- Pumpkin crops are sizing up. The melon supply is still strong. Pickle, cucumber, and summer squash harvests from second plantings are nearing harvest on some farms.
- Plectosporium blight in pumpkins is an aggressive defoliator. It is worse in fields that haven’t been rotated yearly where the disease builds up to severe levels. Fungicides listed in the Midwest Vegetable Guide can be used to slow it down. Routine powdery mildew sprays may also contribute to its control.
Plectosporium blight starts as diamond-shaped lesions on stems (left), which grow together to create grayish brown brittle vines (middle) and stems (right). The rough, ashy gray fruit symptoms can also be seen on the right. Photo by Tom Chambers in the August 2022 MSU Vegetable crop report.
