Vegetable IPM Reports

Hello vegetable IPM folks! 

Our IPM scout, Linda, has been busy scouting for multiple pests all over the state, so be sure to scroll through to see trap captures in southern NH. As the season progresses, there is more and more to report!

European corn borer (ECB) numbers are almost zero again this week, except for 3 moths caught in Sullivan and 1 in Grafton counties. These numbers are likely because of the end of the first flight and control measures implemented. We can expect the 2^nd flight to start anytime based on degree day calculations. Massachusetts is seeing numbers begin to climb again. Click HERE for more information on ECB management. We have also seen ECB infesting young sunflower stalks this year, so be aware that they can also be problematic in sunflower if you grow it.

Fall armyworm numbers remain similar to the previous week. We saw FAW show up earlier this year with observations of larval feeding before moths were captured in traps. With silking corn, the trap threshold is 3+ moths per week. Be on the lookout for larval feeding damage. Larval feeding damage is characterized by large, ragged holes in leaves, and sawdust-like excrement.

Corn earworm captures have significantly increased and many of you are likely on a spray schedule. If you have silking corn, be sure to scout for CEW and prepare for management. Our trap threshold/spray schedule table is below and can be found in the fact sheet linked below as well, along with those for ECB and FAW.

Western bean cutworm moth numbers are also increasing compared to last week, though less egg masses were observed. See our pest alert from 2022 about western bean cutworm. WBC is native to the US corn belt and has been slowly moving east over the last decade. If you aren’t already controlling for CEW and FAW, it is recommended to scout for WBC egg masses and if 5-8% of corn has egg masses AND you have 95% tasseling corn, an insecticide application may be warranted. Linda only found 1 egg mass in New Boston, down from last week.

Our scout observed 0-8% percent corn pest larvae this week in Hillsborough County, which decreased a little from last week, likely due to control measures. The highest damage was seen in silking and tasseling corn. Field scouting should begin once moths are captured at your farm or in your area. Information on scouting for sweet corn pests and spray thresholds can be found here. UMass suggests, “If CEW trap counts are too low to warrant a spray (below 1.4 moths/week, averaged between 2 traps), scout whorl corn for ECB and FAW and spray if 12-15% of plants are infested. A good time to apply a pesticide is when tassels have just fully emerged, to catch the caterpillars before they migrate down from the whorl and tassels into the ears”. The results of our trapping efforts for sweet corn pests are recorded by town on Table 1 below. In some cases, there are multiple traps within a town.

Table 1. Sweet corn pest weekly summary, 7/15/2024-7/21/2024.

Squash vine borer numbers continue to remain high (Table 2). The number of moths captured with pheromone traps can be used to decide whether or not an insecticide treatment is required. For bush-type summer squash and pumpkins (including giant pumpkins), the recommended threshold is 5 SVB moths per trap per week. For vining type squash or pumpkins, we suggest a threshold of 12 moths per trap per week. The difference is because vine-type cucurbits can root or tiller in at each node along the vine. This allows the plant to uptake water and nutrients from more than just the main stem. SVB tends to bore into the main stem of cucurbit plants, creating a higher risk for bush type plants.

Table 2. Squash vine borer weekly summary, 7/15/2024-7/21/2024.

Cucurbit downy mildew has been reported in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Western New York. Symptoms of downy mildew include small angular yellow lesions on leaves that stay within the veins. More information on CDM can be found in the NE Vegetable Management Guide. CDM can also be tracked via the Cucurbit Downy Mildew Forecast Homepage: https://cdm.ipmpipe.org/.

Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) numbers remain high. We trap in Goffstown, Concord, Litchfield and Hollis, NH. We counted 100 in one of our control traps in Concord. NH. Trap captures by crop can be found in Table 3 below. If you have susceptible ripening fruit, I recommend monitoring and managing for SWD, especially as blueberries continue to ripen. The hot and humid weather is ideal for SWD development. More information on monitoring for SWD can be found here.

Table 3. Male SWD trap captures, 7/15/24-7/21/24.

Check back in each week as the season progresses to see the latest trapping data. Data for additional insect pests will be updated on a weekly basis. Thank you to all the growers who participate in the program! 

