monitoring efforts, reduced NOW insecticide use 

over the following two years, then managed NOW with MD (and sanitation) only over 

the final three years of the project. 


Jeannine Lowrimore 

Northern California 

Christeen Abbott-Hearn 

Central California 

209.603.9244 

Joe Devencenzi 

559.334.7664 

Central and Coastal California 

209.642.0316 



areas. In the initial year of the project 

(2007), an aggressive insecticide 

program consisting of a spring application 

of Intrepid (April), a first hull 

split spray of Lorsban + Intrepid (late 

June) and a second hull split spray 

in late July consisting of bifenthrin 

(Brigade). This insecticide program 

was applied to both ranches, while in 

addition, R370 received NOW MD using 

aerosol dispensers. The resulting 

NOW damage in 2007 was much lower 

in both ranches relative to 2006, the 

addition of MD in R370 contributing to 

an even greater reduction than insecticides 

alone. NOW MD was used over 

the entire project in for the remainder 

of the project. The following two years, 

2008 and 2009, the only insecticide 

applications for NOW applied (based 

on monitoring data) were to a hotspot 

of 360 acres in 2008 and borders in 

2009. In the final three years of the 

project (2010-11), monitoring indicated 

no need for NOW insecticides, and 

damage remained at about 1% or less. 

One MD aerosol dispenser per acre 

was effective at low to moderate 

NOW populations 

(Higbee and Burks 2021). 

Another interesting study conducted 

in the Lost Hills Project from 2008-11 

was the comparison of aerosol mating 

disruption at two different dispenser 

densities, with or without insecticide, 

was compared to insecticide treatment 

alone. There were five treatments: 1) 

insecticide treatment without mating 

disruption; 2) one mating disruption 

dispenser per acre without insecticide; 

3) one mating disruption dispenser per 

acre with insecticide; 4) two mating 

disruption dispensers per ac without 

insecticide; and 5) two mating disruption 

dispensers per acre with insecticide. 

The two replicates of the no-mating 

disruption insecticide treatment 

were placed adjacent to each other and 

rotated each year at either the north or 

south end of the site to minimize the 

effect of the mating disruption treatments 

on the insecticide only treatment 

blocks. 

Table 1. Percent navel orangeworm infestation (mean ± SE, n = 8) from windrow samples of Nonpareil 

and pooled pollinizer varieties by insecticide and mating disruption (MD) treatment, 2008–201 1 . 

Mating Disruption 

Dispensers per ac 

Without Insecticide With Insecticide 

1 

2 

1 .67 ± 0.64 

0.93 ± 0.22 

0.64 ± 0.20 

0.33 ± 0.09 

The row-wise differences (insecticide effect) are significant (p < 0.05), the column-wise differences 

(dispensers per ha) are not quite significant (0.1 >p >0.05), and the interaction is not significant ((p > 

0.1 ) (GLMM with negative binomial distribution). 

‘ 

The combination of mating disruption and insecticides 

resulted in the lowest NOW damage. 

Final Thoughts 

These projects demonstrated that with 

sufficient monitoring, NOW could be 

managed optimally over time with 

the possibility of eliminating insecticide 

use directed at NOW. The results 

solidified the viability of NOW MD 

as a management tool and provided 

information on how to monitor and 

interpret collected data to make management 

decisions. Although precise 

damage thresholds were not developed, 

a predictive model incorporating various 

trap data and early split evaluations 

was developed that explained over 50% 

of the variation observed in NP damage. 

While it is difficult to make precise 

predictions, the best predictors are a 

combination of 1) adult female captures 

in almond-meal baited traps during the 

3 rd flight, and 2) infestation of the early 

split nuts. 

Certainly, additional work has and 

will be done to optimize MD systems. 

These include passive MD dispenser 

systems, additional attractants for use 

as monitoring tools, precise dispensing 

of the sex pheromone, and the impact 

of the addition of minor sex pheromone 

components to MD formulations 

on disruption of communication 

between male and female moths. As 

more research addresses how to use 

MD most efficiently, it should ease and 

increase the adoption of this technology. 

Resources 

Higbee, B. S., and C. S. Burks. 2008. Effects 

of mating disruption treatments on navel 

orangeworm (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) sexual 

communication and damage in almonds and 

pistachios. J. Econ. Entomol. 101(5):1633-1642. 

