In This Issue:
Calendar
Ohio Fruit Growers Society Summer Tour
National Road Map for Pest Management
Protecting Fruit from Apple Scab
Apple Maggot Trapping
Comparison of Application Technology for AM Control - 2002
Control of Fruit Rots in Blueberries
Degree Day Accumulations
Fruit Observations & Trap Reports
July 6-8: International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association Summer Tour, Kelowna, BC, Canada; Charles Ax, International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association; 570-837-1551; Web site: http://www.idfta.org.
August 4-5: HACCP Workshop, Leesport, PA. A
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
workshop will take place at the Berks County Ag Center
in Leesport, PA. For more information please contact
Dr. Luke LaBorde, Penn State University, at 814-863-2298 or e-mail at The original orchard was started in 1912.
Maureen and partner Rich Ridenbaugh began updating
the orchard in 1976 and currently market 23 apple
varieties, such as Jonathon, McIntosh, Red Delicious,
Empire, Law Rome, Ginger Gold, and specializing in
Golden Delicious. There are 106 production acres of
mainly apples with ten acres of peaches and some pick
your own Montmorency tart cherries. Annual apple
production is estimated at 60,000 to 65,000 bushels and
peach production at 2,800 bushels. The apples are
primarily marketed through Fruit Growers Marketing
Association (FGMA) and an on-farm retail market. Glen
Hill also packs and sells gift boxes through the winter
holidays.
In addition to touring the orchard and farm
market, participants will observe modern migrant labor
housing facilities; 20,000 bushel refrigerated storage; and
21,000 bushel controlled atmosphere apple storage. The
orchard wagon tour will feature Maureen and Rich
discussing farm operations, cultural practices, variety
selection, labor management, packing line operations,
marketing, and more. A major management focus utilizes
computerized records to track labor productivity and
production results to assist in future management
decisions. They will also discuss their commitment to
providing a safe and healthy worker environment.
The Ohio State University's Celeste Welty will
also showcase a codling moth control demonstration
project and Dave Gress, General Manager of FGMA,
will discuss the wholesale apple market.
The final tour stop will address "Good
Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices" in
the packinghouse. Shari Plimpton, food safety educator
with the Ohio Specialty Crop Food Safety Initiative, will
address issues such as worker hygiene and health, wash
water quality, sanitation, refrigeration, and
transportation. Apple industry exhibitors will also be
present to help serve the needs of growers and marketers.
Past exhibitors have included equipment dealers, nursery
and farm market suppliers, chemical companies, service
agencies, etc. The OSU Fruit team will also participate
as an exhibitor to provide research and education
resources.
Registration for the Summer Tour begins at
8:00 a.m. Member registration fees are $15 per family
and $10 per individual. Nonmember fees are $20 per
family and $15 per individual. Orchard tours will begin
as soon as the first tour wagon is full. Registrants will
be able to purchase morning refreshments and a
noontime meal. There will be a short Ohio Fruit
Growers Society meeting after lunch.
The Ohio Fruit Growers Society and Glen Hill
Orchards look forward to your participation on June 25.
More information about Mount Vernon and Knox
County may be found at web address:
http://www.knoxchamber.com. Driving directions and
maps may be found at the OFGS web site:
http://www.ohiofruit.org or contact the OFGS office at
614-246-8292 or e-mail at growohio@ofbf.org.
Vision: Wide scale adoption of integrated pest
management (IPM) will result in more economically
viable, environmentally compatible, socially responsible,
and sustainable crop production systems for the United
States by 2010.
Mission: The pest management mission of USDA and its
partners is to improve farm profitability and safeguard
human health and the environment through discovery,
development, extension, and verification of safer, more
effective, and more economical pest management systems.
Goal 1: By 2006, reduce the average cost of pest
management in major cropping systems compared to
2000 baseline, while maintaining efficacy and
sustainability. (NASS survey)
Objective: Develop and promote pest management
approaches designed to improve farm profitability and
agricultural sustainability.
