Nuts are developing well and harvest will be approaching soon. Squirrels and chipmunks have been very active in orchards and may eat or spoil much of the nut crop before it has a chance to mature. Refer to pg 89 of Publication 863, the Guide to Hazelnut Production in Ontario for information about control.
Terminal buds are beginning to set in certain cultivars, indicating the end of this year’s vegetative growth.
Overview: Join OMAFRA specialists Evan Elford and Melanie Filotas for bi-monthly online Zoom discussions about Ontario hops. Evan and Melanie will be continuing to host a series of hop related discussions in 2021 with some guest speakers to provide insight into new and exciting areas of hop production, pest management and marketing.
This month we have a slight change in the date of our regular ONHoppenings discussions, the Lunch and Learn will take place on Thursday, July 29 from 12-1pm. Attendance is free and open to anyone, however you must pre-register to receive the meeting log-in details. Anyone wishing to ask questions in advance can email Evan (evan.elford@ontario.ca) or Melanie (melanie.filotas@ontario.ca) by 8:30 am on Wednesday, July 28 OR enter it in the question field when you register and we will do our best to have a thorough answer during the session. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
This month we will briefly discuss:
Please join us by REGISTERING HERE for July 29: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJArcOyspj4oG9PeYyU-QmXpYjxsqGZX6X4r
As canopies begin to close in hemp fields and dew periods lengthen, the risk of foliar diseases of hemp increases. The recent wet weather in much of southern Ontario also increases the risk of most diseases in the field. There are three main foliar diseases of hemp that have been identified in Ontario: Septoria leaf spot, downy mildew and powdery mildew.
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Publication 863, Guide to Hazelnut Production in Ontario is now available for download on the OMAFRA website. This 150-page guide provides growers, advisors and researchers with a comprehensive handbook on the basic and advanced methods of producing hazelnuts in Ontario, and includes illustrations, diagrams and figures to help growers to understand disease cycles and production challenges. Topics covered include:
Download your copies free online.
Print copies of this publication will be available for purchase from Service Ontario in mid-August. At that time, these can be ordered online at Ontario.ca/publications .
Basil downy mildew has been identified in both Norfolk and Wellington Counties on July 19. Infections probably began sometime last week. It is likely the disease is now widespread in southern Ontario and basil growers need to protect the crop now with a rotation of products registered for “control”. There are 5 fungicides registered for control of basil downy mildew in Canada: Reason 500 SC, Torrent 400 SC, Revus, Orondis Ultra, and Presidio. Orondis Ultra contains mandipropamid (Revus), so do not rotate Orondis with Revus. Presidio must be tank-mixed with another registered product. Confine Extra is also registered for suppression, but suppression products are not a good option once the disease is confirmed in the field.
Continue readingThere are have been multiple reports of lavender suddenly dying over the past few weeks. Symptoms match those of Phytophthora root rot, with portions of plants wilting and dying with other portions still appearing healthy. However, samples of these plants have not shown any presence of Phytophthora when submitted to the University of Guelph Pest Diagnostic Clinic. I have similar issues occurring in my cultivar verification trial at the Simcoe Research Station (Figure 1). Similar issues also occurred last year in the plot.
Figure 1. Sections of an angustifolia ‘Melissa Lilac’ plant dying in the cultivar verification plot at the Simcoe Research Station in 2020.
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