Cooperative Extension Service  ________________________________________________ Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

An upper level low, which stalled over the peninsula, bought widely scattered showers and thunderstorms to many locations across south Florida this weekend. Accumulations recorded at the various FAWN Weather stations varied widely from a little more than a trace in Homestead and Fort Lauderdale to 2.46 inches in Immokalee and as much as 4 inches in Fort Pierce. Some of these storms were accompanied by gusty winds.  In addition to this past weekend, scattered showers over the period have bought varying amounts of (mostly light) precipitation in many areas.

Temperatures seasonably warm over the past two weeks.   High temperatures have ranged in the mid to upper 80’s with nighttime lows in the upper 50’s and 60’s.   Strong winds combined with warmer temperatures have increased evapo-transpiration rates and some growers have indicated difficulty in irrigating and seeing signs of moisture stress in some crops on hot afternoons and blossom end rot becoming more common.  Windy conditions also interfered with spraying in some areas.

Crops across the area are in mostly fair to good condition.  Growers continue to conduct cultural operations such as needed.  Warm weather has bought many crops on quickly and may result in an early end to this season. Vegetables being harvested include tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, cantaloupe, Chinese cabbage, celery, eggplant, endive, escarole, lettuce, parsley, potato, radishes, snap beans, squash, sweet corn, strawberries, specialty vegetables and watermelons.

FAWN Weather Summary

Date	Air Temp °F)		Rainfall	Hours Below Certain Temperature          (hours)
	Min	Max	(Inches)	40°F	45°F	50°F	55°F	60°F	65°F	70°F	75°F
FtLauderdale
4/1 – 4/14/02	65.6	89.5	0.59	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	33.6	174.8
Fort Pierce
4/1 – 4/14/02	58.6	88.7	4.56	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	3.9	24.0	115.8	206.3
Homestead
4/1 – 4/14/02	60.2	86.5	0.88	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	22.3	107.0	189.0
Immokalee
4/1 – 4/14/02	57.3	88.8	2.65	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	13.1	87.8	158.2	203.0

The short term forecast from the National Weather Service in Miami calls for cloudy to partly cloudy skies with a chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms through Friday.  Daytime temperatures will remain in the upper 80’s with nighttime lows in the mid 60’s.  Showers in some locations may be accompanied by gusty wind and lightning. For additional information, visit the National Weather Service in Miami website at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mia/newpage/cgi-bin/master.pl?suite=home.

High temperatures are being cited for a general increase in insect pressure across the board.

Whiteflies remain a big issue in tomatoes and a number of other crops including beans, cucurbits across the area and on pepper in some places.

Reports from Palm Beach indicate that silverleaf white populations are increasing as temperatures warm and that they seem to be everywhere.  Pressure is especially heavy in older crops that are no longer receiving routine pesticide applications.

Scouts in Homestead also report increases in whitefly counts.

Growers around Immokalee indicate that the whitefly situation is bad and several respondents have noted whitefly populations are very high.  In addition to tomato, some growers are reporting heavy pressure in watermelon, squash and other cucurbits.

Although whiteflies numbers are high in most places, a few growers continue to report that populations have remained low.  In most instances, these farms were able to maintain good separation in time and space between spring and fall crops.   This is note worthy in that it underscores the fact that IPM involves not only chemical controls but must by definition incorporate all the available biological, cultural and other pest control practices as well.

After the efficacy of the soil-applied insecticides begins to decline, whiteflies can be controlled with an insect growth regulator like Knack and Applaud or the insecticides listed below.  Since growth regulators interfere with normal growth and development of whiteflies, do not expect immediate response from these materials. They are not toxic on contact with the insect but do cause treated female adults to lay infertile eggs or adversely affect the development of nymphs.

Combinations of the following insecticides can be applied where migrating whitefly populations are high: pyrethroids with an organophosphate, Thiodan, or soap with a pyrethroid or Thiodan.   Some reports indicate that Naturalis (Beauvaria bassiana) has improved control when used in combination with other materials.

