In This Issue:
Calendar
WPS Resources and Background
Good Spraying Makes for Good Neighbors
Southern Ohio Report
Bainbridge Wholesale Produce Auction
Goodbye to Apple Guy
New Apple Insect Reference
Scout Now for Slugs in Strawberries
Hail Damage
Fruit Observations & Trap Reports
Northern Ohio Scab and Fire Blight Activity
Ohio Degree-Days and Phenology
June 30: Ohio Fruit Growers Society Summer Tour and Meeting, Patterson Fruit Farm, Chesterland. For more information, contact John Wargowsky at (614) 249-2424, or e-mail at jwargows@ofbf.org.
It has been five years since Worker Protection Standards (WPS) were established for agricultural pesticides. The WPS is a federal regulation designed to protect agriculture workers and handlers, and farms, nurseries, and greenhouses need to be sure their employees are up-to-date with the WPS training. Workers do not handle the pesticides, but work in fields, greenhouses, nurseries, or other areas where the pesticides are used. Special additional training needs to be given to early-entry employees. Handlers are those who mix, load, or apply pesticides or work with pesticide-contaminated equipment. Handlers do not need to be trained if they are already licensed applicators.
The standards include worker training, displaying the pesticide safety poster, providing employees access to labeling information, and posting a centrally-located application list of pesticide treatments on the establishment. Special training is required for handlers or workers who do early-entry work. Agriculture employers are required by law to meet WPS. Ohio Department of Agriculture inspectors can request WPS records for workers at any time.
A helpful resource is OSU Extension Bulletin 843, The WPS for Agricultural Pesticides - How to Comply and What Employers Need to Know. It's also available on the EPA website at http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/Publications/catalog/subpage7.htm.
Workers must receive WPS training before they accumulate five days of entry into a pesticide treated area and at least once every five years. Handlers must be trained before they do any handling task. The training covers topics such as appropriate clothes to wear, personal hygiene, and understanding posted pesticide signs. Other topics include the health of the worker's family, such as never taking pesticides home, showering immediately after work, and laundering work clothes separately. WPS training also includes recognizing signs of pesticide poisoning and emergency procedures. The WPS training can be done by a licensed pesticide applicator or someone trained for WPS instruction. Protect Yourself from Pesticides - Guide for Agricultural Workers is a manual designed for workers. We have a limited supply of manuals, but more are available at http://gemplers.com. The Pesticide Education Program also has videos available for WPS training that are in both English and Spanish. All these are designed to complement a live-speaker training program.
Wind, rainy weather, and tight schedules for planting and controlling weeds make pesticide applications a challenge for even the most capable and well-trained applicator. As a result, herbicide drift complaints increase during spring.
"Now is the time for applicators to focus on application equipment as well as human relations skills," says Joanne Kick-Raack, state coordinator for the Pesticide Education Program, Ohio State University Extension.
"Drift control frequently involves a series of trade-offs," Kick-Raack says. "Each application may involve a different approach to the potential for a drift problem. The applicator must make the effort to reduce drift with each and every application."
She says most drift complaints result because the applicator is in a hurry and makes poor decisions. Pre-planning is key to avoiding drift. Applicators need to evaluate the application site and adjacent land for sensitive areas such as crops, gardens, wells, ponds, and other potential problems. Adjustments for these sensitive areas can be made using drift nozzles or drift control agents and spraying at a different time when the wind is more favorable. Buffer zones, or set backs, give an applicator a margin for error.
"Handling drift complaints is not just a technical issue, but a human relations issue," Kick-Raack says. "The first response from the applicator sets the tone for the interaction with the neighbor complaining about drift."
She recommends the first step in handling a complaint is to respond immediately and in person. It is also crucial for the applicator to really listen to the neighbor. "People want you to understand the problem they think you caused," Kick-Raack says. The applicator should be prepared to provide information such as herbicide used, the label, and the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).
If someone is concerned about pesticide toxicity, the National Pesticide Toxicity Network has a toll-free number, (800) 858-7378, to answer any questions about the pesticide's effects on humans. If plant damage is suspected, the applicator should contact a third party to help evaluate whether the herbicide caused the plant damage.