With the warm and humid weather over the past couple of weeks, you may see an increase in plant diseases on your farm. For any plant disease diagnostics, contact the UNH Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab to submit a sample.

Other information of note:

• Pepper maggot damage was seen in southern NH. Oviposition scars show up as sunken pinpricks in pepper fruit (see photo below). The scars are especially noticeable on cherry peppers (a preferred host), which can be used as indicator plants in outer rows to time insecticide sprays targeting adult flies. Pepper maggot pressure is variable by location, where some farms never have issues and others deal with it each year. More information can be found in the Pepper section of the New England Vegetable Management Guide. Last week’s issue of UMass Vegetable Notes also has more information on pepper maggot if you scroll down.

Pepper maggot oviposition scars on pepper fruit. Photo credit: Linda Kunhardt.

• Colorado potato beetle continues feeding damage on potato, tomato and eggplants in the field and in high tunnels.
• Brown marmorated stink bug egg masses and nymphs have been observed in higher numbers this past week.

BMSB egg mass on corn. Photo credit: Linda Kunhardt.

• Tomato hornworms reported on both tomatoes and peppers in high tunnels.
• Stalk borer confirmed in sweet corn in southern NH and in tomato in northern NH last week.
• Japanese beetles on sweet corn. If you have very heavy pressure and they are feeding on silks, they should be controlled by sprays targeting CEW and ECB.

Upcoming Events:

• The Climate Adapted Farm: Making the effects of extreme weather less severe

Join NH Vegetable and Berry Growers Association (NHVGBA) & UNH Extension for this climate-resilience focused series. Attend one or more events to learn how your farm can adapt to better withstand the challenges of climate change, and how together we are working towards farmer-driven actionable solutions. This is a four-part series, join us for one or the full slate! 

• • August 20, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30pm, Resilience Against Extreme Weather at Wilson Farm, Litchfield, NH. What's your plan B when disaster strikes? Explore concrete actions to prepare your farm for floods, droughts, or extreme heat and get introduced to emergency management planning. 

• Organic No-till Vegetable Production and Protected Agriculture

August 21, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30pm at Uphill Farm, Whitefield, NH

This evening discussion will be on organic no-till vegetable production. We will discuss vegetable production in northern New Hampshire, establishing and managing no-till systems, and explore pest exclusion systems for leek moth and swede midge. Uphill Farm will also highlight its efforts to transition towards precision irrigation with assistance from the Coös County Conservation District Climate Resiliency Grant.

Please sign up for our text service! Text UNHIPM to 866-645-7010 to subscribe.

Contact: Amber Vinchesi-Vahl, UNH Extension State Specialist, Entomology and IPM, Amber.Vinchesi@unh.edu

This program is made possible thought funding provided by the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food Integrated Pest Management Program. This work is also supported in part by the Integrated Pest Management Crop Protection and Pest Management Extension Implementation Plan from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. 

Hello vegetable IPM folks! 

Our IPM scout, Linda, has been busy scouting for multiple pests all over the state, so be sure to scroll through to see trap captures in southern NH. As the season progresses, there is more and more to report!

European corn borer (ECB) numbers are almost zero, except for 2 moths caught in Sullivan County last week. These numbers are likely because of the end of the first flight and control measures implemented. We can expect the 2^nd flight to start anytime based on degree day calculations. Click HERE for more information on ECB management. We have also seen ECB infesting young sunflower stalks this year, so be aware that they can also be problematic in sunflower if you grow it.

We are already above threshold in traps for fall armyworm in specific areas of Hillsborough County and numbers remain similar to the previous week. We saw FAW show up earlier this year with observations of larval feeding before moths were captured in traps. With silking corn, the trap threshold is 3+ moths per week. Be on the lookout for larval feeding damage. Larval feeding damage is characterized by large, ragged holes in leaves, and sawdust-like excrement.

Corn earworm captures are increasing and many of you are likely on a spray schedule. If you have silking corn, be sure to scout for CEW and prepare for management. Our trap threshold/spray schedule table is below and can be found in the fact sheet linked below as well, along with those for ECB and FAW.