Rosenheim, J. A., B. S. Higbee, J. D. Ackerman, 

and M. H. Meisner. 2017. Observational data 

from commercial farming (ecoinformatics) 

can capture the interpretational strengths of 

experimentation: effects of almond variety on 

the impact of two lepidopteran pests. J. Econ. 

Entomol. (2017) 110(x): 

Rosenheim, J. A., B. S. Higbee, J. D. Ackerman, 

and M. H. Meisner. 2017. Predicting nut damage 

at harvest using different in-season density 

estimates of Amyelois transitella: analysis 

of data from commercial almond production. 

J. Econ. Entomol. (2017) 110(6):2692-2698 doi: 

10.1093/jee/tox226 

Higbee, B.S.; Burks, C.S. 2021. Individual and 

Additive Effects of Insecticide and Mating 

Disruption in Integrated Management of 

Navel Orangeworm in Almonds. Insects 12, 188. 

https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12020188 

Comments about this article? We want 

to hear from you. Feel free to email us at 

article@jcsmarketinginc.com 

’ 


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www.progressivecrop.com 23

Diamondback Moth – 

A Serious 

Pest of 

Vegetable 

Crops 

By GREG MONTEZ | PCA, Contributing Writer 

Older DBM larvae will chew holes in mature leaves, which is especially damaging to cabbage. Later, as the larvae and the crop mature, there is the 

potential for damage to the crowns of broccoli and cauliflower (all photos by Surendra Dara, UCCE.) 


The Diamondback Moth (DBM, 

Plutella xylostella) is not a new 

insect pest by any means, but it 

has the capability to damage or destroy 

crops of tremendous value in a 

short time, and keeping up with viable 

management tactics can be a real challenge. 

This insect is present wherever 

cole crops (cabbage, broccoli, Brussels 

sprouts, etc.) are grown throughout the 

world. It can be a serious pest in canola, 

and while it does not prefer non-cruciferae 

crops, it has shown the capability 

to feed on other plant types, including 

legumes. Perhaps its most diabolical 

attribute is its ability to have up to 12 or 

more generations in a year, which gives 

them the potential to quickly become 

resistant to insecticides used against 

them. 

Biology 

The adult DBM is a small grayish 

moth that, when its wings are folded 

at rest, have dark markings, giving it 

the “diamondback” moniker. Eggs are 

deposited singly and are visible without 

a hand lens once a scout’s eyes have 

been trained to look for them. The larvae 

are a translucent green with spots 

and are easily distinguished from other 

caterpillars by their behavior of falling 

from plant surfaces when disturbed, 

often hanging from a silken thread. The 

larvae go through four instars before 

cocooning themselves to a leaf or stem 

to pupate into adults. 

Damage and Control 

Damage from DBM varies according to 

the age of the crop. Transplants carrying 

the eggs of DBM may be an initial 

source of infestation, but the adults are 

also known to travel long distances to 

find host plants. Young seedlings and 

transplants may have their growing tip 

chewed off, effectively killing or stunting 

the plant. Young larvae will strip off 

the outside layer of leaf tissue, leaving a 

“window pane” effect and harming the 

development of the crop. Older larvae 

will chew holes in mature leaves, which 

is especially damaging to cabbage. 

Later, as the larvae and the crop mature, 

there is the potential for damage to the 

crowns of broccoli and cauliflower, and 

larvae will burrow into maturing Brussels 

sprouts and cabbage heads. Reports 

have come from central Mexico, where 

a large amount of broccoli and other 

cole crops are grown, that up to 80% 

of a crop can be lost to diamondback 

moth damage. Should the genetics for 

diamide resistance become persistent 

for DBM, that mode of action which 

is the most recent may be rendered 

non-viable, and there are few modes of 

action other than peptides (Spear-Lep) 

coming online. 

Control of diamondback moth relies 

mostly on the use of insecticides. 

There are no cole crops that have been 

modified to carry the Bacillus thuringiensis 

protein gene(s) that protects other 

crops, and for that matter, DBM has 

shown the ability to become resistant 

to Bt. There are natural enemies of diamondback 

moth, but they cannot be re- 


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Diamondback moth prefers to feed on cole crops, such as Brussels sprouts shown here. 

