In This Issue:
Calendar
Weather and Berry Production
Custom Apple Cider Processing and FDA Juice/Labeling Rules
Blueberry Insect Identification
Flyspeck and Sotty Blotch
Pest Phenology
Ohio Drought Watch
Degree Day Accumulations for Ohio Locations
SkyBit® Sooty Blotch Prediction Prediction for NC Ohio
Fruit Observations & Trap Reports
Preliminary Monthly Climatological Data for Selected Ohio Locations July 2002
August 7: Pumpkin Field Day, Western Branch Research Station in South Charleston, 4:00-6:00 p.m. OSU researchers Mac Riedel, Bob Precheur, Celeste Welty, Jim Jasinski, and Andy Wyenandt will talk about their work at the station and help answer any questions you might have. The field day will be informal, but will cover many topics, including the use of Sandea and Strategy herbicides in pumpkins, fungicide and variety plot work, giant pumpkin production, the use of Admire, perimeter trap crops, Kairomone traps to reduce cucumber beetles, and cover crops used in pumpkin production. There are nearly 8 acres of pumpkin research at the farm. This is one of the greatest concentrations of pumpkin research in the state; don't miss your chance to see it all!
Directions: The Western Branch is located on the south side of S. R. 41, between I-70 and the town of South Charleston. For more details, please contact Jim Jasinski, 937-454-5002 or email: jasinski.4@osu.edu.
August 8: Field Day at Waterman Lab, northwest corner of Lane Avenue and Kenny Road, OSU Columbus Campus, 4 to 8 p.m. The new Waterman Lab Headquarters building will be featured. Dr. Celeste Welty will explain mite control strategies in Red Delicious apples and insect control in pumpkins.
August 15-17: North American Strawberry Growers Association Summer Tour, southern Michigan and northern Indiana. Participants will tour a variety of sites, including the latest technology in fruit production, a local fair, and Amish produce markets. For more information, contact Erin Griebe at 810-229-9407, or NASGAHQ@aol.com.
Winter and spring temperatures have affected Ohio berry production. The record warm temperatures of November and December 2001 and January 2002 were of little concern for Ohio berry growers. However, long term records for thornless blackberry production indicate that early warm winter 2002 temperatures could have resulted in one of the best yields in as many as 40 years. March temperatures dropped below 5 0F and are believed to have caused cold damage to red and black raspberries. Summer type red raspberries were most affected, while fall type red raspberries are normal.
In April, a week of unusually warm temperatures and advanced plant growth was observed, particularly in raspberry, strawberry, and blackberry. Early May brought advanced blooms. On May 22, record low temperatures froze 80% of the exposed strawberry and some raspberry and thorny blackberry blooms. However, developing fruit were not damaged. Frozen black raspberry blossoms were observed for the very first time in over 50 years. However, this was less than one percent of all flowers in Columbus. The frozen blossoms were due to the warm April temperatures and then the May 22 freeze.
In July thornless blackberries have more fruit ready for harvest than ever observed in Ohio. These berries bloomed after May 22 and now have more berries than leaf surface. Some growers indicate less sweetness than last year. Sugars are improved with a balance of fruit to leaf ratios, full sunlight, and cool morning temperatures 3 to 5 days before harvest. Some blackberry fruit need an extra 1 or 2 days after turning black to achieve full flavor. Therefore, to detect a difference in fruit sweetness one needs to compare an equal level of fruit maturity.
Ohio strawberries were severely affected by the May 22 freeze. It is projected that 2002 yields will be 50% below those of 2001. Many growers did not expect temperatures to reach 270 F and did not protect blooms with overhead irrigation. The low temperature was a 100-year record.
Ohio black raspberry plants were affected early in March, and yields were lower in some cultivars due to cold temperature damage after the plants came out of dormancy. Both black raspberry and strawberry plants have recovered and should grow normally. However, with the recent drought from Route I-70 north, plants need irrigation to produce a full crop for 2003. Many water sources are now stretched beyond their capacity to irrigate without considerable rainfall on a weekly basis.
All berry plants that were set in 2001 and 2002 suffered from being planted late or sitting in water- soaked soils in May of 2001 and May of 2002. Root growth was severely restricted, due to low soil oxygen. In both years, the weather turned hot and dry and root growth was again affected if no irrigation was available. Therefore, some fields will be abandoned in 2002, particularly where irrigation was not available or an insufficient amount of stored water was not on hand.
Ohio berry growers should consider irrigation for all berry types, and particularly where raised beds are used. Secondly, growers need to design a system that can be irrigated over a period of several weeks. July and August have been the two most important months for berry plant development and fruit size over the past 10 years. Ponds should have enough water to irrigate berry crops for at least 28 days without significant rainfall (recharge the supply). In recent years, more than 35 days have been needed between sufficient rainfall to recharge ponds.