Western bean cutworm numbers are climbing after our first captures in late June. See our pest alert from 2022 about western bean cutworm. WBC is native to the US corn belt and has been slowly moving east over the last decade. If you aren’t already controlling for CEW and FAW, it is recommended to scout for WBC egg masses and if 5-8% of corn has egg masses AND you have 95% tasseling corn, an insecticide application may be warranted. Linda found 5 egg masses in Concord and 1 in Weare this past week.

Our scout observed 0-12% percent corn pest larvae this week in Hillsborough County, which decreased from last week, likely due to control measures. The highest damage was seen in silking and tasseling corn. Field scouting should begin once moths are captured at your farm or in your area. Information on scouting for sweet corn pests and spray thresholds can be found here. The results of our trapping efforts for sweet corn pests are recorded by town on Table 1 below. In some cases, there are multiple traps within a town.

Table 1. Sweet corn pest weekly summary, 7/8/2024-7/14/2024.

Our scout also found stalk borer this week. This is an occasional pest of corn and other vegetables. It overwinters as an egg in grassy weeds. Caterpillars hatch in the spring and feed within grasses before they grow too big and then migrate to plants with thicker stems. For corn, infestations are usually worse in border rows and fields with grassy weeds. The borers feed in the stalk or deep in the whorl. Their feeding may kill growing tips. Reduced tillage fields may have increased levels of stalk borer because of higher weed pressure. Management includes eliminating grassy weeds to reduce overwintering eggs and reduce migrating borers at field edges. Stalk borer caterpillars and their damage can be seen in the photos below.

Photo: Stalk borer larva. Credit: Linda Kunhardt.

Photo: Damage to sweet corn. Credit: Linda Kunhardt.

Squash vine borer numbers continue to remain high (Table 2). The number of moths captured with pheromone traps can be used to decide whether or not an insecticide treatment is required. For bush-type summer squash and pumpkins (including giant pumpkins), the recommended threshold is 5 SVB moths per trap per week. For vining type squash or pumpkins, we suggest a threshold of 12 moths per trap per week. The difference is because vine-type cucurbits can root or tiller in at each node along the vine. This allows the plant to uptake water and nutrients from more than just the main stem. SVB tends to bore into the main stem of cucurbit plants, creating a higher risk for bush type plants.

Table 2. Squash vine borer weekly summary, 7/8/2024-7/14/2024.

Cucurbit downy mildew has been reported in New Jersey and Western New York. Symptoms of downy mildew include small angular yellow lesions on leaves that stay within the veins. More information on CDM can be found in the NE Vegetable Management Guide. CDM can also be tracked via the Cucurbit Downy Mildew Forecast Homepage: https://cdm.ipmpipe.org/.

Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) numbers remain high. We trap in Goffstown, Concord, Litchfield and Hollis, NH. We counted more than 150 in one of our control traps in Concord. NH. Trap captures by crop can be found in Table 3 below. If you have susceptible ripening fruit, I recommend monitoring and managing for SWD, especially as blueberries continue to ripen. The hot and humid weather is ideal for SWD development. More information on monitoring for SWD can be found here.

Table 3. Male SWD trap captures, 7/8/24-7/14/24.

Check back in each week as the season progresses to see the latest trapping data. Data for additional insect pests will be updated on a weekly basis. Thank you to all the growers who participate in the program! 

With the warm and humid weather over the past couple of weeks, you may see an increase in plant diseases on your farm. For any plant disease diagnostics, contact the UNH Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab to submit a sample.

Other information of note:

• Broad mites observed in peppers. This UNH Extension blog post from a few years ago has information and resources for management. Also, you can check the New England Vegetable Management Guide for up-to-date chemical controls on peppers and on transplants.
• Potato leafhopper numbers have been high in orchards and surrounding crops. PLH feeding causes ‘hopperburn’, with leaves yellowing, browning and dying. Nymphs are a very bright green. More information can be found here, and in the potato section of the NE Vegetable Management Guide.
• Squash bugs are out and about. The most recent vegetable newsletter from UMass has a very comprehensive overview of squash bug biology and control if you scroll down.

