2004 Annual Report for LNE01-142
Providing Farmers with New Brassica Species - Management Options of Flea Beetles for Expanding Markets in Mass. - Conn.
Summary
Over the course of this project, a minimum of fifty farmers in Massachusetts and Connecticut were given seeds, production and marketing information for new brassica species. Research on flea beetle management was conducted at two research stations as well as on cooperating grower’s fields. All cooperating growers were visited on a regular basis during the growing seasons to address production and flea beetle management issues. A website was created to provide information on production, insect management and disease control of the main types of brassica given to the cooperating farmers. The information obtained by the project on production of brassica, marketing and flea beetle management was disseminated via twilight meetings, extension and professional talks, extension and professional publications, and on the web.
Objectives/Performance Targets
Of the 50 farmers who participate in testing new brassica species for their markets, 25 will have added at least one new species into their rotation. Twelve farmers will participate in on-farm trials for flea beetle management, and seven will incorporate one or more of these management options. Flea beetle management will have improved for these farmers, either allowing them to grow brassica crops earlier in the spring than they did before, or reducing flea beetle damage so that less product is lost.
Accomplishments/Milestones
New Brassica species:
1. Spring 2001: Contact 50 farmers. Over 50 farmers were invited to participate in this project.
2. Summer 2001: Brassica seeds given to 40 farmers. Forty growers in Massachusetts and Connecticut were given up to $50/farm of brassica seeds to grow and market at their farms.
3. Fall 2001/ Winter 2002: Interview 40 cooperating growers and invite them to a grower meeting. At the end of the field season all cooperating growers were interviewed on their experiences with all aspects of production and marketing of these crops. A meeting was held at the Sturbridge Host Hotel in Stirbridge Mass on February 7, 2002. A total of 30 people were present at the meeting, including 22 cooperating growers. The meeting was held from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. All aspects of the project were discussed with the growers.
4. Spring 2002: Give brassica to 40 growers. Thirty-eight growers in Massachusetts and Connecticut were given up to $50/farm of brassica seeds to grow and market at their farms.
5. Winter 2003: Interview growers and invite them to grower meeting. At the end of the field season all cooperating growers were interviewed on their experiences on all aspects of production and marketing of these crops. A meeting was held at the Valley Laboratory in Windsor, Connecticut, from 10 AM to 3 PM on January 9, 2003. A total of 15 people attended. Eight were participating farmers. All aspects of the project were discussed with the growers.
6. Fall 2004: Fifty growers who tried new brassica species on their farm during the course of this project were interviewed. Twenty-one have added at least one new brassica species to their crop rotation, or are growing a brassica species during a different part of the season due to this work.
Flea beetle research:
1. Summer 2001: Replicated flea beetle (FB) trials in MA and CT. FB monitored on 6 farms. Trials conducted (and reported on in previous report) and flea beetle monitored on cooperating farms.
2. Fall 2001/winter 2002: Present results to participants and to other growers in meetings and publications. Identify promising management options. Report given to coopering growers at meeting held in Sturbridge, Mass. on February 7, 2002.
3. Summer of 2002: Repeat replicated FB trials. Conduct on-farm FB mgt trials on 12 farms. Brief summary of work and plans on flea beetle trials was reported in previous reports.
4. Winter of 2002/2003: Present results to participants and other growers. Results presented to cooperating growers at meeting held on Valley Laboratory in Windsor, Connecticut on January 9, 2003. A second meeting was held in Westborough Massachusetts on March 27, 2003 with a focus on flea beetle management. Fifteen growers were present.
5. Spring/summer 2003: Seven growers participated in on-farm research during this field season. This was lower than the 12 cooperating growers we proposed to work with due to the inability to get enough growers interested in participating in this research.
6. Fall/winter 2004: The results of flea beetle trials were analyzed and written for publication. The results were also disseminated through meetings, Fact sheets, posters and web site. The growers participating in the project were interviewed for adoption of flea beetle management practices. Thirty-eight growers who evaluated new practices for flea beetle management were surveyed. Eleven growers adopted new management practices.
Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes
Outcomes of flea beetle research in 2004, Connecticut:
Pesticides that could potentially be useful to organic growers were tested in Connecticut in 2002 and 2003. They included Hot Pepper Wax ( listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute [OMRI] in 2002, no longer listed), Pyganic (listed by OMRI in 2002, still listed), Spintor (Not listed) which is the conventional version of Entrust, with the same active ingredient (spinosad), Entrust (listed) formulated especially to meet requirements for OMRI, Aza-Direct (listed), Safer’s Insect Killing Soap (was listed, now M-pede is listed instead)
Spintor and Entrust (two formulations of spinosad) give the best control of any of the materials tested here. But, under circumstances where flea beetles can re-invade (treatments were on small plots 9’ X 12’, even though the plots were separated by 12-ft wide barrier strips of buckwheat), the control of damage was not very impressive. AZA-Direct and Safer’s insecticidal soap did not work; and Pyganic was intermediate. Row covers, when well-managed, are still the best option for June plantings by organic growers.
Outcomes of flea beetle research in 2004, Massachusetts:
In 2004, growers participating in Flea Beetle trials were interviewed for the efficiency of different flea beetle management practices. The growers found that late planting, rotation and raw covers were especially efficient in reducing the damage of Flea Beetles. Among 38 growers interviewed for adoption of lea beetle management practices, 11 adopted one or more of the Flea beetle management practices known about through the project.
In 2004, the data on pesticide trials were analyzed and papers were written for publications. Abstracts of these papers are included in this report. The paper “Damage assessment and management strategies for Phyllotreta sp. on brassica crops” is submitted for publication and the paper “Life history of Phyllotreta cruciferae” is written and its publication is in progress.
Abstract, “Damage assessment and management strategies for Phyllotreta sp. on brassica crops”:
The flea beetles Phyllotreta cruciferae (Goeze) and Phyllotreta striolata (Fabricus) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae) are significant pests of crops in the Brassicaceae family. From 2001 to 2003, the efficacy of both new and commonly used treatments for the control of flea beetles in brassicas (Brassica rapa L.) were evaluated in four small plot, randomized complete block design trials. Row cover and carbaryl (applied as a weekly foliar spray) were found to be the most consistent at reducing damage in comparison to untreated controls in all trials. Two new products that may provide adequate flea beetle control are spinosad (in either conventional or organic formulations) and thiamethoxam. The plant-derived compounds azidiractin and pyrethrin did not protect treated plants from flea beetle feeding. The level of damage at harvest was found to be correlated with population size of flea beetles in each plot, as determined by captures on yellow sticky traps and direct visual counts. Removal of the outer two leaves of leafy brassica greens can significantly reduce the total number of holes per plant, while only removing 15% of the leaf area. Surveys of bok choi (B. rapa L.) available from different market venues found that the level of damage varied significantly, with the highest levels of damage being found in local, organic produce.
Abstract: “Life history of Phyllotreta cruciferae”:
The life history of the agricultural pest Phyllotreta cruciferae (Goeze), including location of overwintering sites, time of spring emergence, reproductive phenology, and seasonal changes in feeding and responsiveness to yellow sticky traps, was investigated in the northeastern United States from 2001 to 2003 to provide growers with information to improve their management of flea beetle populations in brassica crops. Samples of leaf litter, organic debris and soil were collected from a variety of vegetation types to determine the location of flea beetle overwintering sites surrounding agricultural fields. Significantly more P. cruciferae were found in the leaf litter beneath shrubs and brush or in wooded areas than in grass, within-field debris, or in soil samples taken within each vegetation type. Weekly dissections of field-collected female beetles suggested the occurrence of a partial second generation by P. cruciferae in 2003. In laboratory assays of beetles collected weekly from brassica fields in MA, both adult beetle feeding on brassica foliage and beetle responsiveness to yellow sticky traps shows two peaks (June and August) that corresponded to the first and second generations. Beetle catch on yellow sticky traps was highly correlated (2002: R2 = 0.8; 2003: R2 = 0.6) with the mean number of feeding holes on damaged plants.