Growers are reminded of the importance of sanitation and rapid destruction of crop residues once harvest is complete.  If whitefly counts are high in abandoned fields prior to destruction, growers would do themselves and their neighbors a big favor by spraying the residue before crop destruction to prevent the migration of large numbers of whiteflies to new fields.

Scattered pinworm activity is being reported around south Florida.

Around Immokalee numbers remain mostly low and most activity is confined to the edges and margins of fields.   Some scouts in the Devils Garden area have reported a sharp increase in pinworm activity in the past few weeks with trap counts of 10 moths per night being seen regularly.  For the most part, pinworm damage has been confined mostly to foliage and few problems have been reported on tomato fruit.

On the east coast, scouts are reporting infestations of pinworms in eggplant and tomato. Growers are applying controls and hope to suppress them until the end of the season.

Pinworms are present in low levels in tomato around Homestead but presently there have been few reports of fruit damage.

Tomato pinworm (Keiferia lycopersicella) is a warm season pest that occurs throughout the tomato producing areas of Florida.  Some years, pinworms can be an important pest in south Florida. They are rarely seen in the fall and typically appear in the spring crop.   The damage they inflict includes blotch mining and folding of leaves and small pin size holes in fruit and is sometimes confused with leafminer activity.

Pinworm adults are small gray/brown microlepidopteran moths that are active at dusk.  The caterpillar feeds on leaves and creates blotch?type mines, but causes most of its damage when it attacks the fruit. When abundant, the tomato pinworm may seriously damage foliage and infest nearly 100% of the fruit. Larvae normally enter fruit through the calyx, but may enter at any point on the fruit's surface. They make dry burrows in the core, and do not penetrate very far into the fruit. When infested fruit is picked, caterpillars may be difficult to detect unless they have been feeding long enough to deposit frass at the edge of the calyx. Because the pinworm can have many generations per season, they often become more serious as the season advances. The greatest damage occurs where tomatoes are grown adjacent to early planted, infested fields.

Since tomato, potato, eggplant, and tropical soda apple (S. bahamese L), a solanaceous weed, are the only recorded hosts in Florida, a host-free period can be effective in reducing populations to low levels, except possibly where soda apple is prevalent.  The longer the crop-free period the better.  Destroy residues by burning or plowing-under to help reduce summering populations of pinworm.

As with all pests early detection is important.  Pheromone traps help provide an early warning.  At planting, place a minimum of one trap per 10 acres at least 25 paces inside of field. When 3 to 5 moths are caught per trap per night, then mating disruption should be initiated.  If pinworms are present, increase trap numbers to ensure an accurate estimate of the population.  Pinworms can be controlled with mating disruption techniques and pesticides. Mating disruption is most successful where fields are isolated or whole areas are treated.

If using insecticides, treatment must begin when populations reach economic thresholds. The UF/IFAS Florida Tomato Scouting Guide Tomato has recommends season-long action thresholds of 5 adults/trap/night to initiate the application of mating disruptants and an action threshold of 0.7 larva per plant for the initiation of control measures.

Once begun, treatments may be required until harvest. Treat again when populations return to damaging levels. If nearby infested tomato fields are terminated or abandoned, adults can immigrate into later planted fields in large numbers. If scouting detects a significant movement, consider border treatments.

Pheromone-based mating disruptants, such as No Mate TPW spirals or Checkmate TPW dispensers provide a very effective means of combating pinworm.  These should be applied according to label instructions with good distribution throughout field.

Chemical controls include Agri-Mek (Abemectin) and Spintor which both have the advantage of being effective against leafminers as well as the additional benefit of being soft on beneficials.  Lannate (Methomyl) and a variety of synthetic pyrethroids are also effective materials for the control of pinworm. Development of resistance to Lannate has been documented in pinworms in some parts of the country and excessive use of these broad-spectrum insecticides may result in outbreaks of leafminers and mites if they are present.

Organically acceptable biological and cultural control methods include the use of mating disruptants, field sanitation, and pyrethrin. Parasites can also be important in aiding in pinworm control.

A notable increase in worms of all types has been noted following the full moon a few weeks ago.

