Vegetable Crop Update – Jun 29, 2025

In This Issue:
- Diamondback moth, Japanese beetle, Asiatic garden beetle, Colorado potato beetle updates and management
- Disease forecasting updates for potato early blight and late blight
- Cucurbit downy mildew updates
- Blackleg and aerial stem rot in potato – updates and management
Vegetable Insect Update – Russell L. Groves, Professor and Department Chairperson, UW- Madison, Department of Entomology, 608-262-3229 (office), (608) 698-2434 (cell), e-mail: rgroves@wisc.edu
Vegetable Entomology Webpage: https://vegento.russell.wisc.edu/
Diamondback moth. (https://vegento.russell.wisc.edu/pests/caterpillar-pests- of-cole-crops/)
A full generation of Diamondback moth (DBM: Plutella xylostella) has just been completed in southern Wisconsin. Continue to scout fields weekly throughout the remainder of the season for early season damage. Check plants carefully, even if no feeding damage is apparent, and examine the underside of leaves for small larvae and eggs that will hatch into small caterpillars in several days. Examine the lower leaves of the plant for the larvae of DBM and especially look for the characteristic ‘window-paning’ damage. Caterpillars cause varying amounts of damage depending on the plant’s maturity, and the stage of their development. Early stages of DBM infestation can be initially be quite minor, but later stages of development and unchecked populations can reach severe levels of infestation rapidly.
Late-stage caterpillars of DBM are nearing completion of the 1st full generation at the Arlington and Agricultural Research Station. They have completed their larval stages as we are observing the woven pupae on the undersurface of leaves now. While scouting, you will often observe the feeding damage associated with larval DBM feeding and immediately adjacent will be the pupa within a silken cocoon.
Keep a record of which stage of development is present and the percentage of plants infested. This information will be useful for monitoring whether the population is increasing or decreasing. Diamondback moth eggs are tiny, flat, circular and cream-colored, laid singly or in small clusters on the leaves. The larvae are small (up to 3/8 inches long at maturity) pointed at both ends and range in color from green to yellow. The diamondback larvae are commonly
found on the leaf surface and will wiggle back and forth when disturbed, often falling from the plant. Adults are small grayish- brown, night-flying moths with a 1-inch wingspan. Diamond- shaped markings on the wings are evident when the wings are folded over the back at rest. Behavioral differences between the caterpillars can aid in their identification. The cabbageworm will usually remain motionless when disturbed, whereas DBM will wiggle its body around.
Treatment thresholds are well established and based on the percent of infestation by any lepidopteran species. Economic thresholds (ETs) vary based on the stage of crop development. Cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower in the seedbed are particularly susceptible to damage. Therefore, control measures are warranted when 10% of the plants are affected. Between transplant and cupping, the ET is raised to 30%, from the time plants begin to cup until early heading, if more than 20% of plants are infested, treatment is warranted. From early heading until harvest, the threshold again drops to 10% to protect market quality of the produce. Use pest-specific insecticides in early to mid-season when diamondback moths and cabbageworms are prevalent. Spinosans are another reduced-risk insecticide option. Spinosans are biologically based materials that are quite selectively active on caterpillar pests but are safe to beneficials. Many chemical insecticides are also effective in controlling caterpillar pests of cole crops.
Japanese beetles. (https://vegento.russell.wisc.edu/pests/japanese-beetle/)
Japanese beetles have only one generation per year. In late-June and in early July (or around 1000 growing degree days), adults begin emerging from the soil. Adult emergence has already begun across much of southern Wisconsin, but the bulk of the adult emergence is just beginning and will continue through early July.
Immediately thereafter, females mate with males and begin laying eggs. Adult beetles are most active in the afternoon in full-sun. Females leave ornamental plants where they feed and mate, and burrow two to four inches into the soil (under the turf and in mulched areas) in a suitable area to lay their eggs. Eggs hatch in about two weeks, after which grubs begin feeding on the roots of turfgrass and ornamental plants.
Mid-summer rainfall and adequate soil moisture are needed to prevent eggs and newly-hatched grubs from drying out. Adult females instinctively lay their eggs in areas with higher soil moisture content to ensure survival of their offspring. Older grubs are more drought-tolerant and will move deeper into the soil if conditions become dry. Grubs can also withstand elevated levels of soil moisture, so excessive rainfall or irrigation will not affect them.
As soil temperatures cool in the fall, and the first meaningful frost occurs, grubs begin to move deeper into the soil. Grubs overwinter in the soil about two to six inches below the surface, although some may be a deep as 20 inches. They become inactive when soil temperatures fall below 50°F. In the spring, when soil temperatures reach 50°F, the grubs begin to move up into the root-zone to resume feeding for about three to five weeks. Thereafter, the grubs stop feeding and begin creating an earthen cell where they pupate (i.e., transform) into adults.