The increased regulation of juice processing that is designed to ensure public health and safety has led to a number of Ohio cider producers contracting with other cider producers. The purpose of the arrangement is to spread the cost of complying with these regulations over more gallons of cider. This series of questions and answers is designed to assist Ohio apple cider producers/marketers who are considering options to fully comply with the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) juice/HACCP and labeling regulations. Each situation may be different and cider producers/marketers who wish assistance in clarifying or better understanding these issues are encouraged to contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture, Division of Food Safety at 614-728-6250.
Q: If I have another cider producer custom process my apple cider and that processor has a HACCP program, including a 5-log kill process (pasteurization, ozonation, ultraviolet light irradiation), can I have that processor place the product in a bulk container for transport back to my business location where I will package into final retail containers?
A: According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, when a treated juice/cider (pasteurized, ozonated or ultraviolet light irradiated) is transported in bulk (i.e. not packaged) to another facility for packaging and labeling, it is no longer considered to be treated with a 5-log reduction method and must bear the warning statement on its label. Those very small operations that wholesale their juice/cider may continue to use the warning statement on their label until January 20, 2004. After that date, only operations that are considered to be "retail establishments" may continue to use the warning statement.
Q: What is the "retail exemption?"
A: Retail producers of juices are not covered by the juice HAACP regulation and would not be required to establish a HACCP program regardless of whether they pasteurize or use another 5-log kill process on their products. A retail establishment is an operation that only provides juice from the premises directly to consumers. "Provides" includes storing, preparing, packaging, serving, and vending. A retail establishment does not include an establishment that sells or distributes juice to other business entities. If the juice/cider is only retailed, then the warning label will continue to be required on all packaged product unless it has been treated with a 5-log kill method. That is regardless of whether you sell by the cup or jug.
Q: What is the timetable for the FDA juice HAACP rules?
A: According to the Food and Drug Administration's schedule, small processors (fewer than 500 employees) must have a HACCP program in place by January 21, 2003. Very small processors (total sales less than $500,000, or if total sales are greater than $500,000 but the total food sales are less than $50,000; or person claiming exemption employs fewer than an average of 100 full-time employees and food sales are less than $100,000, have until January 20, 2004 to have a HACCP program in place.
Q: Are there any special labeling requirements if I have cider processed by a custom operator?
A: Name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor must be printed on the label. Unless the name given is the actual manufacturer, it must be accompanied by a qualifying phrase, which states the firm's relation to the product, e.g., "manufactured for" or "distributed by." Additional labeling guidance can be found by calling ODA or at the following FDA weblink: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/flg-toc.html#flg. The U.S. Apple Association also prepared labeling guidance that can be found at http://www.ohioagpples.org under news for apple growers and marketers.
Pest pressure is initially low in highbush blueberries, but as production increases and plantings get older, pests begin to build up. It is important to correctly identify pest problems, because the best control strategy depends on the pest. Here is how to distinguish among the various insect pests infesting blueberry fruit (larvae found inside blueberry fruit).
Blueberry Maggot (adult is a fly)
Legless, headless white larvae about ¼ inch long when
mature. Infested berries soften and ripen prematurely.
Plum Curculio (adult is a snout-nosed beetle, or
weevil)
Legless white larvae with brown head capsule, about
1/3 inch long when mature. Infested fruit has
C-shaped scar, and usually drops before harvest.
Cranberry Fruitworm (adult is a moth)
Infested fruit webbed together in clusters. Frass found
inside berry and in the webs. Messy damage. Larvae
are about 3/8 inch long, greenish brown with distinct
head, 3 pairs legs and many prolegs.
Cherry Fruitworm (adult is a moth)
Infested fruit usually filled with sawdust-like frass.
There is little webbing. Infested fruit ripen early.
Larvae may or may not be present. Larvae are white
or pinkish with black heads, 3 pairs of legs, and
prolegs.
Weather conditions present this summer may be encouraging development of fly speck and sooty blotch. Both diseases are favored by temperatures between 65 and 80F and by very high humidity (greater than 90% relative humidity for sooty blotch and greater than 95% relative humidity for fly speck.) Conditions such as these are most frequent when nighttime temperatures remain above 65 to 70 F during the summer, or during extended warm, rainy periods. Sooty blotch and fly speck symptoms can develop within 14 days from infection under ideal conditions, but symptom development is arrested by high temperatures and low relative humidity. Thus the period between infection and symptom development ranges from 25 to more than 60 days. Sooty blotch and fly speck infections not yet visible at harvest can develop during cold storage.