‘ 

Insecticide resistance is a serious concern as DBM is 

capable of developing resistance to just about anything 

thrown at it, including the newest modes of action. 


lied on to prevent economic damage 

to a crop. Insecticide resistance is a 

serious concern as DBM is capable of 

developing resistance to just about anything 

thrown at it, including the newest 

modes of action. Several companies 

have developed pheromone dispensers 

to disrupt mating of diamondback 

moth, and this is a potentially powerful 

tool to consider in a DBM management 

plan. An areawide management 

plan may prove difficult because of the 

adult’s ability to spread quickly and 

their ability to use weed species, especially 

mustards, as non-crop hosts. 

Management Plan 

A diamondback moth management 

plan should account for protection of 

seedlings/transplants by using a soil 

drench insecticide at planting and by 

inspecting plants for presence of DBM 

eggs. If cyazypyr was used at planting, 

be sure to note that so it or another 

member of that class (diamide) is not 

used again for seven to eight weeks. 

Pheromone traps will alert a scout to 

the presence of DBM but will not be an 

indication of how severe the population 

could get or the correct timing for an 

application. Once the crop becomes 

established, twice-weekly scouting 

looking for eggs and early damage 

becomes necessary. 

Rotation of insecticide modes of action 

is absolutely needed, taking into 

account the re-entry and pre-harvest 

intervals for each product. Bt insecticides 

(DiPel, Javelin, Xentari) are still 

considered effective unless otherwise 

noted by the local Extension office. The 

advantages of Bt are that it is non-toxic 

’ 

to anything except caterpillars and can 

be used close to harvest. The drawbacks 

are that they have a very short residual, 

do not have any effect on adults 

and cannot penetrate behind wrapper 

leaves where DBM larvae have burrowed 

to. It is also true of the newer 

chemistries that their modes of action 

target larvae only and will not control 

adult moths. Through diligence and 

effective treatments, damage from diamondback 

moth can be minimized. 

Chemical and trade names used in this 

article do not constitute a recommendation. 

Consult a crop advisor, extension 

agent or manufacturer representative for 

more information. 





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strawberries with Pacific Gro. 

Firmer fruit has longer shelf 

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We’re seeing this in both 

organic and conventional production 

— table grapes in 

Delano, strawberries in Santa 

Maria, apples and cherries in 

central Washington, berries in 

Oregon—and vegetable crops 

too. 

Calcium plays a key role in 

moving other nutrients into 

the fruit. It provides structural 

support to cell walls of plants 

and root development. 

There are many sources of 

calcium, and big growers 

have tried them all. However, 

growers see an additional 

benefit with Pacific Gro, providing plants readily available 

calcium and many other essential nutrients that help crops 

thrive. 

Table grapes grown near Delano, California 

Pacific Gro should be viewed as a core input and key 

contributor to any crop program. It helps microbes get 

established, especially the all-important fungal components. 

Fish oil and chitin provide the necessary building blocks for 

microbes to multiply, mineralize nutrients, and create healthier 

soils. Amino acids immediately convert into plant available 

nitrogen and promote calcium absorption. Natural fulvic 

acids help chelate nutrients and strengthen crop drought and 

heat tolerance. Pacific Gro’s complex biological structure is 

delivering exceptional crop results to growers. 

Please note that Pacific Gro can be applied through drip lines 

as well as pivot sprinklers on row crops. 

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Register Now at : wcngg.com/NVNC22 

Fertilizer Preparation 

for Fall Crops 

By JW LEMONS | CCA, CPAg, Account Manager, Verdesian Life Sciences 

We are blessed in California to 

have the ability to farm yearround. 

With over 400 commodities 

grown here, we are the fifth 

largest food producer in the world. In 

2020, approximately 24,300,000 acres 

of farm operations were accounted for. 

Visiting with colleagues and other crop 

managers and consultants from across 

the nation, I am aware that agriculture 

in most states is very seasonal. Limited 

crops and short growing seasons allow 

for agriculture producers to shut down 

and start thinking about next year’s 

crops. Winter months are times to 

plan, repair equipment, prepare fields 

28 Progressive Crop Consultant November / December 2021 

’ 

Consider that a small 

starter application 

[of N] at planting is 

sufficient to support 

early growth of many 

crops. High rates risk 

being leached during 

the early season.