Both the adults and grubs of Japanese beetles cause damage. Thus, controlling one life stage will not preclude potential problems with the other. Control options for each life stage are presented below.
Physical removal and trapping of adults: Removing beetles by hand, or trapping, may provide adequate protection for small plantings when beetle numbers are low. However, Japanese beetle adults can migrate from other areas, and the presence of beetles on or near a plant will attract more beetles. Consequently, use of Japanese beetle traps often attracts more beetles, and results in subsequent damage to plants.
Chemical control of adults: Several insecticides are labeled for use against adult Japanese beetles. Always follow label directions. Treat foliage and flowers thoroughly. For optimal control, apply in the afternoon when beetles are most active.
Cultural control of grubs: Because Japanese beetle eggs and young grubs have difficulty surviving in dry soil conditions, withholding irrigation during peak adult beetle flight may help to reduce grub populations. However, adequate soil moisture in late-August and September can help damaged turf recover from grub damage.
Biological control of grubs: Although there are a few biological control products that allegedly control Japanese beetle grubs, the performance of these products has been inconsistent. Biological control products include milky spore disease, insect-parasitic nematodes, and fungal pathogens such as Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium.
Chemical control of grubs: Nearly all soil insecticides provide adequate control of Japanese beetle grubs. However, not all control products perform equally. The traditional approach has been to apply short- residual products after eggs have hatched, but before grubs cause visible damage. This approach is termed “curative” control. The optimal timing for curative treatments is early to mid-August. Carbaryl (Sevin), clothianidin (Arena) and trichlorfon are three active ingredients that all provide meaningful curative control. Preventative insecticides are another effective management option that is typically preferred over curative insecticides due to greater level of control and a larger application window of time, May to July, due to their longer residual activity. Preventative insecticides are best applied prior to egg lay, typically early July. Preventative products contain the active ingredients imidacloprid, chlorantraniliprole, clothianidin and thiamethoxam.
Asiatic garden beetle – (https://entomology.wisc.edu/2023/07/31/asiatic-garden-beetle-a-new-pest-to- have-on-your-radar/)
There is a new insect pest to have on your radar in Wisconsin—the Asiatic garden beetle (AGB) (Maladera formosae). This species can feed on and damage a wide range of plants including vegetable crops, field crops, fruit crops, turfgrass, and ornamental flowers, trees, and shrubs in nursery and landscape settings. It can now be found across much of the eastern US. Over the last two decades, AGB has become more common in the Midwest with crop damage being reported in Indiana and southern Michigan in soybean, mint and potatoes. It is also established in parts of northern Illinois. Asiatic garden beetles were first collected in Wisconsin in July 2021 in a residential yard in Dane County (Middleton). Small numbers of adults continue to be spotted at that site, although no feeding or plant damage has been observed to date. In late July 2023, beetles were collected from a home garden in eastern Green Lake County; this is also the first confirmed report of plant damage in the state. The AGB has a single generation each year, and adults have primarily been spotted in July in Wisconsin, although some specimens have been collected as late as September. Adults are nocturnal and feed almost exclusively after dark. If disturbed, they tend to tumble to the ground and hide. Adult AGBs are capable fliers and can come to lights in large numbers; blacklight traps can be a useful monitoring tool. In addition, adult flight activity is strongly associated with warm nighttime temperatures (70+˚ F). After mating, adult females lay eggs in soil. Reports from nearby states indicate that larvae may be more common in sandy soil compared to loamy areas. Both the larvae and adults can feed on a wide range of plants. Adult AGBs tend to pack less of a punch than Japanese beetles but can chew irregular notches out of leaves. The larvae can be a considerable issue in potato fields when they normally feed on roots until vine-killing. After vine killing, roots will die, and the grubs will switch to other below-ground structures (tubers) to feed causing considerable damage. An abundance of AGB grubs resulting in below-ground wounds can serve as a potential entry point for pathogens that can cause storage rots. Asiatic garden beetles belong to the same family as Japanese beetles and the larvae (white grubs) resemble this species. Larvae have pale, C-shaped bodies with three pairs of jointed legs and a brownish-orange head capsule and chewing mouthparts. They have a pale, bulbous structure at the base of their mouthparts which aids in diagnosis (no other white grubs in the Midwest have that feature). Adults AGBs are approximately 3/8 inch long, brownish, and resemble small May/June beetles; their elytra (wing covers) are also slightly iridescent.Colorado potato beetle – (https://vegento.russell.wisc.edu/pests/colorado-potato-beetle/)
Overwintered adult Colorado potato beetle (CPB) are disappearing from southern and central Wisconsin potato fields. North of Hwy 10, adults are still prevalent and egg masses are still being laid throughout fields in northern Wisconsin. Later larval stages (3rd and 4th instar) are now common in central production fields. Northern production areas are seeing egg hatch and early larvae will be abundant in fields with the warm forecast temperatures. CPB chemical management tools require different adjuvants and conditions for ideal performance. For example, most insecticides perform well under acidic tank mix conditions (pH 4-7), whereas active ingredients such as spinosad or spinetoram can perform well in slightly alkaline tanks (pH 7-8). Many insecticides can be described as ‘trans-laminar’, and this means the active ingredients need to gain access to the leaves on which they are applied. Shortly after application (eg. 15-30 minutes), these insecticides will penetrate the leaf cuticle (wax layer) and move in a very localized manner throughout the leaves on which they were applied (aka trans-laminar). In order to gain access to the interior of leaves, many of these insecticides require a mild penetrating surfactant. Consult the product listing provided with past newsletters to read about the specific conditions necessary to increase the efficacy of select active ingredients.Amanda Gevens, Chair, Professor & Extension Vegetable Pathologist, UW-Madison, Dept. of Plant Pathology, 608-575-3029, gevens@wisc.edu, Lab Website: https://vegpath.plantpath.wisc.edu/.
