Timothy Elkner,
Penn State Cooperative
Extension, Lancaster
County
We are now moving into
summer, the main season for
vegetable production. As usual,
the weather has been anything but
ordinary. First we had cool, wet
weather, then hot and dry, then
hot and wet, and now we're back
to hot and dry. An next week -
who knows?
Unfortunately, these variations
m the weather make it difficult for
you to produce a high quality
crop. When we have these types
of variable conditions your atten
tion to detail will affect the ulti
mate quality of the crop.
Hot, dry weather will require
you to pay close attention to the
water status of your fields. Alter
nating periods of excessively wet
and then hot and dry weather will
stress your plants because it will
alfect root growth. During the wet
periods root growth will be re
duced because the plants will have
adequate water with only a small
root area.
However, when the weather
suddenly turns hot and dry this
small mass of roots will not be
able to supply the water that the
plant needs. So watch your fields
closely this week and next for the
early signs of water stress and ap
ply water before growth is slowed
and yields are reduced.
When you do irrigate be sure to
water thoroughly. Drip irrigation
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allows water to be applied at a rate
that will be readily absorbed by
the soil. If you are using overhead
irrigation be sure to apply the wa
ter at a rate that will allow it to
absorbed into the soil rather than
running off. Maximum irrigation
rates are 0.40 inch per hour for
sandy soils, 0.30 inch per hour for
loamy soils, and 0.20 inch per
hour for clay soils.
Blotchy Ripening of Green
house Tomatoes Blotchy ripening
of tomatoes in greenhouses is a
frustrating experience for tomato
growers. Every spring I receive
calls from growers asking how to
solve this problem.
Unfortunately, blotchy ripen
ing can be caused by several fac
tors including excessive heat, high
humidity, low light levels and
low potassium levels. Some va
rieties are more likely ty experi
ence this problem as well. What
should you do if you are having
this problem? The first thing to
do is to have a tissue test to de
termine if low levels of potassium
are to blame. This is the most
common cause of blotchy ripen
ing and the easiest to solve.
Environmental factors such as
temperature and humidity are not
easily controlled and you need to
minimize the effects of these fac
tors by variety selection. For
greenhouse production of toma
toes you should plant varieties de
veloped to grow in a greenhouse.
Examples are Trust, President,
and Match.
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Some people don't want to
grow greenhouse varieties because
they are afraid that these types
have less taste than regular varie
ties. However, these newer culti
vars produce a very high quality
tomato and 1 would encourage you
to try one or more of these varie
ties if you are having problems
with uneven ripening.
Late Blight and Early Blight of
Tomatoes. The potential exists to
have problems with Late Blight
this year. There have already been
documented cases of Late Blight
in Pennsylvania, New York, and_
Ohio.
There is the possibility that
more Late Blight is present in PA
because of the large number of po
tatoes that overwintered in har
vested fields from last year. Our
mild winter did not kill these tu
bers as it normally would have so
the potential for more Late Blight
innoculum is greater because it
survives in overwintering tubers.
Growers are advised to scout
tomato and potato fields regularly
during weather favorable for the
development of (his potentially
devastating disease.
Weather conditions have al
ready been favorable for Early
Blight development on early
planted tomatoes in Lancaster
county. Dr. Alan Mac Nab of the
Pathology Department at Penn
State is advising a fungicide ap
plication to tomatoes planted in
early to mid-May.
Fields planted after mid-May
should if crop rotation is being
practiced and fields are scouted
regularly. Growers can receive the
latest disease updates by calling
the PDA's hotline at 1-800-
PENN-IPM. You need a touch
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Sweet Corn IPM
Sweet corn growers who
planted for the early market are
harvesting some of the earliest
corn they have ever grown, thanks
to our warmer-than-normal spring.
However, this same warm weather
is also resulting in the early ap
pearance of corn carworms.
Normally these pests have to
migrate up from the wanner
southern areas but this year they
are already in our area. Fortu
nately, the population is currently
below damaging levels. However,
I advise growers to follow the
pqpulation levels of both com
earworm and European corn borer,
our regular early-season pest.
Scout fields regularly for these
pests, especially during corn silk
ing, and adjust your spray sched
ules appropriately. You can also
receive an updated report on the
trap catches of the corn pests by
calling the PDA hotline men
tioned above.
Harvest Procedures
Finally, growers should strive
to preserve the quality present at
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harvest in their produce by follow
ing proper haivest and handling
procedures 1
First, harvest your crops at the
proper maturity for your market
Zucchini should be small and ten
der while cantaloupes should be
harvested at half-slip to full slip
to have the best taste Harvest in
the cool of morning whenever
possible and move harvested pro
duce to a cool, shaded location as
soon as possible
Store any harvested produce
for the shortest time necessary
The sooner you get your produce
to market or the consumer, the
better their eating experience will
be. And always handle produce
like the delicate commodity it is.
Avoid drops, bruising and any
rough handling procedures The
extra care you take when harvest
ing and handling your produce
will result in more satisfied buy
ers and more return sales for you.
Tim Elkner
Penn State Cooperative Exten
sion, 1383 Arcadia Rd., Rm. I,
iMncaster, Pa 17601 Phone (717)
394-6851 FAX (717) 394-3962
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