In This Issue:
Calendar
Welcome to Dr. Joseph Kovach
Summer Tree Fruit Tips
June Drop in Apples
Fruit Observations
New ODA Bulletin: Small Hive Beetle
Ohio Apple Scab and Fire Blight Watch - SkyBit Products
Degree Day Accumulations for Selected Ohio Sites January 1, 1999 to date indicated
June 30: 1999 Ohio Fruit Growers Society Annual Summer Tour, Eshleman Fruit Farm, near the intersection of U.S. 20 and St. Rte. 101, Clyde, OH. Tour wagons begin rolling at 8:00 a.m., lunch is at noon, and annual business meeting begins at 1:00 p.m.
July 8: Twilight Summer Fruit School, Lynd's Fruit Farm, Western Licking County, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. Agenda includes direct marketing, cultivars, & cultural practices. Resource people will be Dick Funt and Mike Ellis. For more information contact Howard Siegrist, (740) 349-6904.
July 21 & 22: Small Fruit Tour, Wooster/Mt. Hope area. Pre-tour gathering begins Wednesday evening at Maurer Farms near Wooster. Thursday morning the group begins its self-guided, self-driven tour at Farmers' Produce Auction in Mt. Hope. Demonstrations at OARDC in Wooster round out the afternoon, and the day ends at Moreland Fruit Farm near Wooster with a walking tour, discussion, and fruit pies. $5.00 registration fee. For more information contact Mike Pullins at (614) 249-24424.
August 5: Young Grower Tour, northwest Ohio. Designed for, but not limited to, producers and their spouses age 40 and under. More information will follow.
His degrees include a Ph.D. and M.S. in Entomology from Clemson University and a B.A. in Zoology from Miami University of Ohio. Dr. Kovach's doctoral thesis was titled "Life cycle, seasonal distribution and tree responses to scolytid beetles in South Carolina peach orchards". His master's thesis at Clemson was "Twospotted spider mite: Effect on peach production and response to various fungicides and insecticides".
Young trees - Trees planted this year need to be checked several times to eliminate shoots lower than you want them. Rub off shoots competing with the leader and use clothes pins or rubber bands on desirable shoots which are too vertical. As you're doing the training, be alert for disease and insect symptoms and take appropriate action. Don't squander your investment by not caring for new trees.
Thinning - You can now assess how successful you were and do the hand thinning necessary. Be sure to check young trees that haven't cropped before and make sure the amount of fruit on them will not alter the tree structure you want. Don't leave fruit on the ends of branches that at harvest will pull branches below horizontal or bend the leader over.
Peach thinning - Thinning should be nearly complete, especially on early cultivars. If you have a heavy crop and were light on your fertilizer rate, a second application can be applied now, but shouldn't be applied much later. A good practice is to apply about 2/3 of the fertilizer in March and, if the crop is heavy, apply 1/3 in early June.
"Current thinking suggests that fruit abscission may be due to a temporary carbohydrate shortage. Conversely, when carbohydrates are in abundance then it is more difficult for fruit to abscise (or to induce abscission through the use of chemical thinning agents). Conditions such as cloudy weather, high nighttime temperatures (emphasis added), and cool daytime temperatures all adversely affect the carbohydrate reserves. Cloudy weather and cool temperatures result in lower photosynthesis rates and less carbohydrate production. Warm nighttime temperatures (emphasis added) mean an increase in respiration or consumption of carbohydrates. Recent work in England also indicates that flowers can provide a portion of the carbohydrates in the early season; therefore, sublethal damage to flowers can result in a reduction in photosynthate manufacture, possibly reducing fruit set."
The use of Sevin, as a petal fall or first cover insecticide, can also act as a thinning with its effect variable between varieties.
From a fertility standpoint, low levels of nitrogen can cause heavy June drop, especially in young trees. High nitrogen levels may also adversely affect fruit set.
Growers sometimes judge the degree of drop by what they find on the ground. Rather, they should examine the tree closely to determine the set remaining. Even commercial growers are occasionally pleasantly surprised at harvest by the number and size of apple fruit, having believed that the crop would be light based on the June drop. This can happen especially when the trees exhibit heavy foliage. For more information, see http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1995/5-19-1995/fdrop.html
Site: Waterman Farm, Columbus
Source: Dr.Celeste Welty, OSU Extension Entomologist
Apple: 6/10 - 6/16
Site: East District; Erie & Lorain Counties
Source: Jim Mutchler, IPM Scout
Apple: 6/9 - 6/15
Other pest activity: green apple aphid, rosy apple aphid, wooly apple aphid, and white apple leafhopper.
