Additional drought-related problems, which are being reported, include salt injury to crops in some isolated cases, blotchy ripening, and a widespread increase in the level of blossom end rot on tomatoes and other crops. The pest and disease situation has remained relatively static over the past two weeks. Since most crops are nearing completion, growers have scaled back control programs and are only applying chemicals were and when needed to bring in the crop. Populations appear to be building up over a succession of vegetable crops that includes just about everything but tomato. A typical scenario starts with potato, where thrips build up and then move to melons when the potato vines are desiccated.
Numbers then rise to high levels across successive melon plantings.
Beans are also prime candidates for growing and releasing large numbers of thrips. A good strategy would be for growers not only to destroy infested crops in a timely manner but also to kill as many thrips as possible. Application of a tank mix, of something like Lannate plus Guthion, at the highest labeled rates and plenty of water followed by thorough disking should help minimize possible movement from older plantings to younger crops. Armyworms are widely present across the area. A number of growers are reporting significant numbers of beet armyworm and southern armyworm in cantaloupe, pepper, tomato and watermelon.