Excess rains and droughts of the past decade pointed out the poor health and productivity of soils on many local vegetable farms. Coupled with high fuel prices and high fertilizer prices, growers have been eager to improve their soil management efforts. Reduced tillage leads to less fuel use and legume cover crops allow the farmer to grow nitrogen fertilizer, reducing their need for conventional fertilizer and the fuel and labor to apply it.

The Cornell Soil Health Test can be used to determine your field's soil management for percentage of water-stable aggregates. A soil with low % water-stable aggregates has  poor crop emergence, more crusting, more runoff, reduced root growth, increased root diseases, and fewer beneficial microbes to cycle soil nutrients.

Vegetable farms using conventional tillage and few cover crops had an average of just 18% water-stable aggregates, while farms using reduced tillage or extensive cover cropping averaged 36-39%. Innovative growers are now beginning to adopt both strategies to improve soils even more.

In addition, the Cornell Vegetable Program is working with a number of conventional and organic vegetable growers on increasing the use of a wide range of cover crops to fill open niches in rotations to improve soil health and grow nitrogen.

More Soil Health Content

Muck Donut Hour Every Tuesday

August 1, 2017
8:30 - 9:30 AM
Elba, NY

Meet with Cornell Vegetable Program Specialist Christy Hoepting every Tuesday morning to ask questions and share your observations.

Fresh Market Minutes - Eden Valley

August 1, 2017
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Eden, NY

Meet with the Cornell Vegetable Program Specialist Darcy Telenko every other Tuesday morning to ask questions and share your observations in fresh market vegetables.

2017 Vegetable Pest and Cultural Management Field Meeting - Chautauqua County

August 8, 2017
6:00 PM
Frewsburg, NY

This course will demonstrate pest management in fresh market vegetables in both field and greenhouse (high tunnel) vegetables; primarily for those growing for wholesale auction. A hands-on demonstration of weed, insect and disease identification in vegetables including management options such as inter-row cover crops, grafting and where appropriate, spray options will be used to educate growers. CVP Specialists Judson Reid, DarcyTelenko, and Robert Hadad will instruct participants and facilitate peer-based learning. Details on each topic will focus on field observations at the farm. 

Late Blight Spreading Across WNY Counties

7/19/17 - Late blight (LB) was confirmed in Livingston County on potato this week (the genotype is still being determined). The sample from Erie County from last week was determined to be US-23 which is sensitive to metalaxyl. All of Western NY is at risk for Late Blight infection. Severity values continue build at all stations. The frequent and continuing rainfall has been extremely favorable for the development of LB. Scout fields twice a week. All tomato and potato growers, conventional and organic, should be applying a protectant fungicides and monitoring the DSS to determine spray intervals. Remember to rotate fungicide FRAC groups and use contact fungicides in your program to minimize the chances of fungicides resistance.

If late blight is suspected act immediately! Under favorable environmental conditions late blight develops very rapidly and can spread many miles in a short period. Please take a sample for isolate identification. It is very important to track disease movement. Contact CCE Cornell Vegetable Program Specialists for assistance.

Cucurbit Downy Mildew Confirmed in WNY

Cucurbit downy mildew has been confirmed in Erie County. There have also been confirmed reports from OH, PA and Ontario Canada. If you're planning on spraying cucumbers to control downy mildew, now is the time to do it!

Characteristic disease symptoms are angular, pale green areas bounded by the leaf veins. They will turn yellow and later necrotic. Under high humidity conditions sporulation will occur on the lower leaf surface. Apply targeted fungicides tank-mixed with protectant fungicides weekly and alternated among available modes of action (FRAC code), starting when there is risk for a specific crop based on forecasting program. Refer to the Cornell Vegetable Guidelines for a complete list of products available.

For more information about the disease, watch our new video Better Know a Pest: Downy Mildew or contact Robert Hadad or Darcy Telenko.

Better Know a Pest Video Series

The CCE Cornell Vegetable Program has created 3 new, short videos about common vegetable pests: flea beetles, swede midge, and downy mildew. The videos are part of a series called Better Know a Pest. Watch for more videos as the season progresses.

2017 Cornell Vegetable Guidelines Available

The 2017 edition of the Cornell Integrated Crop and Pest Management Guidelines for Commercial Vegetable Production is now available. This annual publication provides up-to-date vegetable crop production information for New York State. It is designed as a practical guide for vegetable crop producers, crop consultants, ag chemical dealers, and others who advise vegetable crop producers.

In addition to the annually revised pesticide and crop production information, highlighted changes in this edition of the Vegetable Guidelines include:

• Addition of Dickeya blackleg on potato as a disease of concern.
• Updated regulatory considerations for organic vegetable production.
• Revised European corn borer management strategies for beans and potatoes.

The Cornell Guidelines are available as a print copy ($41 plus shipping), online-only access ($41), or a package that combines print and online access ($57.50 plus shipping). Cornell Guidelines can be purchased through your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office or from the Cornell Store at Cornell University. To order from the Cornell Store, call (844) 688-7620 or order online.