| Coming Events |
Degree Day Accum. Base 50F |
| Codling moth 2nd flight peak | 931-2212 |
| San Jose scale 2nd flight peak | 1271-1874 |
| Obliquebanded leafroller 2nd flight begins | 1412-2076 |
| Oriental fruit moth 3rd flight begins | 1448-2013 |
| Spotted tentiform leafminer 3rd flight begins | 1537-2123 |
| Codling moth 2nd flight subsides | 1705-2635 |
| Redbanded leafroller 3rd flight begins | 1728-2231 |
| Apple maggot flight subsides | 1904-2573 |
Thanks to Scaffolds Fruit Journal (Art Agnello)
| State District | Situation |
|---|---|
| Northwest | Moderate drought |
| North-central | Moderate drought |
| Northeast | Moderate drought |
| Central Hills | Moderate drought |
| Northeast Hills | Moderate drought |
| Rest of State | Near normal |
| Location | Degree Day Accumulations Base 50F | |
| Actual | Normal | |
| Akron-Canton | 1745 | 1654 |
| Cincinnati | 2164 | 2193 |
| Cleveland | 1785 | 1615 |
| Columbus | 2130 | 1875 |
| Dayton | 2047 | 1941 |
| Kingsville Grape | 1584 | 1492 |
| Mansfield | 1750 | 1637 |
| Norwalk | 1722 | 1619 |
| Piketon | 2131 | 2137 |
| Toledo | 1935 | 1619 |
| Wooster | 1828 | 1538 |
| Youngstown | 1657 | 1495 |
Predictions based on weather forecasts:
Aug 1-8:: possible infection & damage
Site: Waterman Lab, Columbus
Dr. Celeste Welty, OSU Extension Entomologist
Site: Wayne County
Source: Ron Becker, IPM Program Assistant
Site: East District: Erie & Lorain Counties
Source: Jim Mutchler, IPM Scout
Beneficials present - Stethorus punctum (1st report), native lady beetles, green lacewings, orange maggots, predatory mites, multi-colored Asian lady beetle
The orchard reports of multi-colored Asian lady beetles have been minimal until this week. Numbers now appear to be increasing as we increase our surveillance of near-by soybean fields.
Site: West District: Huron, Ottawa, Sandusky Co.
Source: Gene Horner, IPM Scout
Beneficials present - lacewings, banded thrips
| Weather Station Location | Monthly Precip | Normal Monthly Precip | Year-to-Date Precip | Normal Year-to-Date Precip | Avg High | Normal High | Avg Low | Normal Low | Mean Temp. | Normal Mean |
| Akron-Canton | 2.01 | 4.02 | 24.35 | 22.84 | 86.3 | 82.3 | 63.8 | 61.3 | 75.0 | 71.8 |
| Cincinnati | 1.38 | 3.75 | 27.68 | 26.29 | 89.0 | 86.4 | 67.3 | 66.1 | 78.1 | 76.3 |
| Cleveland | 2.87 | 3.52 | 22.00 | 21.99 | 85.1 | 81.4 | 65.9 | 62.3 | 75.5 | 71.9 |
| Columbus | 4.13 | 4.61 | 25.27 | 23.43 | 88.3 | 85.3 | 67.5 | 64.9 | 77.9 | 75.1 |
| Dayton | 1.81 | 3.75 | 23.71 | 24.34 | 88.0 | 84.2 | 66.7 | 64.4 | 77.4 | 74.3 |
| Fremont | 3.64 | 3.76 | 21.41 | 20.44 | 88.1 | 83.9 | 64.0 | 61.6 | 76.1 | 72.8 |
| Kingsville | 2.28 | 2.90 | 23.33 | 19.80 | 83.1 | 80.7 | 62.4 | 61.2 | 72.8 | 71.0 |
| Mansfield | 2.40 | 4.22 | 23.82 | 25.49 | 86.4 | 81.8 | 63.5 | 60.3 | 75.0 | 71.1 |
| Norwalk | 1.69 | 4.16 | 24.74 | 21.13 | 84.2 | 81.9 | 65.5 | 59.9 | 74.9 | 70.9 |
| Piketon | 0.07* | 4.40 | 19.84 | 26.70 | 87.5 | 84.6 | 66.0 | 62.3 | 76.7 | 73.5 |
| Toledo | 1.94 | 2.80 | 18.80 | 19.41 | 89.4 | 83.4 | 65.7 | 62.5 | 77.5 | 73.0 |
| Wooster | 0.86 | 4.05 | 21.70 | 21.43 | 88.0 | 83.6 | 62.4 | 59.7 | 75.2 | 71.6 |
| Youngstown | 4.14 | 4.10 | 25.76 | 22.21 | 84.5 | 81.0 | 61.6 | 58.7 | 73.1 | 69.9 |
Temperatures in degrees F, Precipitation in inches
Record set: High - 17rd, Mansfield 91º *Piketon precipitation subject to verification
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 2002
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are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to
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Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Adm. and Director,
OSU Extension.
TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868