Events/Presentation
Meetings, Talks, and Presentations (December 2003- December 2004)
Durgy, R. and R. Hazzard. 2004. Using perimeter trap crops for insect management in vegetables. NOFA Summer Conference, August 13, 2004, Amherst, MA. Attendance 45.
Hazzard R, K. Stoner, C. Andersen, F. Mangan. 2004. Update on flea beetle management: Grower roundtable. March 4, 2004, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Windsor, CT. Attendance 15.
Hazzard, R.. Basics of Insect Management. New Entry Farmer Training Program, Tufts University and UMass Extension Vegetable Program. February 1, 2004, Lowell, MA Attendance 40.
Hazzard, R. 2004. Trap Crops and Other Tricks for Keeping Beetles and Bugs at Bay. NOFA-Mass Winter Meeting. January 24. Attendance 30
Hazzard, R., C. Andersen, R. Van Driesche and F. Mangan. 2003. Managing flea beetles on brassica greens. New England Vegetable and Berry Conference, December 18. Manchester, NH. Attendance 80.
Mangan, F. 2004. Growing and marketing niche ethnic crops . Connecticutt Vegetbale Grower Meeting, January 22, 2004 Vernon Conn. Attendance: 100
Mangan, F. and M. Moreira. Production and marketing of agricultural products for the growing Brazilian population in Massachusetts. Conference entitled Brazil in Bold. UMass, Amherst. 2/14/04. Attendance: 60
Mangan, F. and M. Moreira. Locally-produced agricultural products for Portuguese-speaking groups. Presentation as part of Boston Mayor’s Office “Celebration of Diversity”. Boston, Mass. 7/20/04. Attendance: 250
Mangan, F. Marketing opportunities in ethnic markets in the Northeast. Presentation for SARE tour in Western Massachusetts. 7/20/04. Attendance: 50
Mangan, F. Opportunities for marketing agricultural products to the Brazilian population in Massachusetts. Presentation at EMBRAPA in Fortaleza, Brazil. 8/24/04. Attendance: 30
Mangan, F. Opportunities for marketing agricultural products to the Brazilian population in Massachusetts. Presentation at the University of Pernambuco, Brazil. 8/26/04. Attendance: 30
Articles and Fact sheets
Andersen, C., R. Hazzard, R. Van Driesche, and F. Mangan. 2004. Alternative management strategies for control of Phyllotreta cruciferae and Phyllotreta striolata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) on brassica crops in Massachusetts. Journal of Economic Entomology. Submission in progress.
Andersen, C. L., R. Hazzard, R. Van Driesche, and F. X. Mangan. 2004. Overwintering and seasonal patterns of feeding and reproduction in Phyllotreta cruciferae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in the northeastern United States. Environmental Entonology, submitted for review November 2004.
El-Jaoual, T. & R. Hazzard. 2004. Management of flea beetles in brassicas; Management of Colorado potato beetle in Solanacea; Management of potato leafhopper in long bean and potato; Management of striped cucumber beetle and bacterial wilt in cucurbits. New Entry Farmer Project, Risk Management Agency & UMass Extension. http://www.umassvegetable.org/grower_services/new_growers/ index.html
El-Jaoual, T. & R. Hazzard. 2004. Management of flea beetles in brassicas; Management of Colorado potato beetle in Solanacea; Management of potato leafhopper in long bean and potato; Management of striped cucumber beetle and bacterial wilt in cucurbits. New Entry Farmer Project, Risk Management Agency & UMass Extension. Video.
Hazzard R. Flea Beetle in Crucifers. UMass Extension Vegetable IPM website. http://www.umassvegetable.org/soil_crop_pest_mgt/broccoli_cabbage/index.html
R. Hazzard, C. Andersen, R. Van Driesche & F. Mangan. 2004. Managing Flea Beetles in Brassicas. Vegetable Notes, Vol.15:4, May 15, 2004, pp 3-6.
Note: all Vegetable Notes articles also posted on UMass Vegetable Website.