Crop N uptake (% of total) 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

Seedling 

growth 

Vegetative 

growth 

Time 

Flowering 

Seed 

developement 

Maturity 

To ensure that nitrogen is available in the root zone of young 

plants, irrigation management should be optimized to limit 

nitrate movement below the root zone (photo by Marni Katz.) 

Study the crop uptake curve and know the growth stages for each crop so 

you can be sure to have adequate N and other nutrients available at peak or 

critical demand stages. 

for next season and possibly take some 

time off. Not here in California or parts 

of Arizona. From October through 

February, many California and Arizona 

farmers are planting crops. 

No Time Off 

Crop planting in October may include 

crops such as artichoke, fennel, and 

sweet anise. In November, heavy hitters 

such as cauliflower and strawberry are 

started in the coastal areas of California. 

December brings time to plant 

asparagus, cabbage, carrot, kale, lettuce 

(head, leaf, romaine) and the popular 

spring mix. January, however, unlike 

much of the nation, brings plantings of 

bok choy, broccoli, cilantro, endive and 

escarole, Napa cabbage, onion green, 

peas, rappini and spinach. And the list 

goes on through February. 


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So, what should growers be considering when deciding how, 

when and where to fertilize these crops? As with all crops at 

any given time, we need to understand plant nutrition. For 

annual crops, a plant’s nitrogen requirement is a function 

of its total N uptake and how efficiently it can access the 

available N in the soil. The nitrogen use efficiency depends 

on the crop type, soil type and how well irrigation, N application 

rates and timing match plant demand. For example, 

in general, we need to be aware N use efficiency will be lower 

with flood irrigation, on sandy soils, and when all N fertilizer 

has to be applied prior to planting. Cold, wet soils will 

limit availability and uptake by the plant. In today’s climate 

situation, we need to determine if adequate irrigation water 

will be available to us. 

The crops are too numerous to go through detailed plans for 

every one of them. I am happy to say much of this information 

is available online through local university sources. 

Take time to look at what has been done on your individual 

crops. Some general guidelines on N application to consider: 

Most times, it is more efficient to split N applications than to 

Additional Environmental Stress Conditions that the product is useful for: 

What is 

Anti-Stress 550®? 

When to apply 

Anti-Stress 550®? 

Frost & Freeze 

• High Temperatures & Extreme Heat 

• Drought Conditions 

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most effective? 

Beat the Heat & Care 

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Anti-Stress 

550 ® 

A foliar spray that creates a 

semi-permeable membrane 

over the plant surface. 

Optimal application period is 

one to two weeks prior to the 

threat of high heat. 

The coating of Anti-Stress 

becomes effective when the 

product has dried on the plant. 

The drying time of Anti-Stress is 

the same as water in the same 

weather conditions. 

*One application of Anti-Stress 550® will remain effective 30 

to 45 days, dependent on the rate of plant growth, 

application rate of product and weather conditions. 

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Order from your PCA or local Ag Retailer / Crop Protection Supplier 

apply the whole rate prior to planting. This is because most 

annual crops have a phase of slow early growth when they 

take up little N, which is followed by a period of rapid vegetative 

growth and N uptake. Consider that a small starter 

application at planting is sufficient to support early growth 

of many crops. High rates risk being leached during the early 

season. Side-dressing most or part of the N rate just before 

the rapid growth phase helps ensure that enough N will be 

present to meet plant demand. 

If we just look at one single crop in more detail, such as 

lettuce, we can start understanding the multiple things we 

should be aware of. 

Watch Preplan N 

Pre-plant N applied in fall at bed listing is highly susceptible 

to leaching below the root zone by winter rain, and it has 

been found that lettuce receiving starter and side dress N 

outperformed lettuce that received a broadcast N application 

before seedbed preparation. 

It would be wise to note that lettuce requires little N in the 

early phase of growth. Studies found that N uptake during 

the first month after planting represented no more than 

20% of total uptake. As should always be the case, I highly 

advise using a current soil test to know where your N level is 

before applications. The optimal pre-plant application rate 

depends on residual soil nitrate N. When the residual nitrate 

N concentration exceeds 20 ppm, no pre-plant N application 

is required. When the residual soil nitrate N concentration is 

lower, a small application of 20 to 40 lbs./acre just before or 

at planting is sufficient to cover the early N needs. To ensure 

that N is available in the root zone of young plants, irrigation 

management should be optimized to limit nitrate movement 

below the root zone. 

