March 2019 - 22

PUMPKINS & SQUASH
SPOT
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20
within 24 hours. Cutting into infected
pumpkins or leaving them in wet
conditions only accelerates their decay.
What to do
As with any bacteria, plant pathogen,
sanitation is key, Babadoost said.
Pumpkins with lesions can be removed
from the field and stored in dry areas -
although, he said it's unfortunate most
growers don't notice the lesions until
the fruit changes color.
The seed-borne bacteria can be
stopped before planting.
" We have the methods to eradicate
any bacteria that is in or on the seed, "
he said.
As far as chemical treatments go,
Babadoost is recommending a copper
mixture to the Illinois growers.
Copper hydroxide - Cu(OH)2 (e.g.,
Kocide-3000) - can be mixed with
Manzate Pro-Stick, Quintec or Cueva
and spray-applied. The biocontrol
agent Regalia, can also be mixed with
copper for a similar effect.
" All these compounds are not
silver bullets, " he said. " Most of them
reduce the severity of the disease
significantly. " For instance, he said, a
Bacterial spot can be identified on pumpkins before they ripen. Spots on the fruit are usually more troubling than on the leaves.
field that would normally have a 70
percent infection rate of fruits could
have it reduced to only 20 percent.
Babadoost recommends applying
sprays from the time of fruit set.
Weather issue
Nathan Johanning, a University of
Illinois Extension educator based in
Murphysboro, had a chance to observe
the rain's effect in the past season. After
big rain in southern Illinois, a university
trial of different pumpkin varieties
developed bacterial spot lesions.
" The weather, unfortunately, can
be the biggest factor, " he said. " It had
dumped 4.5 to 5 inches in one night
and that type of event seemed to be
really problematic. "
While the pumpkin varieties in
the trial were planted in a flat field,
Johanning observed that his pumpkin
patch planted on a slope about 70
miles away were not equally affected,
perhaps because the water drained
away more quickly.
" It is sort of an unintentional
experiment of sorts, " he said.
Johanning contrasts the past season's
rain to the relatively dry fall of 2017
when he didn't hear many complaints
about bacterial spot.
Crop rotation can help avoid
bacterial spot to a degree, and also
choosing a well-drained field.
" That's important, although we
know that we're often severely
limited in the geography we have, " he
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March 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2019