Possible third-party contacts include an Ohio State University Extension agent, a local landscaper, or a lab like the Ohio State University C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic. The clinic can be contacted by calling (614) 292-5006 to send a plant sample. If drift damage to the property exceeds $500, it should be reported to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, (614) 728-6200.
To learn more about drift control, look for fact sheets on Ohio State University Extension's Ohioline Web site at http://ohioline.osu.edu. OSU Extension Pesticide Applicator Schools and Farm Science demonstrations conducted by the Pesticide Education Program and Extension offices offer information for responsible application. For more details, contact Extension's Pesticide Education Program at (614) 292-4070 or local offices of Ohio State University Extension.
On May 14th growers in the area were heavily irrigating strawberries and newly planted raspberry and blackberry plantings and were slowing down planting efforts because fields were getting too dry and cloddy, making it difficult to prepare seedbeds. What a difference one week made. Most Southern Ohio growing areas received anywhere from 3.5 inches to 9.5 inches of rain from May 15-23. Field ditches were being dug by hand and backhoe in attempts to get standing water out of usually well-drained fields. Field work with equipment has been stopped or slowed down.
Strawberry harvest in matted row and ribbon row plantings is in full swing in southern growing areas and is just beginning in northern growing areas. Traditional strawberry varieties planted on plastic began harvest about 10 days ago; harvest of Chandler plasticulture fields, that have been harvesting for about one month in some areas, are beginning to slow down. Strawberry harvest has been slow and difficult due to muddy field conditions. Straw in some fields has been washed to low areas of the field, and some strawberries being harvested are muddy or dirty. Strawberries that have received several cover sprays of fungicide this spring are still experiencing fruit rot, due to the flooded and saturated field conditions. Strawberries that are on plastic seem to have less fruit rot. Growers are trenching water from usually well-drained fields. Spittlebug is present in strawberry fields where spray applications have been delayed.
Growers that had prepared fields for raspberry planting prior to the rains were able to sneak into fields with tractors and planters on Sunday afternoon, May 13, and were able to get some plants transplanted. Other growers are holding plants or have postponed delivery of plants waiting for fields to dry. Orange rust is continually being scouted for in black raspberry and blackberry fields, with infected plants being removed. Fungicide applications are being delayed due to wet field conditions. The fruit set on black raspberry crop so far looks good. Fruit size will be the next issue; however, moisture should not be a problem in terms of fruit size. Blueberry fruit set also looks very good, and moisture should not be a limiting factor for fruit size. The apple crop in the area is looking good with rainy conditions making it difficult for growers to stay on their spray schedules.
Wholesale strawberry prices at the Bainbridge Wholesale Produce Auction in Bainbridge, Ohio have ranged from $1.00 to 2.25 a pint for quality product with high demand for product. Amounts of strawberries coming into the Bainbridge Auction facility are expected to increase this week as harvest gets into full swing, just in time for Memorial Day weekend sales.
The Bainbridge Wholesale Produce Auction, located on Route 41 between U.S. Route 50 and Route 32 just outside of Bainbridge, Ohio, is in full swing. Weekly auctions have been conducted at the facility for one month, with a good supply of flowers, hanging baskets, planters, greenhouse-grown tomatoes and green beans, cucumbers, lettuce, strawberries and other early season produce. Auctions are held every Friday beginning at 4 p.m.
Any questions regarding buying or selling at the Bainbridge Produce Auction may be directed to Brad Bergefurd, Horticulture Extension Agent, at (800) 860-7232 or e-mail bergefurd.1@osu.edu.
May 24, 2001 - The Washington State Apple Commission voted May 10 to let its consumer advertising campaign expire. The program has been funded by a 15-cent per box assessment for the last three years. The commission will not ask growers to renew the special assessment that expires in October.
The Apple Guy promotion did boost Washington apple sales in 11 major U.S. markets, including Seattle, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles, according to Larry Olsen, Chairman of the Washington Apple Commission. "Fear of low markets among growers turned to anger and Apple Guy became the fall guy," he said.
The commission's budget will revert to having just its 25-cent per box assessment. Dropping the assessment will mean the Washington Apple Commission will be working on a much smaller budget. With last year's crop of approximately 98 million boxes, the commission's total budget hit $39 million. With a smaller 2001 fall crop estimated at 80 million bushels and the smaller assessment, the commission's budget will drop to only $20 million.
