Vegetable Production

Results of a Multistate Bt Sweet Corn Trial Against Major Caterpillar Pests

Jim Jasinski, Ohio State University
[Handout: None]

Performance of five sweet corn hybrids (3 transgenic and 2 non-Bt) in a multistate trial against common sweet corn caterpillar pests such as corn earworm, European corn borer, and fall armyworm. The major Bt traits of Attribute I, Attribute II, and Performance hybrids will be evaluated in terms of damaged ears and kernels by these pests in a late-season unsprayed trial.

Managing Resistance Development in Plant Pathogens to Fungicides and Bactericides

Mohammad Babadoost, University of Illinois
[Handout: None]

Available fungicides, bactericides, and nematicides will be presented. FRAC codes of fungicides and bactericides will be explained, and resistance management of different groups of fungicides and bactericides will be discussed.

Integrating Summer Cover Crops in Vegetable Crop Rotations

Ajay Nair, Iowa State University
[Handout: None]

Sustaining soil health is an important aspect for creating and maintaining productive, profitable, and sustainable farming operations. For vegetable systems, this can be difficult due to the intensive nature of the production systems. This presentation will focus on several summer cover crops that could be integrated into a vegetable production system and highlight C: N ratios, crop biomass, weed-suppressing properties, and soil nitrogen dynamics in these cover crop systems.

Understanding Hollow Heart Development in Seedless Watermelon

Alan Walters, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
[Handout: None]

Hollow heart is a major quality defect in seedless watermelons that has been attributed to many different production practices, including poor pollination, excessive nitrogen and over-watering, although the development of this quality defect is still poorly understood. Therefore, a study was conducted at the SIUC Horticulture Research Center during the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons to determine the influences of these three production practices on the incidence of hollow heat development in seedless watermelon. Research results will be presented and discussed.

Major Tomato and Pepper Diseases in Illinois

Mohammad Babadoost, University of Illinois
[Handout: Major Tomato and Pepper Diseases]

Results of our research on bacterial spot of tomatoes and peppers will be presented. Common diseases of tomatoes in open-field and indoor production will be reviewed and managing major fungal and bacterial diseases of tomatoes in Illinois will be discussed.

A Season-long Approach to Integrated Weed Management in Solanaceous and Cucurbit Crops

Jed Colquhoun, University of Wisconsin
[Handout: None]

Solanaceous and cucurbit vegetable crops are poor competitors with weeds, making management a season-long challenge. In this presentation we’ll talk about how to use all the tools available to organic and conventional producers in a holistic way based on how weeds are “built”. We’ll also talk about research underway to develop new low-input solutions.

Latest Sweet Corn Research from the Williams Lab

Marty Williams, USDA-ARS
[Handout: None]

The overall goal of the Williams lab is to develop crop and weed management systems that are economically viable and environmentally sound. Recent research on sweet corn will be presented, including historical changes in yield trends, yield variability, and plant density tolerance.

Updates on Management of Cucurbit Diseases

Mohammad Babadoost, University of Illinois
[Handout: Management of Cucurbit Diseases]

Several abiotic and biotic diseases affect production of cucurbit crops in Illinois. Management of problems caused by low temperatures, nutrient deficiency and excessiveness, herbicides, air pollutions, bacterial spot (Xanthomonas cucurbitae), bacterial wilt (Erwinia tracheiphila), Phytophthora blight (Phytophthora capsici), powdery mildew (Podosphaera xanthii), downy mildew (Pseudoperonospora cubensis), Alternaria spot (Alternaria sp.), and mosaic diseases (caused by viruses) will be discussed.

Observations of Bush Beans in Southern Illinois

Katie Bell, University of Illinois Extension
[Handout: None]

Overview of observations on yield, average pod length, set type, and pod quality from ten varieties of fresh market bush-type green beans grown on black plastic in southern Illinois.