Growers and scouts in Palm Beach report that worm particularly loopers, beet armyworms, and Southern armyworms, continue to increase.  Pickleworms and melonworms are also on the increase, especially in areas where control efforts had been limited to using Bt’s.

Reports from Homestead indicate increasing populations of melonworm on squash and cucumbers.

Around southwest Florida, worm pressure is variable with some reports of increased southern armyworm activity in places.  Some scouts have noted armyworm damage to watermelon fruit resulting in so-called “rindworm” injury.  Pickleworm and melonworm pressure remains moderate on squash, cantaloupe and cucumbers.

Some increase in diamondback activity has been noted in brassicas around Immokalee.

Reports from Homestead indicate that Thrips palmi pressure remains unabated at damaging levels in several crops, especially beans, pepper, and eggplant.

Respondents in Palm Beach indicate that flower thrips pressure has decreased somewhat and is considered relatively low for this time of year compared to previous years.  Counts range from 1 - 3 per bloom on the low side up to 5 - 15 per bloom for moderate infestations.  T. palmi are still present in pepper and they are still causing foliar distortion but not much fruit injury.  Sprays are being targeted for thrips.  For the most part thrips are being managed adequately and remain under control.

Around southwest Florida flower thrips are widely present on a variety of crops at mostly low to moderate levels and are causing few problems.  Some dimpling has been noted on tomato fruit.

Reports from southwest Florida indicate that aphid populations continue to increase in some locations.  Problems have been mostly on brassicas, pepper and melons.  Several growers have reported colonies building in crops especially pepper.

Respondents in Palm Beach indicate that fewer numbers of aphids were observed flying around this week compared to the previous report.

Most reports indicate a drop off in leafminer pressure although some respondents on the East Coast indicate that leafminers continue to be a problem in some herbs where foliage needs to be kept clean.  Heavy sprays for thrips may have lowered populations of beneficials, allowing leafminers to increase.

As might be expected with warmer weather, spider mites are becoming more active around south Florida.  Growers in Palm Beach report that spider mites have been found on eggplant and in some herbs.  In southwest Florida, growers around Immokalee and Naples have reported problems in eggplant, tomato, cantaloupe, watermelon and other crops.   Several growers report applying applications of miticides aimed at spider mites.

Growers are advised to be alert for spider mites.  Growers should be sure to scout stands of nightshade adjoining plantings, as this is a potential source of infestation and may help them circumvent possible problems.  Recent field surveys have indicated high populations of mites on nightshade along ditch banks and field margins

Most common spider mites are closely related species in the genus Tetranychus and cannot be reliably distinguished in the field.  However, there is little need to do so since their damage, biology, and management are virtually the same.  The presence of webbing is an easy way to distinguish them from all other types of mites.

To the naked eye, spider mites look like tiny moving dots; however, you can see them easily with a 10X hand lens.   Adults have eight legs and an oval body with two red eyespots at the head end of the body.  Females usually have a large, dark blotch on each side of the body and numerous bristles covering the legs and body. Immatures resemble adults, except the newly hatched larvae have only six legs. Eggs are spherical and translucent, like tiny droplets, becoming cream colored before hatching.

Mites cause damage by sucking cell contents from leaves. A small number of mites is not usually reason for concern, although populations levels high enough to show visible damage to leaves can be damaging to plants. Initial damage shows up as a stippling of light dots on the leaves; sometimes the leaves take on a bronze color. As feeding continues, the leaves turn yellow and drop off. On vegetable crops, such as squash, melons, and watermelons, loss of leaves can have a significant impact on yield and result in sun burning.  Often leaves, twigs, and fruit are covered with large amounts of webbing.  Damage is worse when compounded by water stress.

Spider mites have many natural enemies that often limit populations. Adequate irrigation is important because water-stressed plants are most likely to be damaged. Broad-spectrum insecticide treatments for other pests frequently cause mite outbreaks, so avoid these when possible.

Growers have had good results with back-to-back applications of sulfur and/or Kelthane. Since spider mites reproduce rapidly in hot weather and generation time can be less than a week, it is imperative that subsequent treatments be made every 5 days to target new larvae emerging from eggs.

