Fruit ICM News

In This Issue:

Calendar
Fruit Crops: A Summary of Research, 1998
Fireblight Epidemic in SW Michigan
Wholesale Fruit Prices

Calendar

February 7-9, 2001: Ohio Fruit Growers Society Congress, in conjunction with the Ohio Vegetable and Potato Growers Association and Ohio Direct Marketing Association, in Toledo. Wednesday - general sessions, trade show opens, tree fruit marketing & cider sessions. Thursday - breakfast & society business meeting, tree fruit session, trade show, joint tree fruit and roadside marketing session, cider session, general sessions. Friday - tree fruit session, general sessions. More information will follow at a later date.

February 14-15, 2001: The National Farm Machinery Show & Championship Tractor Pulls, Louisville, Kentucky.

February 19 - March 4, 2001: New Zealand Fruit Tour Fully Subscribed: There has been a good response to the tour and all spots are filled.

Fruit Crops: A Summary of Research 1998

Research Circular 299-99

Pesticide Deposition in Orchards: Effects of Pesticide Type, Tree Canopy, Timing, Cultivar, and Leaf Type, Franklin R. Hall, Jane A. Cooper, and David C. Ferree

The Influence of a Synthetic Foraging Attractant, Bee-ScentTM, on the Number of Honey Bees Visiting Apple Blossoms and on Subsequent Fruit Production, James E. Tew and David C. Ferree

The Reliability of Three Traps vs. a Single Trap for Determining Population Levels of Codling Moth in Commercial Northern Ohio Apple Orchards, Ted W. Gastier

Evaluation of an Empirical Model for Predicting Sooty Blotch and Flyspeck of Apples in Ohio, Michael A. Ellis, Laurence V. Madden, and L. Lee Wilson

Influence of Pesticides and Water Stress on Photosynthesis and Transpiration of Apple, David C. Ferree, Franklin R. Hall, Charles R. Krause, Bruce R. Roberts, and Ross D. Brazee

Influence of Temporary Bending and Heading on Branch Development and Flowering of Vigorous Young Apple Trees, David C. Ferree and John C. Schmid

The Effect of Apple Fruit Bruising on Total Returns, Richard C. Funt, Ewen A. Cameron, and Nigel H. Banks

Yield, Berry Quality, and Economics of Mechanical Berry Harvest in Ohio, Richard C. Funt, Thomas E. Wall, and Joseph C. Scheerens

Monitoring Flower Thrips Activities in Strawberry Fields at Two Ohio Locations, Roger N. Williams, M. Sean Ellis, Dan S. Fickle, and Carl M. Felland

Cluster Thinning Effects on Fruit Weight, Juice Quality and Fruit Skin Characteristics in 'Reliance' Grapes, Yu Gao and Garth A. Cahoon

Effects of Various Fungicide Programs on Powdery Mildew Control, Percent Berry Sugar, Yield, and Vine Vigor of 'Concord' Grapes in Ohio, Michael A. Ellis, Laurence V. Madden, L. Lee Wilson, and Gregory R. Johns

Influence of Growth Regulators, Cropping, and Number on Replacement Trunks of Winter-Injured 'Vidal Blanc' Grapes, David C. Ferree, David M. Scurlock, and Rick Evans

Effect of New Herbicides on Tissue-Cultured Black Raspberry Plants, Richard C. Funt, Thomas E. Wall, and B. Dale Stokes

Investigating the Relationship Between Vine Vigor and Berry Set of Field-Grown 'Seyval Blanc' Grapevines, Steven J. McArtney and David C. Ferree

Summary of Ohio Fruit Growers Society Apple Cider Competition, 1993-1997, Winston Bash and Diane Miller

The Fireblight Epidemic in SW Michigan

Southwest Michigan apple orchards suffered severe fireblight damage this spring following unusually warm, humid, and wet weather in May. Fireblight is a highly contagious disease of apples and pears caused by a plant-eating bacterium. Heavy rains, often with hail, dispersed the disease throughout the apple growing region, intensifying the threat to the area's apple-growing industry.

The fireblight epidemic in southwestern Michigan is as severe as anyone can remember. Many acres of high-density apple orchards have been destroyed, with the death of almost all the orchard trees. From 350,000 to 450,000 apple trees will be killed and 1,550 to 2,300 acres of apple orchards will be lost. The development cost of these orchards was over $9 million. Apple yields will be reduced by 35% over the region. Some growers will suffer 100% losses in some plantings. The southwest region produces an average of 4.5 to 7 million bushels, and the expected crop loss is 2.7 million bushels, or about $10 million. It will take at least 5 years for yields to recover, with a cumulative loss of yield of nearly $36 million. The region's total economic loss is almost $42 million.

Attempting to remain competitive, orchardists had replaced outdated mature orchards with high-density systems. Many of the new premium varieties such as Gala, Fuji, and strains of Jonathan and Rome, were all susceptible, as were the dwarfing rootstocks they were planted on. Now fireblight is destroying the investment and effort of the past decade.

The apple industry in southwest Michigan will likely never be the same. The perfect blight conditions of 2000 occurred previously in 1991 when the industry was less vulnerable. It will be very difficult for apple growers to learn to manage fireblight, given the current lack of premium fireblight resistant varieties. In addition, strains of the fireblight bacterium resistant to streptomycin are widespread in Van Buren County and were detected in orchards in neighboring Berrien County this year. Streptomycin has been the single bullet for fireblight control and it will be several years before chemicals in the registration pipeline will be available to replace it. Orchards can get through average blight years with existing controls, only to sustain devastating losses in 5 to 10 years when perfect fireblight conditions occur.

Improving current blight susceptible varieties through genetic engineering shows considerable promise for the future, but the public's negative view of genetically altered crops will need to be overcome before orchardists can utilize this new technology. The new blight-resistant rootstocks from conventional breeding will help growers most years, but only resistant varieties combined with resistant rootstocks will allow growers to avoid losses in perfect blight-favorable years such as 2000.

Terminal Market Wholesale Fruit Prices
October 27, 2000

Ted W. Gastier
Extension Agent, Agriculture
Tree Fruit Team Coordinator
Ohio State University Extension Huron County
180 Milan Avenue
Norwalk, OH 44857
Phone: (419)668-8210
FAX: (419)663-4233
E-mail: gastier.1@osu.edu

Copyright © The Ohio State University 2000

All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status.

Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Adm. and Director, OSU Extension.

TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868