Strategies:
Goal 2: Reduce by half the levels of hazardous pesticides
detected in surface drinking water supplies by 2008.
(USGS drinking water surveys)
Objective: Promote the adoption of pest management
systems for agricultural and non-agricultural
environments that minimize non-target impacts.
Strategies:
Goal 3: Reduce pesticide residue levels in the major
foods consumed by infants and children by the year
2006. (AMS market basket survey)
Objective: Implement pest management approaches
designed to eliminate unacceptable pesticide residues
in crop commodities used for food, especially those
consumed by infants and children.
Strategies:
Goal 4: Evaluate and promote national protocols for
pest management in recreational, roadside, right-of-way,
and native habitat areas by 2007. (Are protocols
developed?)
Objective: Develop and implement pest management
programs that maintain safe, functional recreational,
roadside, right-of-way and native habitat environments.
Strategies:
Goal 5: Have pilot community-run pest management
programs in place and operating by 2010. (Are
community programs in place?)
Objective: Design and implement community-based
pest management programs for residential, school, and
public area environments that emphasize prevention
programs and low-risk suppression technologies.
Strategies:
Keeping apple scab under control is proving very
difficult this year in orchards where primary scab was not
completely controlled during April and early May. Over
the last 30 days at the Hudson Valley Lab, we have
recorded 17 separate wetting events for a total of 228
hours of wetting and 5.8 inches of rain. Unfortunately,
this period of extended wetting started shortly after petal
fall, just when fruit and leaves are at peak susceptibility
for apple scab infection.
What is the best approach for keeping apple scab
off of fruit in orchards with a moderate level of scab on
terminal leaves? Unfortunately, there is no simple answer
to this question. Below are four options to consider.
Option 1: Make at least two applications of captan alone
at the maximum label rate per acre. Applications at this
time of year can be 10-14 days apart, unless rainfall
(> 1.5 inches) removes captan residues before 10 days
have elapsed. Captan is very effective for protecting
fruit, especially when combined with high temperatures of
80-85F. However, if cool, wet weather persists into July,
then continued applications (more than two sprays) using
high rates of captan may be essential. If weather
becomes more normal (hotter and drier), the risk of fruit
infection will subside until September, when scab might
become active again.
Option 2: Apply captan at maximum label rates as noted
above, but tank-mix the high rate of captan with an SI
fungicide (Nova, Rubigan, or Procure). The full rate of
captan is needed because the SI's will shut down scab on
leaves but will do little to protect the fruit. This option is
considerably more expensive than Option 1, but will
prove more effective IF orchards do not contain SI-resistant populations of scab and IF weather stays cool
and wet for another month. Option 2 also provides
extended control of mildew. However, if weather
becomes hotter (days > 80-85F) and drier, then Option
1 will probably work just as well as the more expensive
Option 2 for controlling scab. Option 3: Apply captan at 50% of maximum label rates
in a tank-mix with Flint or Sovran. Flint and Sovran
will provide better protection of fruit than the SI
fungicides, so a half-rate of captan should be adequate.
The fact that Sovran and Flint bind to cuticular waxes
should make them more resistant to wash-off than is
captan. However, Sovran and Flint will be less effective
than the SI fungicides (in the absence of resistance) for
arresting incubating but still invisible infections in
leaves. Thus, the trade-off here is potentially better
control of fruit scab with Sovran or Flint, compared with
greater reduction of total inoculum when SI's are applied
to leaves with incubating lesions. It is very difficult to
predict which option (2 or 3) will result in the least fruit
scab. In two years of trials where I tested these products
on trees with visible scab, I got better control with the
SI's in one year and with the strobilurins (Sovran, Flint)
in the other. The variation is largely due to the details of
exactly when the products are applied within the scab
incubation period. Be aware, however, that where
Sovran and Flint have been used alone (without any
contact fungicide) to stop previous scab epidemics in
Michigan and Western NY, the results have generally
been less than satisfactory. Thus, I personally would
gamble on options 1 or 2 rather than option 3.