Broadmites are remain widely present around south Florida.  Populations are relatively low in most places and are largely under control only causing problems where left untreated.

Scouts on the east coast report a late surge of broadmites recently and indicate that they seem to be everywhere.  Where sprays are being used, they are being kept under control and there has been very little fruit damage.  Growers report good results with Kelthane.

Around southwest Florida broadmites are widely present in pepper with few problems being reported.

Pepper weevils continue to increase seasonally across the region.

Reports from Homestead indicate that weevils are now common in pepper, especially jalapenos. Adult weevils much more common in eggplant than pepper, but so far no weevil larvae found in eggplant.

Pepper weevils have become fairly widespread in Palm Beach growing areas.  Reports indicate that fruit injury and bloom feeding is rather common with some fallen fruit being observed.  In some plantings, indications are that harvest will likely need to be curtailed after two or three picks because of heavy weevil infestations of young fruit that will most likely abort.

Around southwest Florida pepper weevils are also starting to reach high levels in several fields.  The hot weather has shortened development time and some older fields are not receiving much insecticide any longer.  In many locations it is getting late enough that growers are not very concerned about the small fruit or blooms and weevils are getting very high in theses fields.   Growers report good control with Actara.   Bayer field trials have demonstrated good weevil control using Provado at a 6 ounces rate.  Bayer is currently seeking a label change to 5 to 7 ounces per acre to permit this use.

Disease pressure has been relatively mild in most areas.

Late blight remains widely present in all five counties in southwest Florida, although most reports indicate that the appearance of new infections has slowed over the past two weeks.  Incidence and severity is low to moderate in most places.

Scouts in Homestead indicate that late blight is present in one isolated case. Reports indicate the grower obtained better control with Quadris than Acrobat with the added benefit of a shorter PHI.   There have been no reports of late blight in Palm Beach.

Dow AgroScience reports that their new broad-spectrum fungicide Gavel is now conditionally approved for use in Florida for late blight control in tomato and potato. Gavel contains a combination of mancozeb and zoxamide.  Product has been distributed to distributors and should be available to growers.

Note that Gavel has been designated a dermal sensitizer and for tomatoes and cucurbits requires oral and written notification of workers that fields have been treated with dermal sensitizer.  Potatoes require only oral notification.  Incidents of dermal sensitivity should be reported to Dow.  See the Gavel labeling for full details.

Growers and scouts around southwest Florida continue to report that tomato yellow leaf curl virus remains the top disease problem in tomato.  Average infection rates are in the range of 10 percent with infection rates in several fields reaching the 20 –30 percent range with a few fields at or above 50% infection.     These levels are much higher than seen before in southwest Florida. Many fields have plenty of early-infected plants that will hurt yields.

Reports indicate that TYLCV and BGMV continue to increase in the Homestead area.

Scouts in Palm Beach report the incidence of TYLCV continues to increase.

East Coast growers and scouts indicate that Anthracnose is still widespread in peppers with some spread of the disease being noted following windy rainy conditions in areas where it had already been established.  Some anthracnose has also been found in cucumbers, but none has been noticed in tomatoes yet.

Respondents from Palm Beach indicate that spread of bacterial spot continues in areas where it was previously found.

Reports from Immokalee indicate that bacterial leaf spot continues to creep around the lower canopy of tomato and pepper and has intensified in some places following recent rains.

Growers and scouts around Immokalee report a moderate increase in tomato foliar diseases including target spot and early blight.  Incidence and severity is mostly low.

Scouts on the east coast indicate some target spot is still present, mostly in eggplant and grape tomatoes.

Gummy stem blight is widely present on watermelon southwest Florida.  In most cases incidence and severity remains relatively.  Growers and scouts have reported some increase in activity following recent rains.

Scouts in Palm Beach are reporting light infestations of gummy stem blight in watermelon.

East coast respondents indicate that powdery mildew remains active in some eggplant, cucumber, pepper, and watermelon.  Use of Quadris on watermelon has helped keep it under control.

