8:45-9:00              Sign In, DEC Credit Registration

9:00-9:15              Welcome, Ethan Grundberg- CCE Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Program

9:15-9:35              Dipping Bare Root Plants in Biologicals to Mitigate Pink Root, Ethan Grundberg- CCE ENYCHP

                                Grundberg will present data from two-years' worth of trials screening biostimulants and biofungicides as pre-plant dips of bare root transplanted onions. Specific attention will be paid to understanding the differences between biostimulants and biofungicides, label restrictions for pre-plant dips, and compatibility with other pre-plant incorporated pesticides for onion maggot, onion smut, and Pythium suppression. Finally, the pink root severity evaluation data will be discussed as well as the correlation between pink root severity and yield in the trial plots.

 9:35-10:20          2019 Herbicide Trial Results and Recommendations, Christy Hoepting- CCE Cornell Vegetable Program

                                Hoepting will share results from several herbicide evaluations conducted during the 2019 growing season focused on both pre- and post-emergent applications for broadleaf control in muck-grown onions.

10:20-10:30         Coffee Break

10:30-11:05         Beneficial Nematodes to Manage Maggots, Denis Willett & Camila Filgueiras- CU Dept Entomology

                                Drs. Willett and Filgueiras will discuss their ongoing research using entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) to suppress several maggot species, including onion maggot (Delia antiqua) and seedcorn maggot (Delia platura), in specialty crop production systems. The presentation will focus specifically on compatibility with other pesticides, application methods, efficacy trial results, as well as the potential for EPNs to be incorporated in muck grown onion production in place of chlorpyrifos.

11:05-11:20         FSMA On-Farm Readiness Reviews and Worker Training, Nathaniel Lartey- CCE Orange County

                                Lartey will cover updates to the Food Safety Modernization Act focusing on major findings from the 2019 On-Farm Readiness Reviews and resources for compliance with worker training requirements.

 11:20-12:00        Fungicide Resistance Development in Stemphylium Isolates, Dr. Frank Hay- CU Dept Plant Pathology

                                Dr. Hay has been collecting Stemphylium leaf blight (SLB) samples from New York onion farms for over three years in order to track the development of resistance to certain fungicide or FRAC groups within pathogen populations over time. Dr. Hay will update growers on the status of SLB resistance to FRAC groups 2, 7, 9, and 11 while reinforcing basic principles and best management practices for fungicide resistance management.

12:00-1:00          Lunch 

1:00-1:45            Results from 2019 Fungicide Trials for Stemphylium Leaf Blight, Christy Hoepting- CCE CVP

                                Hoepting will review highlights from her continuing fungicide efficacy trials and discuss a number of suggested fungicide programs to manage resistance and provide sufficient suppression of SLB.

 1:45-2:30            Timing Copper Applications to Reduce Bacterial Bulb Rot, Dr. Bhabesh Dutta- Univ of Georgia

                                Dr. Dutta will cover the lifecycle and basic biology of some of the most prominent bacterial pathogens responsible for bacterial bulb rots in onion production. Dr. Dutta will then discuss the efficacy of bactericides currently available as well as results from his trials evaluating the impact of timing copper applications at different crop developmental stages to better target the causal pathogens and reduced bulb rot incidence.

 2:30-2:50              Updates to NY Labor Regulations and the FFLPA in 2020, Rich Stup- CCE Workforce Management

                                Stup will cover the basics of the Farmworker Fair Labor Practices Act and its implications for labor management in 2020 and beyond.

 2:50-3:20 (30)    Improving Fungicide and Insecticide Efficacy with Adjuvants, Ethan Grundberg- CCE ENYCHP

                                Grundberg will present preliminary results from the first year of trialing 9 different adjuvant chemistries in tank mixes with a commonly used fungicide, insecticide, and herbicide  program for muck-grown onions in New York. Specifically, Grundberg will discuss impacts on onion thrips populations, Stemphylium leaf blight severity, and yield.

 3:20-3:45              Final Remarks, Evaluations, DEC Certificate Distribution

2020 Onion School brochure (PDF; 1231KB)