California sees end-of-season pest and disease issues on several crops

Markon Cooperative BB #:123315 released this From the Field crop update September 24, 2026:

California’s Salinas and Santa Maria Valleys continue to face industrywide end-of-season challenges that are impacting quality, shelf life, case weights, and yields.

Two of the biggest concerns currently are pest pressure in cole crops (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower), and leafy greens (iceberg, green leaf romaine, and tender leaf varieties), and plant virus/disease pressure in lettuce crops.

Field-packed commodity items carry the most risk of pest presence, such as Diamondback moth larvae/pupae, which nestle under the florets of broccoli and cauliflower, whereas the wash step in value-added items can reduce some of this pressure.

Additional measures currently being implemented to reduce insect pressure include:

• Proactively treating raw product lots
• Adding additional checkpoints from the field to finished product stages
• Monitoring shelf-life samples for continuous feedback to the field and production teams

Many of the diseases typically found in late-season crops tend to see an exponential spread in the final days of the growth cycle. For this reason, growers are opting to harvest fields ahead of their target maturity to reduce their exposure to die-off and yield loss.

Harvesting crews can do a very good job of detecting and avoiding these issues through sorting and trimming, but case weights and yield estimates are being impacted in all areas of the Salinas and Santa Maria Valleys.

Markon inspectors continue to work with suppliers to secure the best available product for Markon commodity and value-added packs.

Unfortunately, most suppliers will struggle to deliver consistent high-quality row crop items through the rest of the growing season. Ordering for quick turns and maintaining the cold chain throughout distribution is critical for maximizing quality and shelf life.