Powdery mildew remains active on squash around Immokalee.   Powdery mildew is widespread in older cucurbits especially squash.   Incidence and severity is generally low to moderate although some severe infections have been noted in older plantings.  Scouts report that they are beginning to detect powdery mildew in watermelon as well.

When powdery mildew occurs on watermelon, it often will not display clear white powdery growth on the leaves as it does on squash and other plant species. The yellowing of leaves is often the first indication that powdery mildew is present.  Symptoms may begin as a faint interveinal yellowing on the upper leaf surface of leaves near the crown of a few plants.  With the aid of a hand lens, faint white mycelial growth may be seen on the lower side of the leaves.  Powdery mildew is capable of producing typical white powdery growth on leaves of watermelon, but in many cases it does not appear that way.   Chlorothalonil or Quadris do well in suppressing powdery mildew.  To promote good a resistance management strategy, do not use block sprays of Quadris.  Alternate Quadris with chlorothalonil and other fungicides.  The maneb and mancozeb fungicides will also suppress powdery mildew to some extent and they are broad-spectrum types, which makes them good choices for alternating with Quadris.

Powdery mildew is present in scattered locations in older pepper fields around southwest and in some locations is casing serious defoliation.  The disease in pepper is caused by the fungi Leveillula taurica.

Leaves with mildew growing on the undersurface may show a patchy yellowish or brownish discoloration on the upper surface. The edges of infected leaves may roll upwards exposing the white, powdery fungal growth. Diseased leaves drop from the plants and leave the fruit exposed to the sun, which may result in sunburning.  Powdery mildew can be severe and can cause heavy yield losses.

The fungus survives between crop seasons on other crops and on weed species. The degree of survival depends on environmental conditions. Because of the wide host range of the fungus, it is difficult to control the amount of inoculum that survives from one season to the next.  Thus, simple sanitation methods in and around pepper fields may not provide a sufficient reduction in the primary inoculum to provide disease control.  Most pepper cultivars do not possess acceptable levels of resistance to powdery mildew.

Fungicides can provide satisfactory control and prevent economic loss if applied during the early stages of the epidemic. Effective control requires spraying with high pressure and high volume for optimum penetration of the crop canopy by the fungicide. Good coverage is necessary for satisfactory control.

Downy mildew is widely present in older squash plantings around Immokalee and is now being seen more widely on cantaloupe and watermelon around southwest Florida.

Scouts in Homestead are reporting heavy infestations of powdery and downy mildew on cucurbits.

Reports from Palm Beach indicate that Joel Allingham found Phytophthora capsici as a crown-infection attacking cantaloupe.  Samples were sent to DPI and this find has been recorded as a new state record for the host plant (cantaloupe).  Phytophthora is also being found on some watermelon fruit.

Fusarium crown rot in tomato remains widely present around southwest Florida.

Reports from Palm Beach County indicate that Fusarium is still around and continues to progress rather slowly in tomatoes.  Scouts indicate that infection this year is less severe than in past years.

Fusarium wilt is beginning to show up widely on watermelon across southwest Florida as vines begin to run.  Incidence and severity is mostly low.

Choaenophora wet rot is widely present on squash at mostly low levels.

Mosaic is widely present on squash in southwest Florida.   Mosaic symptoms are also beginning to show up in watermelon.  Incidence is low.  Some fields have some mosaic hotspots in a corner where several plants are infected but most fields just have a random plant or two.

Respondents in Palm Beach are also beginning to note the appearance of virus in both cantaloupe and watermelon.

Gene McAvoy assisted Dr Susan Webb with a virus survey on cucurbits in late March. All samples were taken from squash at three locations around southwest Florida. Although other cucurbits were scouted for virus no infections were found at that time.  Samples were tested for the following viruses: papaya ringspot virus-watermelon strain (PRSV-W), zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), watermelon mosaic virus (WMV-2), squash mosaic (SqMV), watermelon leaf mottle virus (WLMV), tobacco streak virus (TSV), tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), and geminiviruses.