Option 4: Apply captan at 50% of maximum label rate
in combination with a full rate of dodine (Syllit). This
is an extremely risky approach because we cannot
accurately predict which orchards have dodine
resistance. However, if you have not used ANY dodine,
not even in the first spray of the season, for at least 10
years, then this approach might be very effective. Only
one spray of dodine should be applied and the follow-up
spray should be the full rate of captan because a single
spray of dodine may be enough to re-select for dodine-resistant strains that survive at low levels in most
orchards.
The specifics of the orchards involved should be
considered when choosing among the options noted
above. There is significantly more risk of getting scab
on fruit of susceptible cultivars such as McIntosh and
Ginger Gold and than on more scab-resistant cultivars
such as Empire and Delicious. Therefore, captan alone
might suffice for the more resistant cultivars, whereas an
SI-plus-captan might be warranted for McIntosh blocks.
Similarly, vigorous young trees that are still actively
growing have the potential for several more cycles of leaf
scab, whereas older orchards with a heavy crop will soon
set terminal buds. The SI-captan combination is more
likely to pay for itself in orchards with vigorous terminal
growth because the SI's can quickly reduce the amount of
inoculum available for infecting new leaves (unless, of
course, the scab is SI-resistant).
Unfortunately, some orchards may already have
so much scab that spending more money for fungicides
will only increase costs for a crop that is already lost. In
cases where a significant number of fruit already have
visible scab, one must assume that additional fruit may
soon develop symptoms from infections that occurred last
week unless heroic measures have already been employed
to save the crop. There is no point in spending big dollars
for SI or strobilurin fungicides for a crop that will not pay
for itself.
Monitoring: Once again, it is nearly time to expect the
first appearance of apple maggot (AM) flies in volunteer
apple stands and abandoned orchards, particularly in
eastern N.Y. Western N.Y. could be about a week later
if this were a normal season, and the less said about that
the better. Crop scouts and consultants have been using
traps to monitor AM populations for a long time, but this
tactic, useful as it is, nevertheless is not recommended in
all cases. Some orchards have such high or such low AM
populations that monitoring for them is a waste of time;
that is, sprays are needed predictably every season in
some blocks, and on a calendar basis; conversely, they
are rarely needed at all in other blocks. However, most
commercial N.Y. orchards have moderate or variable
pressure from this pest, and monitoring to determine when
damaging numbers of them are present can reduce the
number of sprays used in the summer with no decrease
in fruit quality.
Sticky yellow panels have been in use for over 30
years, and can be very helpful in determining when AM
flies are present. These insects emerge from their
hibernation sites in the soil from mid-June to early July in
New York, and spend the first 7-10 days of their adult
life feeding on substances such as aphid honeydew until
they are sexually mature. Because honeydew is most
likely to be found on foliage, and because the flies see
the yellow panel as a "super leaf", they are naturally
attracted to it during this early adult stage. A few of
these panels hung in an orchard can serve as an early
warning device for growers if there is a likely AM
emergence site nearby.
Many flies pass this period outside of the
orchard, however, and then begin searching for fruit
only when they are ready to mate and lay eggs. That
means that this advance warning doesn't always have a
chance to take place -- the catch of a single (sexually
mature) fly then indicates a spray is necessary
immediately to adequately protect the fruit. This can
translate into an undesirable risk if the traps are not
being checked daily, something that is not always
possible during a busy summer.
To regain this time advantage, researchers
developed newer traps that have the form of a "super
apple" -- large, round, deep red, and sometimes with the
smell of a ripe apple -- in an attempt to catch that first
AM fly in the orchard. Because this kind of trap is so
much more efficient at detecting AM flies when they are
still at relatively low levels in the orchard, the traps can
usually be checked twice a week to allow a one- or two-day response period (before spraying) after a catch is
recorded, without incurring any risk to the fruit.