Beneficials at work: Stethorus punctum, orange maggot, lacewings (both brown & green), and other lady beetles.
Site: West District; Huron, Ottawa, & Sandusky Counties
Source: Gene Horner, IPM Scout
Apple: 6/9 - 6/15
Beneficials at work: Green and brown lacewings, banded thrips, and orange maggot.
ODA has produced a new bulletin which describes an integrated pest management approach to help beekeepers prevent or halt an invasion of their hives.
For more information call the ODA Apiary Inspection Office at (800) 282-1955 or check out http://www.state.oh.us/agr/
| Central | North Central | Eastern Highlands | North East | West | ||||||
| Date | apple scab | fire blight | apple scab | fire blight | apple scab | fire blight | apple scab | fire blight | apple scab | fire blight |
| May 30 | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | a,ni | a,ni | na | a,ni | pi |
| 31 | pi | pi | pi | pi | a,ni | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi |
| June 1 | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi |
| 2 | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi |
| 3 | a,ni | na | pi | a,ni | a,ni | a,ni | pi | pi | a,ni | na |
| 4 | a,ni | a,ni | a,ni | a,ni | a,ni | a,ni | pi | a,ni | a,ni | na |
| 5 | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na |
| 6 | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na |
| 7 | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na |
| 8 | a,ni | pi | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na |
| 9 | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na |
| 10 | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | a,ni |
| 11 | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | pi | pi |
| 12 | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | pi | pi |
| 13 | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | pi | pi |
| 14 | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi |
| 15 | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | pi | pi | a,ni | na | a,ni | na |
| 16 | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | a,ni | na |
| Based on forecasts | ||||||||||
| 17 | a,ni | pi | a,ni | a,ni | pi | a,ni | pi | a,ni | a,ni | na |
| 18 | a,ni | na | a,ni | na | pi | a,ni | a,ni | na | a,ni | na |
| 19 | a,ni | pi | a,ni | a,ni | a,ni | a,ni | a,ni | a,ni | a,ni | a,ni |
| 20 | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi |
| 21 | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi |
| 22 | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | pi | a,ni | pi |
| 23 | a,ni | pi | a,ni | pi | a,ni | a,ni | a,ni | pi | a,ni | pi |
na = not active; a,ni = active but no infection; pi = possible infection & damage
| Actual DD Accumulations June 16, 1999 | Forecasted Degree Day Accumulations June 23, 1999 | |||||
| Location | Base 43° F | Base 50° F | Base 43° F | Normal | Base 50° F | Normal |
| Akron - Canton | 1319 | 789 | 1464 | 1392 | 885 | 845 |
| Cincinnati | 1645 | 1018 | 1819 | 1890 | 1143 | 1213 |
| Cleveland | 1311 | 792 | 1457 | 1342 | 889 | 812 |
| Columbus | 1667 | 1070 | 1821 | 1594 | 1175 | 995 |
| Dayton | 1539 | 968 | 1703 | 1631 | 1083 | 1032 |
| Elyria | 1412 | 895 | 1562 | 1432 | 995 | 883 |
| Fremont | 1211 | 728 | 1382 | 1363 | 850 | 842 |
| Mansfield | 1318 | 793 | 1470 | 1371 | 896 | 830 |
| Norwalk | 1332 | 815 | 1465 | 1334 | 906 | 814 |
| Toledo | 1349 | 837 | 1498 | 1324 | 937 | 807 |
| Wooster | 1378 | 841 | 1525 | 1308 | 939 | 776 |
| Youngstown | 1200 | 702 | 1337 | 1288 | 790 | 765 |
| Range of Degree Day Accumulations | ||
| Coming Events | Base 43° F | Base 50° F |
| Lesser peachtree borer flight peak | 733-2330 | 392-1526 |
| Peachtree borer 1st catch | 735-1321 | 299-988 |
| Spotted tentiform leafminer 2nd flight begins | 795-1379 | 449-880 |
| Obliquebanded leafroller 1st flight peak catch | 869-1548 | 506-987 |
| Apple maggot 1st catch | 1045-1671 | 629-1078 |
| Redbanded leafroller 2nd flight begins | 1096-2029 | 656-1381 |
| Codling moth 1st flight subsides | 1112-2118 | 673-1395 |
| Codling moth 2nd flight begins | 1355-2302 | 864-1549 |
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
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.
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.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Keith L. Smith, Director, Ohio State University Extension.
TDD # 1 (800) 589-8292 (Ohio only) or (614) 292-1868