Site one (planted in susceptible and virus resistant cultivars): every sample was positive for PRSV-W.  No
other viruses detected.  Although virus resistance has been incorporated into a number of squash varieties most of these remain susceptible to PRSV-W

Site two: samples tested positive for PRSV-W (34) and ZYMV (17).  Note that some doubly
infected samples tested positive for both PRSV-W and ZYMV.  These plants appeared different than plants hosting a single infection.

Site three:  Samples tested positive for PRSV-W (39) and WLMV (1).   This find is the first time since the original isolate of WLMV was collected in 1990, also from Hendry County, that watermelon leaf mottle virus has been detected in southwest Florida.

Ken Pernezny Plant Pathologist at the Everglades research and Education Center in Belle Glade reports diagnosing a couple of cases of Pythium blight on snap beans that the scouts and growers have been confusing with white mold (Sclerotinia).

Sanitation, Sanitation, Sanitation...

As we near the end of the season growers are reminded of the importance of sanitation in an integrated pest management program.

Leon Lucas with Glades Crop Care indicates that they have been checking around some cull piles and also looking at some pastures where culls have been dumped and can find tomato volunteers right now and have found some with late blight and TYLCV.   Although Leon did not indicate, I am sure that whiteflies and other insects are also present on these volunteers.  Leon’s observations under score the importance of sanitation in pest management.  Disease and insects do not magically materialize to plaque growers.  Many require a living host to carry them from one season to another.

Field sanitation is one of the most important tactics in vegetable pest and disease management. One of the best things that growers can do for themselves and their neighbors is to clean up crop residues promptly after harvest. Sanitation is an important IPM technique that should not be over looked as an effective, preventative tool against many vegetable pest and disease problems.  Sanitation includes any practice that eradicates or reduces the amount of pathogen inoculum, pests, or weed seeds present and thus helps reduce or eliminate subsequent pest and disease problems.

Prompt crop destruction at the end of the season will immediately end the production of disease inoculum and insects and eliminate the spread of diseases and pests to any other host plants in the vicinity. Downy and powdery mildew on melons can spread via wind from older, diseased plants to plants in surrounding fields that are still maturing. These diseases are obligate parasites.  This means that they can only grow and multiply on living host tissue. Some plant pathogens, such as the bacterium that causes bacterial spot of tomato and pepper, are unable to survive for extended periods of time outside of the host tissue.  Plowing or disking under infected plant debris helps not only by covering up the inoculum but also speeds up the disintegration of plant tissue and kills the pathogen. Good sanitation will help control a number of important vegetable pathogens.

Soil tillage can destroy insects and expose them to birds and other predators. It can also speed the breakdown of plant residues that harbor insects and plant pathogens. By either allowing the organic matter in a field to decompose completely before you plant the next crop and /or allowing a fallow period between crops, you can enhance the control of a number of insects and diseases.

Destruction of tomato vines will kill off white fly populations and eliminate transmission of the tomato yellow leaf curl virus to subsequent crops and also eliminate inoculum from late blight and other fungal diseases.  This is particularly important in the case of TYLCV, as sanitation and whitefly control are the only tools currently available for the management of this disease. A crop-free period is also considered a necessity for the control of a number of other important vegetable pests such as pepper weevil, tomato pinworm, and Thrips palmi and is recommended for management of all vegetable pests.

A little extra effort spent in cleaning up old fields at the end of the season may well prevent or reduce a number of potential problems next fall!

Pesticide Up Dates

Aventis Crop Science reports that they have received a Federal label for Assail (acetamiprid) for citrus, cole crops, leafy vegetables and fruiting vegetables. A packet has been submitted for labeling in Florida.  Aventis also notes that Previcure-Flex is labeled in Florida for late blight on potatoes and that they are seeking labeling on tomatoes.

Job Opportunity

C&B Farms is seeking to recruit a hardworking, bright, ambitious individual that is interested in a career in vegetable production with one of the more progressive diversified vegetable operations in the state.  A degree in horticulture is preferred. This is a position with definite growth potential for the right person.

Contact Chuck Obern at C & B Farms, PO Box 1649, Clewiston, Florida 33440.   Tel:  941-250-0551.