Current P-Day (Early Blight) and Disease Severity Value (Late Blight) Accumulations will be posted at our website and available in the weekly newsletters. Thanks to Ben Bradford, UW- Madison Entomology for supporting this effort and providing a summary reference table: https://agweather.cals.wisc.edu/thermal-models/potato. A Potato Physiological Day or P-Day value of ≥300 indicates the threshold for early blight risk and triggers preventative fungicide application. A Disease Severity Value or DSV of ≥18 indicates the threshold for late blight risk and triggers preventative fungicide application. Data from the modeling source: https://agweather.cals.wisc.edu/vdifn are used to generate these risk values in the table below. I’ve estimated early, mid-, and late planting dates by region based on communications with stakeholders. These are intended to help in determining optimum times for preventative fungicide applications to limit early and late blight in Wisconsin.
| Planting Date | 50% Emergence Date | Disease Severity Values (DSVs) through 6/28/2025 | Potato Physiological Days (P-Days) through 6/28/2025 | ||
| Spring Green | Early | Apr 5 | May 10 | 18 | 355 |
| Mid | Apr 18 | May 14 | 18 | 327 | |
| Late | May 12 | May 26 | 15 | 270 | |
| Arlington | Early | Apr 5 | May 10 | 14 | 354 |
| Mid | Apr 20 | May 15 | 14 | 317 | |
| Late | May 10 | May 24 | 11 | 281 | |
| Grand Marsh | Early | Apr 7 | May 11 | 14 | 338 |
| Mid | Apr 17 | May 14 | 14 | 319 | |
| Late | May 12 | May 27 | 14 | 265 | |
| Hancock | Early | Apr 10 | May 15 | 15 | 303 |
| Mid | Apr 22 | May 21 | 15 | 277 | |
| Late | May 14 | June 2 | 15 | 222 | |
| Plover | Early | Apr 14 | May 18 | 13 | 278 |
| Mid | Apr 24 | May 22 | 13 | 271 | |
| Late | May 19 | June 7 | 13 | 179 | |
- Elumin + chlorothalonil or mancozeb
- Omega (Orbus) + chlorothalonil or mancozeb
- *Orondis Opti (chlorothalonil is part of the premix, additional chlorothalonil is suggested; see label for maximum chlorothalonil rates)
- Previcur Flex + chlorothalonil or mancozeb
- *Ranman + chlorothalonil or mancozeb
- Zampro + chlorothalonil or mancozeb

Four new cucurbit downy mildew confirmations were made over this past week in southern Michigan (shown in red). From: https://cdm.ipmpipe.org/

Blackleg symptoms on potato (image by Gevens UW Plant Pathology). Right: Aerial stem rot on potato (by Wharton Univ. of Idaho).

Evaluation of fungicide programs for the management of aerial stem rot in potato. Poster offered at the International Congress of Plant Pathology in 2023. Authored by: Alan L. Malek, Katie L. Malek, George D. Newberry, Phillip S. Wharton.
- Plant certified, disease-free tubers, into well-drained soil with temperature under 10°C.
- Plant whole seed tubers if Suberize cut seed before planting.
- Plant seed tubers during conditions that favor fast
- Clean and disinfest tools and equipment used for cutting and planting
- Avoid wounding during seed cutting, planting and
- Fungicidal seed treatment of potatoes to prevent seed piece decay can indirectly prevent seed contamination, especially during the cutting operation.
- Utilize crop rotation of two or more years with a non-host
- Avoid over-
- Avoid excessive fertilization, which may impact plant and tuber
- Consider copper fungicides, which are partially effective against disease and dry out existing
- Delay harvest until skin set is complete (up to 21 days after top-kill).
- Avoid wet conditions during harvest to prevent soil from sticking to tuber
- Store contaminated potato lots
- Provide adequate ventilation in
- Check storages regularly for temperature increase and If problems are detected, hot-spot fans can be used to cool the pile.
- Dry potatoes before storage or shipping.
View this newsletter as a PDF