Upcoming Events:

• The Climate Adapted Farm: Making the effects of extreme weather less severe
  Join NH Vegetable and Berry Growers Association (NHVGBA) & UNH Extension for this climate-resilience focused series. Attend one or more events to learn how your farm can adapt to better withstand the challenges of climate change, and how together we are working towards farmer-driven actionable solutions. This is a four-part series, join us for one or the full slate! 
  • TODAY! July 16, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30pm, Physically Protecting Your Crops at Spring Ledge Farm, New London, NH. Discover strategies for efficiency improvements and technology add-ons when growing crops in controlled environments like high and low tunnels, and netted structures. We will cover how to mitigate damage from extreme heat and wind.  
  • August 20, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30pm, Resilience Against Extreme Weather at Wilson Farm, Litchfield, NH. What's your plan B when disaster strikes? Explore concrete actions to prepare your farm for floods, droughts, or extreme heat and get introduced to emergency management planning. 

• Organic No-till Vegetable Production and Protected Agriculture
  August 21, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30pm at Uphill Farm, Whitefield, NH
  This evening discussion will be on organic no-till vegetable production. We will discuss vegetable production in northern New Hampshire, establishing and managing no-till systems, and explore pest exclusion systems for leek moth and swede midge. Uphill Farm will also highlight its efforts to transition towards precision irrigation with assistance from the Coös County Conservation District Climate Resiliency Grant.

Please sign up for our text service! Text UNHIPM to 866-645-7010 to subscribe.

Contact: Amber Vinchesi-Vahl, UNH Extension State Specialist, Entomology and IPM, Amber.Vinchesi@unh.edu

This program is made possible thought funding provided by the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food Integrated Pest Management Program. This work is also supported in part by the Integrated Pest Management Crop Protection and Pest Management Extension Implementation Plan from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. 

Hello vegetable IPM folks! 

Pest numbers are really ramping up! Our IPM scout, Linda, has been busy scouting for multiple pests all over the state, so be sure to scroll through to see trap captures in southern NH. Crop development and pest activity seems to be about a week early this year (or more for some pests!), so be alert for pest presence and damage earlier than expected, especially compared to last season.

European corn borer (ECB) numbers are decreasing, likely because of insecticide sprays targeting this pest. If you have early corn that is in or approaching mid whorl stage, consider scouting for damage. The results of our trapping efforts are recorded by town on Table 1 below. In some cases, there are multiple traps within a town. Click HERE for more information on ECB management.

As a reminder, we found a fall armyworm caterpillar feeding on corn in Hollis, NH two weeks ago, and I’ve heard reports of another FAW caterpillar feeding on field corn this week in the Pembroke area. We also have 2 adult catches recorded in Claremont, NH. This is much earlier than we usually see FAW, so be on the lookout for larval feeding damage. You could also be seeing true armyworm feeding, which is very similar to FAW. Larval feeding damage is characterized by large, ragged holes in leaves, and sawdust-like excrement.

First captures of corn earworm and western bean cutworm were recorded this week. We recorded 21 CEW in Hollis, NH, and 10 in Rollinsford, NH. If you have silking corn, be sure to scout for CEW and prepare for management. We caught 1 WBC adult in Mason, NH and a WBC caterpillar was observed in Rollinsford, NH. See our pest alert from 2022 about western bean cutworm. WBC is native to the US corn belt and has been slowly moving east over the last decade.

Our scout recorded feeding damage from corn pests this week that ranged from 0-48% in Hillsborough County, which is increasing from last week as the season progresses. The highest damage was seen in silking and tasseling corn. Field scouting should begin once moths are captured at your farm or in your area. Information on scouting for sweet corn pests and spray thresholds can be found here.

We trapped almost 8x as many squash vine borer adults this week compared to last week (Table 2). The number of moths captured with pheromone traps can be used to decide whether or not an insecticide treatment is required. For bush-type summer squash and pumpkins (including giant pumpkins), the recommended threshold is 5 SVB moths per trap per week. For vining type squash or pumpkins, we suggest a threshold of 12 moths per trap per week. The difference is because vine-type cucurbits can root or tiller in at each node along the vine. This allows the plant to uptake water and nutrients from more than just the main stem. SVB tends to bore into the main stem of cucurbit plants, creating a higher risk for bush type plants.

Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) numbers have significantly increased (6x more than last week). This is likely due to the combination of heat and moisture we had last week. We trap in Goffstown, Concord, Litchfield and Hollis, NH. Trap numbers can be found in Table 3 below. If you have susceptible ripening fruit, I recommend monitoring for SWD, especially as blueberries continue to ripen. More information on monitoring for SWD can be found here.

Check back in each week as the season progresses to see the latest trapping data. Data for additional insect pests will be updated on a weekly basis. Thank you to all the growers who participate in the program! 

Other information of note:

• Onion thrips cause streaking and stippling patterns on onions and other allium crops from their feeding. More information can be found here.
• Sap beetle feeding was reported on tasseling sweet corn in southern NH. For more information, see the Sweet Corn insect section of the New England Vegetable Management Guide.
• Striped cucumber beetles are out and about and can transmit bacterial wilt in addition to feeding on foliage, flowers and fruit of cucurbits. See this UNH fact sheet for more information.
• Japanese beetles were reported feeding heavily on lettuce, impacting the washing process.
• Leek moth damage continues to show up in northern NH.

An announcement for organic high tunnel growers from Dr. Becky Sideman at UNH...

"High Tunnel Cover Cropping Project – Participants Wanted!

If you are growing organic vegetables in a high tunnel, we want to connect with you! The University of Minnesota and University of New Hampshire are partnering to conduct on-farm research about the performance of legume cover crops in organic high tunnel vegetable rotations in the Midwest and Northeast regions. The goal of this project is to enable organic high tunnel growers to reduce their dependence on purchased composts and manures by using nitrogen-fixing legume cover crops to support soil fertility, productivity, and sustainability.

We are currently recruiting organic high tunnel growers to receive cover crop seed and participate in the on-farm research trials, which will begin in fall 2024 for overwinter cover crops and spring 2025 for spring/summer covers. We have two levels of participation available, so you can choose the level of commitment that works for you.

Join us for an information session on Tuesday, July 30th at 6:30pm CDT on Zoom. During the webinar, you’ll learn more about participating in the trial and have opportunities to ask questions. You can also view a recording of our previous information session at this link.

Sign up to learn more about the trial at z.umn.edu/hightunnelcovercroptrial. We will send the webinar link and a calendar invitation to everyone who signs up. Hope to see you there!

Becky Sideman (UNH – becky.sideman@unh.edu)."

Upcoming Events:

• The Climate Adapted Farm: Making the effects of extreme weather less severe

Join NH Vegetable and Berry Growers Association (NHVGBA) & UNH Extension for this climate-resilience focused series. Attend one or more events to learn how your farm can adapt to better withstand the challenges of climate change, and how together we are working towards farmer-driven actionable solutions. This is a four-part series, join us for one or the full slate! 

• • July 16, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30pm, Physically Protecting Your Crops at Spring Ledge Farm, New London, NH. Discover strategies for efficiency improvements and technology add-ons when growing crops in controlled environments like high and low tunnels, and netted structures. We will cover how to mitigate damage from extreme heat and wind.  
  • August 20, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30pm, Resilience Against Extreme Weather at Wilson Farm, Litchfield, NH. What's your plan B when disaster strikes? Explore concrete actions to prepare your farm for floods, droughts, or extreme heat and get introduced to emergency management planning. 

• Organic No-till Vegetable Production and Protected Agriculture

August 21, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30pm at Uphill Farm, Whitefield, NH

This evening discussion will be on organic no-till vegetable production. We will discuss vegetable production in northern New Hampshire, establishing and managing no-till systems, and explore pest exclusion systems for leek moth and swede midge. Uphill Farm will also highlight its efforts to transition towards precision irrigation with assistance from the Coös County Conservation District Climate Resiliency Grant.

Please sign up for our new text service!

Contact: Amber Vinchesi-Vahl, UNH Extension State Specialist, Entomology and IPM, Amber.Vinchesi@unh.edu

This program is made possible thought funding provided by the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food Integrated Pest Management Program. This work is also supported in part by the Integrated Pest Management Crop Protection and Pest Management Extension Implementation Plan from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. 

Hello vegetable IPM folks! 