Up Coming Meetings

Palm Beach

April 17, 2002         Pesticide Applicator Training and Testing
    (Note: testing can be done anytime; but time is specifically allowed after training for testing)

   General Standards/Core Test Review - 2 CEU’s - 8AM - 10 AM
   Private Applicator Test Review - 2 CEU’s  - 1PM - 3PM
   Belle Glade Extension Office, 2976 State Road 15, Belle Glade
   Call Chris Sullivan or Laura Andrews, 561-996-1655, to preregister

April 24, 2002         D. O. T. Pilot Escort Certification Course  8 AM  - 5 PM
   Jolenda Noble, First Coast Technical Institute
    Belle Glade Extension Office, 2976 State Road 15, Belle Glade
    Class size is limited.  First come first served.
    Registration forms and payment ($110 for class and course materials) must be received
    in the Belle Glade Office by April 10, 2002.
    Call Chris Sullivan or Laura Andrews, 561-996-1655, for forms and registration.

May 2, 2002          We Have the Answers:  Dept. of Environmental Protection  - 1:30 - 3:00PM
  Jeff Smith, Hazardous Waste Manager
   Craig Stevens and Leslie Smith, Waste Clean-Up Section
   EREC Conference Center, 3200 East Palm Beach Rd, Belle Glade
   Contact Laura Andrews, 561-996-1657

May 9, 2002          Workshop for Producer Comments on a Risk Management Strategy for
                               Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Head Lettuce, Leaf Lettuce, and Spinach.  – 12 Noon
  Drawbridge Restaurant, 3300 Westlake Road, Belle Glade, FL
   Contact Ken Shuler, 561-233-1718, or Martha Tucker, FFVA, 407-894-1351

May 16, 2002      Vapam and KPAM Certification Training  4:00 - 6:00 PM
  Pro Source One, 8245 SR 7
   Boynton Beach, FL     * 2.0 CEU’s
   Contact Maria Kelly or Ken Shuler, 561-233-1725 or 1718

June 13, 2002      We Have the Answers:  FL DACs - Bureau of Compliance Monitoring - 1:30 - 3:00PM
  Dale Dubberly, Chief, Bureau of Compliance Monitoring
   EREC Conference Center
    3200 East Palm Beach Rd, Belle Glade  * 2 CEU’s
    Contact Laura Andrews, 561-996-1657

Southwest Florida

April   22, 2002        Community Supported Agriculture
    - explore this alternative Marketing Method, also known as Subscription Farming,
    which can reduce production and marketing risks for growers. - 9:30 AM
Lee County Extension Office
3406 Palm Beach Blvd.
Fort Myers, Florida
Contact Tony Young: FDACS at 850-487-4322 for more information.

May 14, 2002  Spring Vegetable Field Day - 10 AM - Noon
  Southwest Florida Research and Education Center
   SR 29 N
   Immokalee, FL     * 2.0 CEU’s
   Contact Sheila Griffith or Gene McAvoy at 863-674-4092

May 15, 2002  Vapam and KPAM Certification Training  4:00 - 6:00 PM
  Southwest Florida Research and Education Center
   SR 29 N
   Immokalee, FL     * 2.0 CEU’s
   Contact Sheila Griffith or Gene McAvoy at 863-674-4092

Operation Cleansweep

There are now 5 Cleansweep collection events planned for April and May 2002.  These events will serve 18 South Florida counties. These collections have been scheduled for April and May.   Locations, primary county service areas and local contacts are listed below.
 

Tuesday        April 23	Collier, Hendry,  Lee	Immokalee Landfill 700 Stockade Rd.Immokalee	Gary Morocco (941) 732-2508
Wednesday    April 24	Charlotte, Desoto, Lee,  Manatee	Zemel Rd. Landfill  29751 Zemel Rd. Punta Gorda	Barbara Kula (941) 764-4380
Tuesday         May 14 (Tentative: Site Pending)	Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach	Broward County (Site Pending)	(Pending)
Wednesday    May 15	Martin, Palm Beach,  St. Lucie	Martin County Landfill/HHW Center  9101 SW Busch St. Palm City	Polly Kratman 772-221-1440
Thursday        May 16	Brevard, Indian River, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, St. Lucie	Indian River Co. Landfill 1325 74th Ave, SW  Vero Beach	Mike Frey  561-770-5113

Operation Cleansweep wants all commercial pesticide users to participate. If your operations are located in any of the 18 South Florida counties scheduled for Cleansweep pesticide collections this year, you may bring cancelled, suspended and unusable pesticides to any of the 5 planned collection events.

