In This Issue:
Calendar
Drought Conditions Persist
EPA Rules on OPs
Proposed Guthion Label Revisions for 2000 sales/use season
Biological Control Website
Summer Diseases in Apples
New Insecticide Registration
Fruit Observations
Ohio Apple Scab, Fire Blight, and Sooty Blotch Activity- SkyBit Products
Degree Day Accumulations/Phenology
Preliminary Monthly Climatological Data for Selected Ohio Locations July, 1999
Preliminary Climatological Record Extremes For July, 1999
September 21-23: Farm Science Review, Molly Caren Agricultural Center, London, Ohio, 8 am-5pm Tuesday and Wednesday, 8am-4pm Thursday. A look at the latest information, machinery, and equipment in agriculture; 600 exhibitors.
Conditions in Ohio as of July 31, 1999
| Region | Category of Drought |
| NW Ohio | Near Normal |
| WCentral Ohio | Moderate |
| SW Ohio | Severe |
| SCentral Ohio | Moderate |
| Central Ohio | Severe |
| NCentral Ohio | Near Normal |
| NE Ohio | Near Normal |
| Central Hills | Near Normal |
| NE Hills | Near Normal |
| SE Ohio | Moderate |
The Environmental Protection Agency, on August 2, 1999, canceled the registration for methyl parathion in vegetable and fruit crops starting with the 2000 growing season. Methyl parathion, of course , is one of 39 organophosphates (OPs) which have received priority review by EPA after the passage of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA).
In addition, the EPA has reduced the application rates for azinphos methyl and will require practices designed to significantly reduce allowable residues on apples, peaches, and pears. Those tolerances or maximum allowable concentrations are to be reduce to 1.5 parts per million (ppm) from 2.0 now, and 1 ppm next year. According to Kenneth A. Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, his group has reviewed 3200 apple samples taken by the USDA between 1992 and 1996, and found only 2 over 1.5 parts ppm. Of 1966 sample taken by FDA between 1992 and 1996, only 3 where found to have residues over 1.0 ppm.
The news has been received with mixed comments depending on your point of view. "Our nation enjoys the safest, most abundant food supply in the world," said EPA Administrator Carol Brower. "I want to emphasize that for children and adults alike, the benefits of a diet that includes fruits and vegetables far outweighs the risks of pesticides."
Some environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Fund, claimed that the EPA has failed to do its job of protecting the nation's food supply. Some groups have threatened to file a lawsuit because they believe that the EPA has not met the intent of FQPA.
It should be noted that the four manufacturers involved, two for each of methyl parathion and azinphos methyl, have been cooperative in agreeing to these label changes. Hugh W. Ewart, a vice president with the American Crop Protection Association, reflected on the news by saying, "We survived the first round".
Apples: reduce maximum yearly rate (from 6 lbs. to 4.5 lbs. ai); increase pre-harvest interval (PHI) to 2 lb. if last application > 1 lb. ai; prohibit application by chemigation or fixed-wing aircraft. Pears (and other pome fruits): reduce maximum yearly rate (from 6 lbs. to 4.5 lbs. ai); prohibit application by chemigation or fixed-wing aircraft. Peaches (and nectarines): reduce maximum yearly rate (from 4.5 lbs. to 3.375 lbs. ai); prohibit application by chemigation or fixed-wing aircraft.
The Cornell University sponsored website, "Biological Control: A Guide to Natural Enemies in North America, " offers a continuously revised, extensive overview of biological agents of insects, disease, and weed pests in North America. At last count, the Guide included photographs and descriptions for approximately 100 natural enemies of pest species. The site: http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/
Additional material describes life cycles, habits, and other practical information. Authored by C. R. Weeden, et al, the site is divided into sections for parasitoids, predators, pathogens, and weed feeders.
Sooty blotch and flyspeck are the two most important summer diseases on apples. In northeastern United States, most of the inoculum for these diseases comes from outside of the orchard. The fungi causing sooty blotch and flyspeck have numerous wild hosts, so any unsprayed woodlot or hedgerow can provide inoculum.
