MN Fruit & Vegetable IPM News - Vol. 3, No. 1

As the season begins for the majority of vegetable crops, insect pest activity has been minimal. Although there have been reports of cutworm activity in Southwestern MN, no signs of cutworm activity have been seen in early-planted sweet corn (first collar stage) in the Rosemount, MN (Dakota Co.) area. To date we have not seen any bean leaf beetle (BLB) in early-planted snap beans (unifoliate stage). However, this week we have begun to see BLB on yellow sticky cards in the Hastings, MN (Dakota Co.) area.

A typical early-season pest that has been active is the flea beetle on cabbage seedlings. In Rosemount, approximately 50% of seedlings (seeded cabbage) which were at the cotyledon to 2-leaf stage, were damaged by flea beetle (see picture) with approximately 5% of seedlings with moderate to heavy damage. In the same field, cabbage transplants, which were at the 4-6 leaf stage had no signs of damage. The treatment threshold for flea beetle on cabbage is 10-20% of stand showing damage (see fact sheet).

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Co-Editors: Bill Hutchison (hutch002@umn.edu), Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, Jeanne Ciborowski, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Ag. Resources Management and Development Division, and Suzanne Wold-Burkness (woldx018@umn.edu), Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota

The Newsletter is published weekly from May through August, cooperatively, by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the University of Minnesota (U of MN). Reports are posted on the U of MN and MDA web sites on Fridays. If you have suggestions and/or comments, please send your contributions by 4 p.m., Wednesday to Jean Ciborowski, 651-201-6217, jeanne.ciborowski@state.mn.us, MDA, 625 Robert St. North, St. Paul, MN 55155-2538. You can access the Newsletter at the U of MN web site in htm format at: www.vegedge.umn.edu/MNFruit&VegNews/mnindex.htm and at the MDA web site in pdf format at: http://www.mda.state.mn.us/ipm/ipmnews/

Partial funding for this publication is provided through partnership agreements with the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (MFVGA) and the United States Department of Agriculture – Risk Management Agency (RMA). These institutions are equal opportunity providers.

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