Operation Cleansweep is free for agricultural, nursery, golf course and pest control operations.

It is not free for pesticide manufactures and distributors, universities, or government institutions, including state, county and local government pesticide end users. However, such organizations will be able to utilize Operation Cleansweep collections if they pay the costs of disposing of their cancelled, suspended and unusable pesticides.

Operation Cleansweep is also not for homeowners who have pesticides for disposal. Homeowners will be turned away and referred to their local county solid waste department.  In nearly every county in Florida, other programs, such as Household Hazardous Waste collections, provide pesticide disposal for homeowners.

For more information about Florida’s Operation Cleansweep, you may contact Jack Price at (850) 488-0300.

This is a great opportunity – don’t miss it, as it may be several years before it comes around again.
Websites

Penn State Colored Vegetable Disease Identification Publication – this site features colored pictures and descriptions of the many common vegetable diseases available in the Penn State publication titled "Identifying Diseases of Vegetables."  Go to http://vegdis.cas.psu.edu/VegDiseases/identification.html

TerraFly – Now you can virtually fly over the entire United States - TerraFly changes the way you view your world. Simply enter an address, and you will be at the controls of a new and innovative way to explore your digital earth.   Set your browser to http://www.terrafly.com/

Quotable Quotes

The secret of greatness is simple: do better work than any other man in your field - and keep on doing it. -- Wilfred A. Peterson

One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man. -- Elbert Hubbard

Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation. -- Henry Kissinger

Imagination is more important than knowledge. -- Albert Einstein

The Lighter Side

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"Well, then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs...I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!  You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers.

Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?"

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take siestas with your wife, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

Contributors include: Joel Allingham/AgriCare, Inc, Karen Armbrester/SWFREC, Jim Connor/SWFREC, Bruce Corbitt/West Coast Tomato Growers, Fred Heald/Farmers Supply, Sarah Hornsby/AgCropCon, Cecil Howell/H&R Farm, Bruce Johnson/General Crop Management, Leon Lucas/Glades Crop Care, Gene McAvoy/Hendry County Extension, Alice McGhee/Thomas Produce, Jimmy Morales/Pro Source One, Tim Nychk/Nychk Bros. Farm, Chuck Obern/C+B Farm, Dr Ken Pernezny/EREC, Dr. Pam Roberts/SWFREC, Nancy Roe/Farming Systems Research, Wes Roan/6 L's, Kevin Seitzinger/Gargiulo, Jay Shivler/ F& F Farm, Ken Shuler/Palm Beach County Extension, Ben Stanaland/Pacific Tomato Growers, John Stanford/LNA Farm, Mike Stanford/MED Farms, Dr. Phil Stansly/SWFREC, Eugene Tolar/Red Star Farms, Dr.Charlie Vavrina/SWFREC, Donna Verbeck/GulfCoast Ag. and Mark Verbeck/Bayer Crop Protection.

The SW Florida Pest and Disease Hotline is compiled by Gene McAvoy and is issued on a biweekly basis by the Hendry County Cooperative Extension Office as a service to the vegetable industry.

Gene McAvoy
Extension Agent II
Vegetable/Ornamental Horticulture             863-674-4092 phone
Hendry County Extension Office                863-860-8811 mobile  Nextel agnet 28950
PO Box 68                                                863-674-4097 fax
LaBelle, FL 33975                               gmcavoy@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu

Ken Shuler
Extension Agent IV
Vegetables
Palm Beach County Extension
559 N Military Trail                                561-233-1718 phone
West Palm Beach, FL 33415-1311        kds@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu

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