High application rates not only increase the risk of N losses, 

but may also damage seedlings. Studies in the Imperial 

Valley showed that pre-plant or starter ammonium N applications 

exceeding 50 to 60 lbs./acre may damage seedlings, 

resulting in uneven growth. 

Interpretation of Test Results 

Several studies carried out in commercial fields in the 

Salinas Valley found that no fertilizer N is necessary when 

the pre-side dress nitrate N level in the soil is above 20 mg/ 

kg (= 20 ppm). A concentration of 20 ppm nitrate N in the 

top foot of soil equals approximately 80 lbs. N/acre. In the 

absence of leaching, this amount of N could supply a crop 

for at least two weeks, even at peak N demand. However, if 

you experience a heavy rainfall event or the have cold wet 

soil conditions this amount might turn out to be inadequate. 

Understanding your crop and its response to soil tempera- 


’ 

A lot more goes 

into nutrient 

management than 

just applying a rule 

of thumb amount 

of nutrients to 

the soil or plant. 

ture and moisture conditions might 

avoid a poor yield. N treatment technologies 

can help to hold the nutrients 

in position near the root zone for longer 

periods. This could help mitigate stress 

conditions and help the crop rebound 

from adverse climate conditions. Again, 

seek information from your crop 

consultant about current technology 

available. It might come in the form of 

seed treatment or a direct treatment or 

additive to the nutrient added to promote 

nitrogen use efficiency. There are 

nitrogen fertilizer management technologies 

that will let you increase nutrient 

availability over longer periods in 

season. It can help protect from losses 

by stabilizing your N and allowing for 

less loss by volatilization, nitrification 

and denitrification. After reading your 

soil report, you find that the nitrate N 

concentration in the soil is below 20 

ppm, and adding only enough N to 

increase soil-available nitrate N to 20 

ppm is needed. Contact your local crop 

advisor for more information. You may 

need or benefit from a second opinion 

on the sample interpretations. 

As you can plainly see, a lot more goes 

into nutrient management than just 

applying a rule of thumb amount of nutrients 

to the soil or plant. Fall is upon 

us now, so prepare your fields. Study 

your crop needs and keep a close eye on 

field and weather conditions. Use your 

Crop Advisors and Extension experts 

and pay attention to current releases of 

technology by reading web-based and 

printed articles that could improve not 

only your yield but crop quality. 

Happy Planting! 





State Considering New Pesticide 

Application Advance Notifications 

By ROGER A. ISOM | President/CEO, Western Agricultural Processors Association 

CDPR is looking at several different areas to determine the bounds of this new program, including what types of pesticides and application methods 

will require notification, who gets notified, how they get notified and how far in advance the notification will be required (photo courtesy Western 

Agricultural Processors Association.) 

The environmental justice movement 

has hit a new threshold as the state 

legislature has now approved, and the 

Governor signed, a budget that includes 

$10 million for a new statewide notification 

system for pesticide application. 

The California Department of Pesticide 

Regulation (CDPR) has wasted no time 

in moving on the effort and has already 

held a series of focus group meetings to 

discuss the issue and begin developing the 

framework of the new program. This new 

effort will focus on advance notification 

of potential pesticide applications. While 

admitting that California already has the 

most robust pesticide regulatory program 

in the country, CDPR indicated in a 

recent meeting that these new notification 

requirements are a priority for Governor 

Gavin Newsom and CalEPA Secretary 

Jared Blumenfeld. 

Existing Notification Requirements 

There are some existing requirements 

already in place for advance notifications. 

Two counties, Monterey and Kern, already 

offer some form of advance notification, 

albeit very limited. In Monterey County, 

the public can sign up for email notifications 

for fumigation applications made 

within a quarter mile of one of ten designated 

schools. In Kern County, the county 

provides email notification to other growers 

surrounding a farm where a restricted 

use pesticide will be used. 

