Ginseng Crop Update – Wet Weather and Phytophthora – July 15, 2021

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Sean Westerveld

It has been a very wet month in southern Ontario, with especially damp conditions over the past 7 days. There has been approximately 134 mm of rain in Delhi, 148 mm in Port Dover, 112 mm in London and 146 mm in Waterloo since June 20. Because much of the rain came in slow moving thunderstorms, some areas probably received much more rain. What is much more concerning than the volume of rain has been the duration of leaf wetness. Over the past week, it is likely that some leaves in older gardens have had almost continuous leaf wetness. This is at a time when air temperatures have barely fluctuated at all and have hovered between 18 and 25C (day and night) with very high humidity the entire period, a perfect temperature range for fungal development. More rain is forecast over the next two or three days. These are ideal conditions for the development and spread of diseases, especially Phytophthora.

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Aprovia® Top Fungicide label expanded via Minor Use Program to help manage Alternaria blight on ginseng

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Sean Westerveld

By Josh Mosiondz, Minor Use Coordinator, OMAFRA

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a minor use label expansion registration for APROVIA® TOP Fungicide for control of Alternaria blight (Alternaria panax) on ginseng in Canada. APROVIA® TOP Fungicide was already labeled for management of diseases on a wide range of crops in Canada.

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June 29, 2021 Ontario Hazelnut Crop Update

Posted on June 29, 2021 by Jenny Liu

Crop Status

As we reach the end of June, most growers are happy with their tree growth and don’t have many production issues to report. Some had experienced sudden death of older and healthy trees near the beginning of the season, but now growers are reporting unusually low mortality rates.

Hazelnut nut clusters have appeared in all varieties across southern Ontario and trees are still rapidly putting on vegetative growth. As of 2021, Yamhill, Gamma, and Jefferson are the most commonly-planted cultivars in Ontario. All 3 are developing well and have put on substantial growth in the last 2 weeks. Jefferson appears to be a week or so behind the other two, and nutlets are bit smaller.

  • A hand holding a large cluster of immature hazelnuts.
    Gamma nutlets
  • A hand holding a small cluster of immature hazelnuts.
    Yamhill nutlets
  • A hand holding a small cluster of immature hazelnuts.
    Jefferson nutlets

The wet and cool weather of the past week was a welcome end to an otherwise fairly dry month of June. Growers everywhere are still finding it necessary to irrigate.

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Hazelnut Pest Report – June 24, 2021

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Melanie Filotas

There’s lots of pest activity in southern Ontario hazelnut orchards at this time. New eastern filbert blight infections are getting ready to burst through bark. Gypsy moth, aphids, scale and bud mite are all active in orchards, as are their natural enemies. and Japanese beetles are starting to take flight.

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Lavender Crop Update – June 24, 2021

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Sean Westerveld

Harvest Considerations

Most angustifolia cultivars of lavender have begun to bloom this week in the south. Full bloom will likely occur within the next week to 10 days. Early bloom is the time to harvest for bundles and buds. Ideally, most of the buds should be unopened when harvesting for bundles and buds. If harvested too late, the corollas (petals) will dry up and turn brown. These can stick to the calyx (buds) and make them much harder to clean. However, doing it too early could mean the calyxes are underdeveloped, lowering the yield and the quality. It is best to wait until about one to two blooms are open or ready to open per flower stalk. This would equate to less than 10% bloom. Some cultivars have more staggered bloom than others, making the decision of when to harvest much more challenging. Younger plants and those with winter injury also tend to have a more staggered bloom.

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Changes to Hops Pest Control Products and Updated 2021 Product List

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Melanie Filotas

There are a few changes to pest control products registered on hops in Ontario – both additions and losses. Changes are outlined in this article, and have also been summarized in a new and expanded Hops Pest Control Product List for 2021, available for download below.

Orondis Ultra now registered

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a minor use label expansion registration for ORONDIS® Ultra Fungicide (oxathiapiprolin + mandipropamid) for control of downy mildew on hops in Canada. The active ingredient mandipropamid was already registered on hops in the products Revus, however oxathiapipriolin is a new active and fungicide group (49) for downy mildew control on hops. This minor use proposal was submitted by Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Pest Management Centre (AAFC-PMC) as a result of minor use priorities established by growers and extension personnel.  ORONDIS® Ultra Fungicide is toxic to aquatic organisms.  Do not apply this product or allow drift to other crops or non-target areas. Do not contaminate off-target areas or aquatic habitats when spraying or when cleaning and rinsing spray equipment or containers. Oxathiapiprolin is persistent and may carryover. It is recommended that any products containing oxathiapiprolin not be used in areas treated with this product during the previous season. For rates and other information, refer to the 2021 Pest Control Products for Ontario Hops, below.

Quintec phase out – June 30 2021

Hop growers are reminded that, as indicated in the 2020 Hops Pest Control products list, the use of the fungicide Quintec (active ingredient quinoxyfen) is being phased out on horticultural crops in Canada, including hops, as the result of a re-evaluation decision by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency. Quintec was registered for control of hop powdery mildew. The last date of use for Quintec on hops is June 30, 2021. Early powdery mildew infections are appearing in some Ontario hopyards. Growers who had planned to use Quintec for powdery mildew control this year have only a few days left, otherwise they will have to select from the remaining products registered in Ontario.

Admire re-evaluation complete

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency released their final re-evaluation decision on imidacloprid insecticides (Admire) in May 2021. While use of this product on several crops is being cancelled, the registration on hops has been determined to be acceptable and will be retained. Hop growers will continue to be able to use Admire for control of aphids.

New Ontario Pest Control Products List for Hops available

A new 2021 pest control products list for hops has been updated to reflect the changes described above. In addition to product updates, new features have been added for 2021, including:

  • efficacy of insecticides and miticides on major hops pests
  • main characteristics of miticides registered on hops
  • efficacy of fungicides against hop downy mildew
  • impact of insecticides, miticides and fungicides on beneficial insects
  • calculating banded applications of herbicides

Note that pesticide registrations are always changing – as we become aware of changes in the status of existing or new crops, we will try to update that information on this blog. However, as always, this list does not replace the need for growers to thoroughly read product labels prior to application. For full labels, growers can visit the Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s label databaseThe full list can be found by clicking on the link below.

Hops Pesticides 2021Download
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