The Apple Guy campaign was the first real generic promotion of apples by U.S. growers. It was targeted to mothers ages 25-45 who buy most of the apples. In commercials, Apple Guy sported a bright red helmet and delivered fruit to consumers from a silver canister, eliciting cries of "Thanks, Apple Guy!"
Prepared by Bruce Barrett at the University of Missouri, this 18-page bulletin includes lots of excellent color photos and insect life cycle information especially pertinent for the lower Midwest, and the price is a steal at $3. You can preview a copy on the web at: http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplorpdf/agguides/pests/IPM1008.pdf
To order, contact Andy Shirkey, Coordinator of Sales/Business Operations, University of Missouri, Extension Publications, 2800 Maguire Blvd, Columbia, MO 65211, (800) 292-0969; e-mail to: andy@missouri.edu.
In my visits to strawberry farms over the last week, I have noted very high populations of slugs feeding on grasses and other plants in surrounding or bordering fields. This is an indication that the population levels may be high enough to cause problems as berries begin to ripen. I encourage strawberry growers to scout their fields and surrounding areas this week, and to place slug traps.
Slugs are dark gray, black, yellow, or brown worm-like mollusks. They may be covered with spots and range in size from three-fourths to one and a half inches long. Slugs have become a common pest of strawberries, vegetables, field crops, and ornamentals throughout the US and Canada. Large numbers of slugs can be found in a wet year when the preceding winter was mild, especially in heavily-mulched fields.
A slug is often described as a snail without a shell. The head of the slug has two sets of tentacles. The eyes are on the tips of the upper tentacles. The lower tentacles, which are shorter, are used for tasting and smelling. The mouth is located between and below the lower tentacles and is equipped with a radula, a tooth-covered rasp that the slug uses to grate plant tissue. The slug glides along a path of mucus that is secreted by the pedal gland located just below the mouth.
Newly hatched slugs resemble the adults but are much smaller. The average life span of the slug is from nine to thirteen months, and an adult can lay from 300 to 500 eggs during its lifetime. Because the eggs are very resistant to cold and drying, they are often the only life stage to overwinter. The adults can survive mild winters and winters where they are well sheltered in the ground.
Slugs injure plants by chewing holes of various sizes in the fruit. Because slugs often feed at night, the only evidence of their presence may be glistening patches or streaks of dried slime seen on the plants and the ground nearby.
One way to sample slug populations in strawberries is to dig holes four inches in diameter and six inches deep and cover them with asphalt shingles wrapped in aluminum foil. The reflective surface keeps the hole dark, cold and moist and ideal hiding place for slugs. The hole also can contain a shallow dish containing beer as an attractant. Slugs exhibit homing behavior and a tendency to aggregate. They will return to a secure hiding place night after night and will also seek out other slugs.
In some years, slug damage can be high even when large numbers of slugs are trapped. Treating fields with poisonous slug baits in the fall and again in early spring provides some control. Unfortunately, the straw mulch, which provides many benefits in terms of disease and weed suppression, encourages high slug populations. Slug populations are often highest in fields that were in sod the previous year.
This article was adapted from Strawberry Production Guide For the Northeast, Midwest and Eastern Canada, produced by the Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Service, Cooperative Extension.
Control strategies for Ohio growers are listed in the Ohio Commercial Small Fruit & Grape Spray Guide, http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/extpubs.html
Deadline M-P's (4% bait) applied at a rate of 10-40 lb. per acre or Prozap Snail and Slug AG (3.5% bait) at 12-39 lb. per acre are recommended. Now that berries have formed, either material should be applied between the rows to avoid contact with the fruit. Best control will be achieved if the application is made in the evening after rain or irrigation.
We regret to share the news of the devastation caused by a hailstorm Friday afternoon, May 25th in Lorain County at Henrietta. Unfortunately, this area has been hit several times in recent years. It is still early to assess all the damage, but an estimate in one apple orchard is up to 90 percent damage. Other nearby orchards report minimal to thirty percent damage. The area of destruction in any one storm is usually small.