In fact, research done in Geneva over a number
of years indicates that some of these traps work so well,
it is possible to use a higher threshold than the old "one
fly and spray" guidelines recommended for the panel
traps. Specifically, it has been found that sphere-type
traps baited with a lure that emits apple volatiles attract
AM flies so efficiently that an insecticide cover spray is
not required until a threshold of 5 flies per trap is
reached.
The recommended practice is to hang three
volatile-baited sphere traps in a 10- to 15-acre orchard,
on the outside row facing the most probable direction of
AM migration (south, or else towards woods or
abandoned apple trees). Then periodically check the
traps to get a total number of flies caught; divide this by
3 to get the average catch per trap, and spray when the
result is 5 or more. Be sure you know how to
distinguish AM flies from others that will be collected by
the inviting-looking sphere. There are good photos for
identifying the adults at the following web site:
http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/factsheets/treefruit/pests/am/am.pdf.
In home apple plantings, these traps can be used
to "trap out" local populations of AM flies by attracting
any adult female in the tree's vicinity to the sticky surface
of the red sphere before it can lay eggs in the fruit.
Research done in Massachusetts suggests that this
strategy will protect the fruit if one trap is used for every
100-150 apples normally produced by the tree (i.e., a
maximum of three to four traps per tree in most cases), a
density that makes this strategy fairly impractical on the
commercial level.
A variety of traps and lures are currently
available from commercial suppliers; among them:
permanent sphere traps made of wood or stiff plastic,
disposable sphere traps made of flexible plastic, and
sphere-plus-panel "Ladd" traps. The disposable traps are
cheaper than the others, of course, but only last one
season. Ladd traps are very effective at catching flies,
but are harder to keep clean, and performed no better than
any other sphere trap in our field tests.
Brush-on stickum is available to facilitate trap
setup in the orchard. Apple volatile lures are available
for use in combination with any of these traps. These
tools are available from a number of orchard pest
monitoring suppliers, among them:
By preparing now for the apple maggot season,
you can simplify the decisions required to get your
apples through the summer in good shape for harvest.
A western NY apple orchard that has been in
organic production for several years was selected for use
in this trial because high levels of AM damage had been
observed in fruit the previous season. Using an airblast
sprayer delivering 200 gpa, two treatments were applied
using Surround (kaolin clay) on a weekly basis; the two
treatments varied in the nozzles used for each
application. Tee Jet hollow cone nozzles (Model D4
disc with DC45 whirl plate) as well as Tee Jet air
induction nozzles (Model AIll004VS, Spraying Systems
Co., Wheaton, IL) were tested to determine the
effectiveness of droplet size with this product. A volatile
bait containing spinosad was applied with a Meterjet
spray gun (Model 2362, Spraying Systems Co.)
connected to a CO2 backpack sprayer at 40 psi, also on
a weekly basis, at the rate of 1 gpa.
A new antagonistic method using chemical
repellency was also incorporated into this trial by
hanging 12 dispensers in the center of a 3 x 3 tree plot.
This proprietary technology, developed by W. Roelofs
(NYSAES, Geneva), is still in the preliminary testing
phase, and this was its first assessment under field
conditions.
Treatments, including an untreated check, were
replicated four times and arranged in a RCB design. All
applications were started on July 25 and continued on
August 2, 8, 14, and 21. The dispenser vials for the
repellent were hung on July 20. Red volatile-baited
sphere traps were hung in four trees surrounding the
center tree in both the repellent trial and in the untreated
check. Weekly counts were taken from these traps to
determine whether the treated tree had any repellent
activity. Fruit was harvested on September 9 by
randomly selecting 200 fruits from the center tree in
each replicate. A subsample was taken from the harvest
sample from the check plot and the repellent block, and
examined in the lab to determine numbers of AM
punctures.
