08 Aug Pest/Disease Update – Aug 8th
Hi everyone,
Another hot and dry day…and the forecast looks similar for a while. I’m hoping that humid weather next week will at least produce some thundershowers. Fingers crossed.
While a number of fields look surprisingly good for how dry it has been, the crop is obviously suffering due to lack of rain. Some fields are starting to go down with early dying and drought symptoms. The 2nd generation of potato beetles are starting to show up in significant numbers, and Alternaria symptoms are increasing in some fields.
Air Spore Counts:
| August 6th, 2025 | |||
| Early Blight | Brown Spot | Grey Mold | |
| West Prince | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| East Prince | 4 | 21 | 9 |
| Queens | 2 | 0 | 97 |
| Kings | 0 | 25 | 24 |
- No late blight spores in PEI and NB
- Late blight has been confirmed in tomatoes and potatoes in Quebec
- Grey mold spore counts have increased in a few fields, but weather is not conducive to Bortrytis infection.
- Early blight spores are surprisingly low considering the stress on the crop. Must indicate good preventative programs by producers
Aphid Alert:
| Region | Week Ending | Number of Samples | Green Peach Aphid | Potato Aphid | Buckthorn Aphid | Bird Cherry-Oat Aphid | Other Aphid | Tarnished Plant Bug | Total Aphids | Ave. Aphids per Sample |
| WEST PRINCE | 09-Aug-25 | 30 | 0 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 83 | 9 | 106 | 3.53 |
| EAST PRINCE | 09-Aug-25 | 26 | 3 | 17 | 12 | 9 | 148 | 20 | 189 | 7.27 |
| CENTRAL QUEENS | 09-Aug-25 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 109 | 3 | 120 | 6.00 |
| SE QUEENS/KINGS | 09-Aug-25 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 34 | 11.33 |
| EAST KINGS | 09-Aug-25 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 2 | 38 | 3.45 |
| Total | 90 | 6 | 46 | 22 | 11 | 402 | 35 | 487 | 5.41 |
- With hot, dry weather as well as winter wheat harvest in full swing in many parts of the Island, aphid numbers are back up over 5 per sample this week.
- Green peach aphids were detected in East Prince and Southeast of Charlottetown. I’ve had at least one producer tell me they saw multiple green peach aphids on plants this week.
- Seed producers should remain vigilant in their aphid control programs as we get closer to top-kill.
Save the Date: AIM BBQs
I will have more to share on our upcoming AIM BBQs next week, but here are the dates and locations for our AIM BBQs at the end of the month:
Tues, Aug 26th – Arthur Mooney & Sons Farm, 3567 New Harmony Rd, Souris (includes sprayer drone demo)
Wed, Aug 27th – Wallace Properties, 668 Dock Rd, Elmsdale
Thurs, Aug 28th – Cavendish Farms Discovery Farm, 987 Campbellton Road, New London
I am expecting each of the events to begin around 3:30 pm. We will showcase some AIM trials, some trial results from AIM partners, and demos of new technology.
All growers and industry partners are invited to attend. Watch for more details next week!
Final Crop Update Meeting:
Our final Crop Update Meeting of the season will be next Tuesday, August 12th at 2:30 pm at the AIC Building in Kensington or on Zoom.