Flyspeck is the more difficult of the two diseases to control because it is somewhat less sensitive to fungicides than is sooty blotch. In the northeast, flyspeck almost always appears in sprayed orchards before sooty blotch appears, although the two diseases appear at about the same time in unsprayed trees. Spray programs that are adequate to control flyspeck will almost always provide good control of sooty blotch as well.
Researchers in North Carolina and Massachusetts have shown that the flyspeck fungus overwinters on wild hosts around the perimeter of orchards and produces ascospores that mature starting during or shortly after bloom. They have also shown that visible symptoms appear on fruit only after fruit have had approximately 270 hours of accumulated wetting counting from the time that infections on fruit are initiated.
Our current hypothesis concerning development of flyspeck in apple orchards in the northeast is as follows:
1. Release of flyspeck ascospores peaks about 10 days after petal fall. However, only a small number of ascospores land on apple fruit, and most of these are killed by fungicides used to control apple scab.
2. Flyspeck ascospores are important, however, because they cause additional primary infections in the border areas.
3. If flyspeck develops at the same rate on wild hosts as on apples, then primary flyspeck lesions will appear on wild hosts after approximately 270 hours of wetting have accumulated counting from 10 days after petal fall.
4. The lesions that appear in wild hosts after 270 hours of accumulated wetting produce an abundance of conidia that are blown into apple orchards and cause the fruit infections that can appear later in the summer (after another 270 hours of accumulated wetting).
If the above hypothesis is correct, then fungicide protection for controlling flyspeck becomes especially critical beginning at the point when 270 hours of wetting have accumulated counting from 10 days after petal fall. In the Hudson Valley, accumulated wetting in orchards we are monitoring currently ranges from 205 to 312 hours. Thus, we can now expect flyspeck conidia to be blowing into orchards, and fungicide protection will be needed from now until the end of the season to protect fruit from this constant influx of inoculum.
Research conducted in the Hudson Valley over the past five years has shown that the benzimidazole fungicides (Benlate and Topsin M) have some eradicant activity against flyspeck, whereas captan and ziram do not. Our current "best guess" from field trials is that Benlate provides about 100 wetting hours of eradicant activity. Thus, even where fruit infections may have occurred after accumulated wetting reached 270 hours, development of flyspeck on fruit can probably be arrested if Benlate is applied sometime between 270 and 370 hours of accumulated wetting counting from 10 days after petal fall.
Captan and ziram can provide good control of flyspeck if they are applied on a 14-day interval, although shorter intervals may be needed to compensate for wash-off by rains. However, Benlate or Topsin M provide both eradicant activity and better rain-fast protection.
Spray coverage is probably the most critical factor for getting good control of flyspeck. In a wet year like 1998, even the best fungicide program will not provide good control of flyspeck on poorly pruned trees or in orchards where sprayer nozzling and travel speed prevent complete coverage when fungicides are applied.
Note: The Skybit disease predictions indicate parts of Ohio may now be experiencing weather conditions conducive for development of these two diseases.
Confirm is now registered for use on apples.
- Must be ingested; slow acting (live larvae 7-10 days after application); spray volume - use lots of water; long residual, > 21 days; cumulative effects after 2-3 years.
- Codling moth; Biofix = sustained catch in pheromone trap. First generation: Apply 150 degree-days (base 50F) after biofix; Apply 550 degree-days after biofix. Second generation: Apply 1150 degree-days after biofix; Apply 1550 degree-days after biofix.
- Obliquebanded leafroller; Biofix = sustained catch in pheromone trap. Overwintering generation: Apply at petal-fall. Summer generation: Apply 200 degree-days (base 43F) after biofix; Apply 550 degree-days after biofix; Apply 800 degree-days after biofix.
- Tufted apple budmoth; Biofix = sustained catch in pheromone trap. First generation: Apply 600-650 degree-days (base 45F) after biofix. Second generation: Apply 2350-2450 degree-days after biofix; Apply 2670-2740 degree-days after biofix.