A clue to the formation of hailstones is seen when a hailstone is cut in half. Most show an onion-like layering of alternating clear and opaque ice. The stone is built up by coatings of ice successively frozen onto the surface of the hailstone. Clear ice forms in the part of the cloud where water is copious; ice with many trapped air bubbles forms the opaque layers in drier portions of the cloud.
Supercooled water remains in liquid form well below normal freezing temperature in the upper part of tall thunderhead clouds. Supercooled water droplets colliding with a foreign object -- a piece of dirt, an embryonic hailstone -- will freeze to it and thereby increase its size. Violent updrafts and downdrafts in thunderheads can carry hailstones, water droplets, (and airplanes) upward and downward at speeds to 180 mph. A single trip through a tall thunderhead can cause a hailstone to grow about one-half inch, so several trips are necessary to build up a large hailstone.
Waterman Lab, Columbus, Dr. Celeste Welty, OSU Extension Entomologist
Traps used: STLM = Wing trap, SJS = Pherocon V, Codling Moth = mean of 3 MultiPher® traps, Others = MultiPher
Traps Used: STLM=wing traps, SJS=Pherocon-V, Others=MultiPher®
Other pests include white apple leafhopper, green apple aphid, rosy apple aphid, STLM mines, hail
Beneficials include lacewing eggs and lady beetles.
Traps Used: STLM=wing traps, SJS=Pherocon-V, PC = circle traps, Others=MultiPher® traps
Other pests include green peach aphid, two-spotted spider mite, wooly apple aphid, white apple leafhopper, green apple aphid, lilac borer, plum curculio strikes, STLM mines, RBLR damage
Beneficials include banded thrips and parasitic wasp.
| Dates ( Bloom = May 1, Petal Fall = May 9) | Level of Disease Activity | |
| May 1-7, 9, 10, 13, 14, 20,28 | Scab active, but no infection | |
| May 8, 11, 12, 15-19, 21-27, 29, 30 | Possible scab infection & damage | |
| May 1-7, 9, 10, 13, 14 | No fire blight activity | |
| May 8, 15, 16, 20, 23-30 | Fire blight active, but no infection | |
| May 11, 12, 17-19, 21, 22 | Possible fire blight infection & damage | |
| Forecast | May 31, June 4, 7 | Scab active, but no infection expected |
| June 1-3, 5, 6 | Possible scab infection & damage | |
| May 31, June 1-5 | Fire blight active, but no infection | |
| June 7 | No fire blight activity |
| Location | Reported Degree Day Accumulations | Forecasted Degree Day Accumulations 06/0601 | ||||||
| May 16 | May 23 | May 30 | ||||||
| Base 45° F | Base 50° F | Base 45° F | Base 50° F | Base 45° F | Base 50° F | Base 45° F | Base 50° F | |
| Akron - Canton | 511 | 333 | 623 | 410 | 694 | 445 | 781 | 497 |
| Cincinnati | 800 | 558 | 941 | 663 | 1039 | 736 | 1156 | 807 |
| Cleveland | 517 | 348 | 632 | 429 | 708 | 469 | 790 | 516 |
| Columbus | 723 | 499 | 865 | 607 | 964 | 671 | 1066 | 738 |
| Dayton | 710 | 502 | 839 | 596 | 933 | 655 | 1033 | 720 |
| Mansfield | 529 | 355 | 644 | 434 | 716 | 471 | 823 | 544 |
| Norwalk | 532 | 358 | 624 | 439 | 698 | 479 | 785 | 531 |
| Piketon | 775 | 526 | 911 | 631 | 1019 | 699 | 1141 | 792 |
| Toledo | 529 | 356 | 656 | 447 | 732 | 489 | 817 | 539 |
| Wooster | 546 | 367 | 671 | 454 | 739 | 487 | 854 | 567 |
| Youngstown | 491 | 319 | 605 | 397 | 673 | 430 | 747 | 470 |
Phenology
| Coming Events | Range of Degree Day Accumulations | |
| Base 43° F | Base 50° F> | |
| Codling moth 1st flight peak | 547-1346 | 307-824 |
| Peachtree borer 1st catch | 565-1557 | 299-988 |
| San Jose scale 1st flight peak | 581-761 | 308-449 |
| Lesser peachtree borer flight peak | 733-2330 | 392-1526 |
Thanks to Scaffolds Fruit Journal (Art Agnello)
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 2001
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