There is a long list of insects that can damage field pepper fruit in Ontario. Many cause significant damage on their own, but they also provide a means of entry for rot organisms. For more on pepper rots, see Pepper fruit rots.
Category Archives: Peppers
Holding Vegetable Plug Transplants
Janice LeBoeuf, OMAFRA Vegetable Crop Specialist, Ridgetown
Healthy and hardy transplants are a critical part of a successful season. When field planting is delayed by rain, rain, rain, or cold weather and plug transplants must be held, it is important to monitor them closely to maintain plant health and vigour.
Plug transplants can be held in the greenhouse but if already shipped to the field grower, can be stored outside, in an area that receives direct sunlight and is sheltered from the wind. The racks should be elevated to prevent root growth through the bottom of the plugs. If there is a risk of frost, be sure to bring the transplants inside – to a building, a shed, or a greenhouse/hoophouse, if you have one available. Plants should not generally be stored in an enclosed trailer or building for more than 1 or 2 days, as this may result in very soft, elongated plants, especially in crops such as tomatoes. Continue reading Holding Vegetable Plug Transplants
Pepper fruit rots
Field peppers are susceptible to a number of pests and disorders that can lead to fruit rots. This can make managing rots quite difficult. This article outlines some key points to understand about the variety of pests, disorders, and contributing factors that lead to fruit rots. Continue reading Pepper fruit rots
Scouting for pepper weevil in field peppers
Pepper weevil is a pest that is likely unfamiliar to most Ontario field pepper growers. It has been found in Ontario previously (https://onvegetables.com/2010/06/01/pepper-weevil/) and there have been reports of its presence in 2016. As it can be a very serious pest of peppers, it is advisable for all pepper growers to monitor for the pest in their crop. Pepper weevil can affect both field and greenhouse pepper crops, but this article will focus on scouting and management in the field.
The insect
- Adults are small weevils, 2-3.5 mm in length (Figures 1 and 2).
- Difficult to detect the pepper weevil adults through crop scouting if it is present at low levels
(unless using pheromone traps). - Eggs are laid in the fruit wall, leaving a dimpled scar (Figure 3).
- Larvae grow and develop inside the pepper fruit; pupae form inside the fruit (Figure 4).
- New adults create an exit hole and leave the fruit.
Continue reading Scouting for pepper weevil in field peppers
Pepper weevil in field peppers
Pepper weevil is not usually given much thought in field peppers in Ontario, but from time to time it might be found in a localized area. It is a pest to be aware of, because there are very few external signs that indicate there is larvae present inside the pepper fruit.
Pepper weevil is unlikely to survive typical winter conditions in Ontario unless in a protected area, so risk factors for the pest include proximity to pepper greenhouses/packing sheds or culls/waste plant material from these operations or from areas with warm winters, like the southern US. If you are in a risk area, consider field scouting and pheromone traps. Continue reading Pepper weevil in field peppers
IPM Scout Training Workshops for 2016
Here are the currently scheduled IPM scout workshops available for those who will be scouting horticultural crops this year. To register contact the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300. (Updated Mar. 15 with sweet corn, bean, peas, cucurbit, asparagus. Updated Mar. 11 with hops, lettuce, celery, onions, carrots, tender fruit and grapes, cole crops, ginseng.)
Introduction to IPM
- April 28, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Conference Rm 1, 2 and 3, 1st Floor,1 Stone Rd., Guelph
- Workshop leader: Denise Beaton
- Notes: Lunch on your own. Handouts provided. Have to pay for parking.
Hops
- April 8, 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
- Large Boardroom, Woodstock OMAFRA Resource Centre
- Workshop Leader: Melanie Filotas
- Notes: Handouts provided.
Tomatoes & Peppers
- April 29, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- PSC 003, Pestell Building (lower level), Ridgetown Campus
- Workshop leader: Janice LeBoeuf
- Notes: Handouts provided. Lunch on your own. See Resources for Vegetable Crop Scouts.
New pesticide registrations or label expansions for tomato, pepper, eggplant
There’s quite a bit new in field tomato, pepper, and eggplant crop protection in the last year or so. Here’s a quick reference for Ontario growers (this is probably not even a complete list). Unless otherwise noted, products are registered for control1 of the listed pests.
Fungicides, Bactericides
Aprovia (benzovindiflupyr)
- Crops: Fruiting vegetables
- Early blight, anthracnose, powdery mildew, septoria leaf spot
- Notes: Group 7 fungicide.
Bravo ZN (chlorothalonil)
- Crops: Tomato
- Early blight, late blight, septoria leaf spot, anthracnose, botrytis gray mold
- Notes: Group M fungicide.
Continue reading New pesticide registrations or label expansions for tomato, pepper, eggplant