Site: Waterman Farm, Columbus
Source: Dr.Celeste Welty, OSU Extension Entomologist
Traps Used: AM = red balls
SJS = tent trap, others = wing traps
Apple: 7/22 - 7/28
Apple: 7/28- 8/3
Beneficials at work: Lacewings everywhere, lady beetles, predatory mites, orange maggot
Site: West District; Huron, Ottawa, & Sandusky
Counties
Source: Gene Horner, IPM Scout
Traps Used: AM = red balls, SJS = tent traps
STLM = wing trap
Others = Multipher traps
Apple: 7/28 - 8/3
Beneficials at work: Lacewing eggs, predator mites
Site: Wayne County Source: Ron Becker, Program Assistant, Agriculture and IPM, Ohio State University Extension
Apple: 7/29-8/4
ERM numbers are decreasing both from spray as well as on their own. Stings from apple maggot are starting to be found on the fruit. Leaf mines are becoming more common, with counts averaging just under 1 per leaf. This coincides with the increase in moth numbers noticed several weeks ago. Insecticides for STLM control are being added to the cover sprays. Peaches are near 70 % harvested. No brown rot has been found so far.
Cumulative Trap Report on the Web:
| Actual DD Accumulations August 4, 1999 |
Forecasted Degree Day Accumulations August 11, 1999 | |||||
| Location | Base 43° F | Base 50° F | Base 43° F | Normal | Base 50° F | Normal |
| Akron - Canton | 2811 | 1938 | 2991 | 2766 | 2069 | 1875 |
| Cincinnati | 3292 | 2322 | 3497 | 3481 | 2478 | 2461 |
| Cleveland | 2817 | 1954 | 2999 | 2710 | 2087 | 1836 |
| Columbus | 3377 | 2437 | 3582 | 3057 | 2593 | 2115 |
| Dayton | 3153 | 2239 | 3353 | 3128 | 2390 | 2185 |
| Elyria | 2955 | 2095 | 3132 | 2850 | 2223 | 1959 |
| Fremont | 2713 | 1887 | 2889 | 2766 | 2014 | 1902 |
| Mansfield | 2694 | 1827 | 2864 | 2741 | 1947 | 1856 |
| Norwalk | 2841 | 1988 | 3018 | 2698 | 2116 | 1836 |
| Toledo | 2902 | 2047 | 3085 | 2695 | 2181 | 1835 |
| Wooster | 2906 | 2026 | 3081 | 2619 | 2152 | 1743 |
| Youngstown | 2595 | 1754 | 2761 | 2559 | 1871 | 1699 |
Phenology
| Range of Degree Day Accumulations | ||
| Coming Events | Base 43° F | Base 50° F |
| Codling moth 2nd flight peak | 1587-3103 | 1061-2212 |
| Apple maggot flight peak | 2033-2688 | 1387-1804 |
| Obliquebanded leafroller 2nd flight begins | 2124-3040 | 1412-2076 |
| Oriental fruit moth 3rd flight begins | 2172-2956 | 1553-2013 |
| Peachtree borer flight subsiding | 2230-3255 | 1497-2309 |
| Redbanded leafroller 3rd flight begins | 2389-3113 | 1722-2209 |
| Spotted tentiform leafminer 3rd flight peak | 2415-3142 | 1728-2231 |
| San Jose scale 2nd flight subsides | 2494-3257 | 1662-2303 |
| Redbanded leafroller 3rd flight peak | 2514-3225 | 1818-2625 |
| Obliquebanded leafroller 2nd flight peak | 2634-3267 | 1789-2231 |
Thanks to Scaffolds Fruit Journal (Art Agnello)
| Weather Station Location | Monthly Precipitation | Normal Monthly Precipitation | Year-to-Date Precipitation | Normal Year-to-Date Precipitation | Average High | Normal High | Average Low | Normal Low | Mean Temp. | Normal Mean |
