The impact of downy mildew on high-value cucurbit crops in the US: An econometric analysis Govindasamy Ramu1,*, Arumugam Surendran2, Hausbeck Mary3, Wyenandt Andrew4, Simon James E.5 1Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ08901-8520 2Department of Agricultural Economics, Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore641 003, Tamil Nadu, India 3Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, Plant Biology Laboratories, East Lansing, MI48824 4Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Bridgeton, NJ08302-5919 5Rutgers University, Department of Plant Biology, Center for Agricultural Food Ecosystems (RUCAFE), New Brunswick, New Jersey08901 *Corresponding author: govind@sebs.rutgers.edu
Online Published on 06 October, 2022. Abstract This paper describes the impact of cucurbit downy mildew (CDM) on high-value crops in the United States. The estimated logit model indicates that farmers who use plastic mulch, consider curcubits their primary crop, and utilize agricultural extension services are likely to minimize yield losses due to CDM, and farmers over 65 who use raised beds and overhead irrigation are more likely to incur higher losses. Our findings are helpful in understanding the outbreak of CDM and the on-farm strategies farmers use to mitigate the disease. Top Keywords Cucurbit downy mildew (CDM), Outbreak, High-value crops, Farmer survey, Logit model framework. Top |