For certain soil fumigants, including 

chloropicrin, metam sodium/potassium, 

dazomet and methyl bromide, notice of 

emergency response information must 

be provided to occupied residences and 

businesses within a specified distance 

of a buffer zone unless the applicator 

provides onsite monitoring. Also, if a 

beekeeper requests notification, they must 

be notified if a pesticide toxic to bees is to 

be applied at a site within one mile of an 

apiary. Finally, schools must be notified in 

advance of any pesticide application that 

will occur within a quarter mile of the 

school. 

Three other states (Florida, Michigan and 

Maine) have some form of notification 

requirements; however, they are limited 

in scope and application. Florida provides 

a registry for persons requiring notifications, 

but they must reside in contiguous 

or adjacent property within a half mile 

of the application site. Michigan requires 

notification to someone with a physician 

diagnosed condition if they reside in 

property immediately adjacent or contiguous 

to the property being treated. Maine 

has a notification registry for applications 

within 250 feet, which can apply to even 

residential lawn treatments, and notification 

must occur within 6 to 14 days prior 

to the application. 

Potential Requirements 

With these new notification requirements, 

CDPR is looking at going way beyond any 

of these previous requirements or those 

in other states. In a recent series of focus 

group meetings, CDPR asked several 

questions in attempting to determine the 

bounds of this new program. CDPR is 

looking at several different areas, including 

looking at what types of pesticides 

and application methods will require 

notification, who gets notified, how they 

get notified and how far in advance the 

notification will be required. 

By far, the biggest question is who gets 

notified. Concerns from the agricultural 


‘Risk is a key question here as 

what is true risk? Just because a 

chemical is applied via 

helicopter or airplane does not 

mean it imposes a greater risk.’ 

industry abound on this specific 

piece due to fears over environmental 

activism. The environmental 

justice community has been vocal 

that they want a countywide or 

statewide notification system where 

anyone can sign up for an email 

notification. Why would someone 

who does not live next to a field or 

orchard being treated want or need 

to know about an application unless 

they have an ulterior motive? One 

such incident happened in Monterey 

County where activists tried to 

stop a planned field fumigation after 

learning of the fumigation through 

the notification system. 

Another area of concern is how 

broad CDPR applies this requirement. 

In the focus group meetings, 

CDPR asked if this should be limited 

to only restricted use materials 

or any pesticide. They also asked 

if this should apply to all types of 

application methods or focus on 

ones they consider to be the greatest 

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risk for pesticide exposure, such as 

fumigations or aerial applications. Risk 

is a key question here as what is true 

risk? Just because a chemical is applied 

via helicopter or airplane does not mean 

it imposes a greater risk. 

CDPR also asked how far in advance 

the notice should be made as well as 

how the notification should be made. 

Typical notifications are made 24 

hours in advance, but CDPR is seeking 

guidance on whether there should be 

a shorter or longer notification period. 

As for how the notification is being 

made, CDPR is asking if the notification 

should be made with mail, email, 

fax or door hangers. 

CDPR asked focus groups if the notification requirement should apply to all types of application 

methods or focus on ones they consider to be the greatest risk for pesticide exposure, such as 

fumigations or aerial applications. 

In the end, CDPR is committed to doing something. For 

the agricultural industry, the fight against our industry 

© 2021 Almond Board of California. All rights reserved. 

DECEMBER 7–9, 2021 

THE CONFERENCE IS 

FREE TO ATTEND. 

REGISTRATION IS NOW 

OPEN AT ALMONDS.COM/ 

CONFERENCE 

VISIT ALMONDS.COM/ 

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TO-DATE ON THE LATEST 

INFORMATION. 

continues, and we must be involved to protect what we 

have. As stated in the beginning of this article, CDPR 

has acknowledged they have the 

most robust regulatory scheme on 

pesticides in the country. This will 

only make it tougher for farmers 

and easier for the anti-pesticide 

groups to attack our industry. There 

is no doubt that farmers must be 

careful with pesticide applications 

and follow all label requirements to 

the letter. But notifying people that 

do not live anywhere near where the 

pesticide application occurs does 

nothing to protect those that do. 

Whether it is water, air quality, 

labor or pesticides, the California 

agricultural industry is once again 

under attack. Consider this article 

a ‘notification’ that we must stand 

up against overbearing and unnecessary 

regulations. When the time 

comes, be sure to weigh in and 

comment against these burdensome 

requirements that go beyond any 

scientifically justified reason. 


to hear from you. Feel free to email us 

at article@jcsmarketinginc.com 


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