| Akron-Canton | 5.78 | 4.08 | 21.60 | 21.87 | 86.9 | 82.3 | 64.6 | 61.5 | 75.8 | 71.9 |
| Cincinnati | 3.16 | 4.24 | 21.49 | 25.63 | 89.9 | 85.5 | 68.0 | 64.8 | 79.0 | 75.1 |
| Cleveland | 4.66 | 3.52 | 19.17 | 20.99 | 86.4 | 82.4 | 66.0 | 61.4 | 76.2 | 71.9 |
| Columbus | 3.02 | 4.31 | 17.63 | 23.18 | 91.1 | 83.7 | 69.3 | 62.7 | 80.2 | 73.2 |
| Dayton | 2.82 | 3.54 | 21.54 | 22.42 | 88.3 | 84.9 | 68.5 | 63.4 | 78.4 | 74.1 |
| Elyria | 4.57 | 3.33 | 18.61 | 20.60 | 86.8 | 85.0 | 67.3 | 61.5 | 77.0 | 73.3 |
| Fremont | 2.79 | 3.76 | 17.89 | 20.44 | 87.3 | 83.9 | 64.6 | 61.6 | 76.0 | 72.8 |
| Mansfield | 5.52 | 4.04 | 22.94 | 23.28 | 84.4 | 82.1 | 62.9 | 62.0 | 73.6 | 72.0 |
| Norwalk | 5.37 | 4.16 | 22.34 | 21.10 | 86.3 | 82.7 | 67.5 | 60.7 | 76.9 | 71.7 |
| Toledo | 2.97 | 3.27 | 20.89 | 19.03 | 88.7 | 83.5 | 65.8 | 60.6 | 77.2 | 72.0 |
| Wooster | 3.59 | 4.05 | 19.08 | 22.32 | 88.9 | 83.6 | 63.8 | 59.7 | 75.9 | 71.6 |
| Youngstown | 5.56 | 4.07 | 25.34 | 21.86 | 86.0 | 81.3 | 62.2 | 59.3 | 74.1 | 70.3 |
Temperatures in degrees F, Precipitation in inches
Records set: Highs; 23rd - Youngstown 94° F, 30th - 92° F, 31st - Columbus 100° F, Youngstown 95° F
High tied; 30th Cincinnati 101° F, Low tied; 11th Mansfield 48° degrees F>
Table Created by Ted W. Gastier, OSU Extension from National Weather Service, OARDC & Local Data
| Weather Station | Extreme Average Monthly Temperature* | Average Monthly Temp. | Record Single Day High Temperatures and Existing Data Years** | |||
| Highest | Year | 1999 | Highest | July Day & Year | Data Years | |
| Akron - Canton | 76.2 | 1988 | 75.8 | 101 | July 16, 1988 | 1948-1996 |
| Cincinnati## | 80.2 | 1949 | 79.0 | 101 | July 29, 1952 & July 30, 1999# | 1949-1996 |
| Cleveland | 79.1 | 1955 | 76.2 | 103 | July 27, 1941 | 1896-1996 |
| Columbus## | 79.0 | 1955 | 80.2 | 104 | July 14, 1954 | 1948-1996 |
| Dayton | 81.5 | 1934 | 78.4 | 108 | July 22, 1901 | 1896-1996 |
| Elyria | 77.2 | 1901 | 77.0 | 102 | July 7, 1988 | 1897-1996 |
| Fremont | 78.9 | 1955 | 76.0 | 100 | July 17, 1988 | 1953-1994 |
| Mansfield | 76.7 | 1955 | 73.6 | 100 | July 7, 1988 | 1948-1996 |
| Norwalk | 77.9 | 1901 | 76.9 | 108 | July 24, 1934 | 1896-1996 |
| Toledo## | 78.3 | 1955 | 77.2 | 104 | July 14, 1995 | 1955-1996 |
| Wooster | 76.2 | 1949 | 76.3 | 104 | July 20, 1930 | 1893-1996 |
| Youngstown | 77.4 | 1934 | 74.1 | 103 | July 9, 1936 | 1897-1996 |
*( Daily highs + daily lows)/2
**Source: http://mcc.sws.uiuc.edu/Summary/Data
#Source: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/oh/climate.html
##Other single day high temperature records exit outside of "Existing Data Years"
Chart created by: Ted W. Gastier, Ohio State University Extension
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.
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