Our IPM Scout is busy installing and checking traps. We caught our first ECB-NY and ECB-IA moths last week. If you have early corn that is in or approaching mid whorl stage, consider scouting for damage. The results of our trapping efforts are recorded by town on Table 1 below. In some cases, there are multiple traps within a town. Click HERE for more information on ECB management.

Early season scouting procedure: Wait until mid to late whorl stage to scout. Select at least 5 sites across the planting, all of the same variety and planting date. Do not check field edges to avoid the “edge effect.” To make your sampling most representative of the field, follow a rough X pattern across the planting. At each site, examine 20 stalks, and look at the whorl area for the tiny “shot holes” that show corn borers are in that stalk. Often there is a tiny bit of light, powdery frass adjacent to the small holes. If you see such signs, mark that stalk as infested. As you move across the planting, keep track (pocket pad is helpful) of two things: 1) how many stalks are infested; and 2) the total number of stalks you’ve counted. Stop at 100. If you reach a threshold of 30 or more infested stalks, it is worthwhile to treat with an insecticide. For very early corn (high value), you may wish to adjust that threshold down to 15. If the infestation rate is below threshold, it will cost more to treat the corn than the damage is worth. For sweet corn in the pre-tassel stage (tassel is visible in the whorl), use the 15% threshold (Table 2). See information source here. 

Our scout has also deployed a select number of traps for brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), an invasive pest. We have ten traps placed at six locations as part of our sentinel monitoring. No economic thresholds have been established for New Hampshire, but the program provides data on when BMSB becomes active, as well as relative infestation levels. This week, 2 adult BMSB were trapped in Hollis and Milford, NH, which is down from the 10 adults caught last week. Click HERE for a quick post about BMSB. 

Spotted wing drosophila traps went out this week in cherry and strawberry. Our neighbors in Massachusetts and New York have already recorded SWD captures, which is a little earlier than expected. Be on the lookout for this pest on your earlier fruit. More information on monitoring for SWD can be found here.

Cabbage root maggot

I have received a couple of inquiries about cabbage root maggot (CRM) and how to control it organically. CRM is currently in its first generation and some areas of the state are in peak flight. This UMass fact sheet has great information on scouting for this pest and there is also a NEWA model available for CRM if you have a history of issues with this pest on brassicas. Row covers can be effective to prevent adults from egg-laying on recently seeded or transplanted brassicas, however, they may not be effective on brassicas planted in areas that have a history of brassica plantings due to fly pupae remaining in the soil. It’s best to rotate brassicas as far as possible from previous brassicas. High soil temperatures will also kill CRM and larval feeding will not impact larger brassica crops.

Please sign up for our new text service!

Upcoming Events:

The Climate Adapted Farm: Making the effects of extreme weather less severe

Join NH Vegetable and Berry Growers Association (NHVGBA) & UNH Extension for this climate-resilience focused series. Attend one or more events to learn how your farm can adapt to better withstand the challenges of climate change, and how together we are working towards farmer-driven actionable solutions. This is a four-part series, join us for one or the full slate! 

• June 18, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30pm, Preparing Your Land for Extreme Weather at Barker’s Farm, Stratham, NH. Learn about implementing swales, field roads, drainage ponds, and soil health practices to manage water effectively and adapt to climate challenges.  
• July 16, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30pm, Physically Protecting Your Crops at Spring Ledge Farm, New London, NH. Discover strategies for efficiency improvements and technology add-ons when growing crops in controlled environments like high and low tunnels, and netted structures. We will cover how to mitigate damage from extreme heat and wind.  
• August 20, 2024 | 5:30 - 7:30pm, Resilience Against Extreme Weather at Wilson Farm, Litchfield, NH. What's your plan B when disaster strikes? Explore concrete actions to prepare your farm for floods, droughts, or extreme heat and get introduced to emergency management planning. 

Contact: Amber Vinchesi-Vahl, UNH Extension State Specialist, Entomology and IPM, Amber.Vinchesi@unh.edu

This program is made possible thought funding provided by the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food Integrated Pest Management Program. This work is also supported in part by the Integrated Pest Management Crop Protection and Pest Management Extension Implementation Plan from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.