AM pressure in the test orchard was moderate to
high, as indicated by the damage levels found in the
untreated check plots, and by high trap catches of flies
throughout the season. The weekly applications of
Surround provided good control of AM damage,
regardless of the nozzle used (hollow cone, 2.4%; air
induction, 3.3%).
The spinosad bait also reduced damage found at
harvest (12.8%); however, it was not significantly
different from the check (24.6%). The repellent plots
(20.3%) also did not separate from the untreated check
plot. The pressure found in this orchard is many times
greater than that found in the average commercial block.
For this reason, the constant presence of flies in the
orchard probably represented too high a pressure for the
weaker programs to control.
The subsamples examined for oviposition
punctures provided little insight into the efficacy of the
repellent treatment. The untreated check yielded a mean
of 1.30 punctures per apple, and the repellent treatment
resulted in 1.04 punctures per apple, which was not
statistically different.
Trap catches taken over the duration of the trial
seemed to indicate some repellency to the dispensers. A
mean of 7.6 flies per trap were caught in the untreated
check plot, while a mean of 12.3 flies per trap were
caught in traps surrounding the repellent dispensers;
however, these numbers also were not statistically
different.
Fungal fruit rots, especially anthracnose caused
by Colletotrichum acutatum, continue to be of economic
concern in blueberries. Losses can occur before, as well
as after, harvest. The cultivars Jersey, Bluecrop, Rubel,
and Blueray are very susceptible to anthracnose fruit rot,
whereas Elliott is resistant. Alternaria fruit rot is
commonly found on Bluecrop fruit before harvest and
affects most varieties after harvest. Botrytis fruit rot is
not as common in Michigan, but may be a problem in
years when cool wet weather prevails during the
flowering and fruit development period.
These fruit rots can be distinguished to some
extent with the naked eye: anthracnose is characterized
by wet, pink to orange spore masses; Alternaria fruit rot
by dark olive-green mold growth, and Botrytis by fluffy,
tan to gray mold growth on the berry surface. A fact
sheet for identification of blueberry fruit-rotting fungi
will be published soon by MSU Extension.
The anthracnose fungus overwinters in dead
fruiting twigs, but has also recently been found to
overwinter in live, dormant buds. The infected buds
typically die in the spring and support sporulation of the
fungus. A twig blight, which is difficult to distinguish
from Phomopsis twig blight, can also result from bud
infection. With anthracnose there are two important
periods when the infection risk is high because of peak
spore release: 1) from pre-bloom to about pea-size berry
(due to overwintering inoculum), and 2) from first blue
fruit until the end of harvest (due to sporulating berries
that infect surrounding berries). Fungicide spray
programs should focus on these periods.
There are several new fungicide options for
control of blueberry fruit rots. The strobilurin
fungicides Abound (azoxystrobin) and Cabrio
(pyraclostrobin) are excellent at controlling anthracnose
fruit rot. They are both surface-systemic, meaning that
they redistribute locally in the wax layer, and are
considered "reduced risk". They may be applied around
bloom and early fruit development (to prevent the
primary infections) and at first blue fruit or pre-harvest
(to prevent secondary infections). Switch (cyprodinil
and fludioxonil) is a systemic fungicide with a unique
mode of action. Switch has activity against anthracnose,
Alternaria fruit rot, and Botrytis fruit rot, and would be
the better option if Alternaria fruit rot is a major
objective of control efforts. Elevate (fenhexamid) is
primarily a Botryticide with suppressive activity against
mummy berry.
Another exciting option for control of
anthracnose is choosing a new variety from the MSU
Blueberry Breeding Program. Several of the new late
varieties, e.g., Draper, are resistant to fruit rots and also
have excellent shelf life. AND they taste better than
Elliott. So look ahead when planning new plantings.
Ohio Location
Site: Waterman Lab, Columbus
Site: Medina, Wayne, & Holmes Counties
Apple: 6/11 to 6/18/03
Peach: 6/11 to 6/18/03
Apples: scab, plum curculio, white apple leafhopper,
rosy & green peach aphids, European red mite, STLM,
potato leafhopper.
Site: East District: Erie & Lorain Counties
Other pests: green apple aphid, rosy apple aphid, wooly
apple aphid. Beneficials: green lacewing and ladybeetle
Site: West District: Huron, Ottawa, Richland, &
Sandusky Counties - Gene Horner, IPM Scout
Other pests: TSSM, green peach aphid.
Beneficials: banded thrips
Ted W. Gastier Ohio Fruit Growers Society Summer Tour
Maureen and Jim Buchwald of Glen Hill
Orchards, Mount Vernon, Ohio will host the annual Ohio
Fruit Growers Society (OFGS) Summer Tour on
Wednesday, June 25, 2003. The Summer Tour will be of
interest to Midwest fruit growers that enjoy touring a
modern, progressive orchard and interacting with
exhibitors, educators, and other industry participants.
A National Road Map for Pest Management 2001 - 2010
Source:
http://www.nepmc.org/insider/extras/roadmap.html
Protecting Fruit from Apple Scab in Orchards with Visible Scab Lesions
Source: Dave Rosenberger, Plant Pathology, Highland,
Scaffolds Fruit Journal, Vol. 12, No. 14, June 16, 2003
The Maggot: Reloaded
Source: Harvey Reissig, Dave Combs & Art Agnello,
Entomology, Geneva, Scaffolds Fruit Journal, Vol. 12, No.
14, June 16, 2003
Comparison of Application Technology for AM Control - 2002
Source: Harvey Reissig, Dave Combs & Art Agnello,
Entomology, Geneva, Scaffolds Fruit Journal, Vol. 12, No.
14, June 16, 2003
New Options for Control of Fruit Rots in Blueberries
Source: Annemiek Schilder, Plant Pathology, MSUE Fruit CAT 06-17-03
Degree Day Accumulations for Ohio Sites June 18, 2003
Degree Day Accumulations
Base 45° F
Base 50° F
Actual
Normal
Actual
Normal
Akron/Canton
1049
1091
660
747
Cincinnati
1388
1524
960
1091
Cleveland
1029
1046
661
716
Columbus
1319
1265
900
887
Dayton
1247
1299
838
919
Kingsville
828
941
495
639
Mansfield
984
1072
602
733
Norwalk
991
1041
624
717
Piketon
1469
1521
1008
1082
Toledo
964
1030
598
710
Wooster
1149
1016
748
685
Youngstown
928
985
558
663 Fruit Observations & Trap Reports
Dr. Celeste Welty, OSU Extension Entomologist
Ron Becker, IPM Program Assistant
STLM: Holmes: 2147 (up from 593) Medina: 1105 (up from 13.8) Wayne: 424 (up from 0) RBLR: Holmes: 0 (same as last week) Medina: 0 (same as last week) Wayne: 0 (same as last week) CM: Holmes: 4.1 (up from 2.0) Medina: 1.7 (same as last week) Wayne: 41.9 (up from 21.8)
LPTB: Holmes: 10 (down from 11) Medina: 3 (up from 0) Wayne: 5 (up from 1) OFM: Holmes: 3 (same as last week) Medina: 0 (same as last week) Wayne: 0 (same as last week) PTB: Holmes: 0 (same as last week) Medina: 0 (same as last week) Wayne: 0 (same as last week)
Peaches: OFM, powdery mildew.
Strawberries: two-spotted spider mite (TSSM), sap
beetles, gray mold.
Brambles: TSSM.
Beneficials: fellacis mites, lacewing, lady beetle
Jim Mutchler, IPM Scout
The Ohio Fruit ICM News is edited by:
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
Information presented above and where trade names are used, they are
supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by
Ohio State University Extension is implied. Although every attempt is made to produce
information that is complete, timely, and accurate, the pesticide user bears
responsibility of consulting the pesticide label and adhering to those directions.
Copyright © The Ohio State University 2003
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