Facts for Fancy Fruit 2000-04 April 19, 2000

Crop Conditions:  To say this has been a strange season so far is an
understatement.  Warm early season temperatures pushed along
development 3-4 weeks ahead of normal.  At this stage we all knew we
were at high risk of sustaining some frost or freeze damage.  The
following cooler temperatures helped to hold back development, but most
fruit crops were already had begun development and had lost a lot of
their hardiness.  Right now apples and peaches are at a similar stage
of development in many parts of the state, although peaches are a bit
ahead of apples in the south.  Generally, apples are at around petal
fall in the south but only in tight cluster to pink in more northern
areas of the state.  Grapes are a little behind other crops with early
varieties with 1-2 inch shoots and later varieties at various stages of
bud swell in the south and bud swell to bud break in the north.
Brambles have been moving slowly due to the cooler temperatures with
3-5 inch shoots south and 1-2 inch north.  Blueberries are breaking
buds. Strawberries are at early bloom south and trusses are out of the
crown north. WeÕve seen damage on strawberries from the recent cold
temperatures. Brambles appear to be okay but may show symptoms later.
Blueberries were likely damaged moderately, depending on stage of
development and minimum temperature. Grapes have gotten by with minimal
damage so far. WeÕll know more in another week or two and weÕll have
another update in the next issue.

Tree Fruits Damaged by Freeze:  About 10 days ago, most of the state
was hit by temperatures around the low 20Õs creating a lot of damage on
apples around the state.  Actually the cold wasnÕt too atypical, it was
just that development was advanced for that time of the year.  In many
ways, it wasnÕt the cold that hurt us as the 70 degree days a few weeks
earlier.  To assess the amount of damage, the easiest way is to pinch
the small flowers in half with your fingernail, and look at the center
of the flower.  Green is alive and brown indicates some damage.  Even
if just the pistil, which is the very fine thread like structure in the
middle of the flower, is damaged, then the flower will not set a fruit.
 IÕd suggest looking at about 50 flowers from each variety.  If you
find 5 or more live flowers out of the 50, then youÕre probably in good
shape for a full crop.  Less than 5 and a partial crop can be expected.
Good nutrition will help the buds withstand cold temperatures somewhat
better, but there are different ideas on what can be done once the
damage has occurred.  Look in the Tree Fruit Handbook for details, but
generally 2 lbs urea/100 gal in a dilute spray at pink and again at
petal fall has been found to increase the growth of damaged leaves and
therefore hopefully improve fruit set of the remaining flowers.  Fruit
size may also be improved by this urea spray.  Including boron (with a
material such as Solubor) with urea sprays may also help.  These sprays
will not repair the cold damage, but should improve growth and fruit
set of remaining healthy flowers. Often the first look at the problem
is the worst.  Remember that only 10% of live flowers means you
probably have a full crop.  There will still be a number of orchards in
the state that will need chemical thinning, so donÕt throw the NAA and
sevin away just yet.  At full bloom IÕd suggest taking a closer look at
the trees and gaining a better picture of the situation.  In the next
FFF, weÕll discuss chemical thinning in these orchards.

Wanted:  European Red Mites:  One of the questions I have about the
changes to the Apollo label is how well Apollo will work as a rescue
treatment. Because Apollo kills only the eggs, the nymphs and adults
will continue to feed for a couple of weeks or until they are killed by
predators, weather, or old age. AgrEvo has kindly donated enough Apollo
to my program to test it as a rescue treatment in growersÕ orchards
this summer. If you have not used Apollo or Savey and develop a mite
problem, please give me a call at 765-494-9572. I will then come to
your orchard, set up the plot, take mite samples, and provide you with
the Apollo you need to spray the problem area. I will then come back
two weeks later and take additional mite samples to determine how well
the application worked. All that I ask it that you leave some of the
trees untreated during this two week interval. I can then provide you
with Apollo to treat the remaining trees after I have evaluated the
level of control achieved. Obviously, there will not be enough days in
the summer to put out a trial at every orchard that runs into a mite
problem. I will try to put out as many as I have time for, and I will
probably have to go on a first come, first served basis. I would like
to get about 8-10 good trials out this summer. That would give us a
very good indication of just how well we can expect Apollo to work as a
rescue treatment. As always, thank you for your cooperation. -Foster

Fire Blight:  Do not become complacent about fire blight!  Even though
fire blight has been at a low level the past few years you never want
to let your guard down on this disease.  The best prevention for fire
blight is the application of streptomycin during bloom.  Apply
streptomycin just as blossoms begin opening and repeat every 3-4 days
if weather favorable for blossom blight infection persists.  Be
especially diligent in your fire blight program if you have M-26, M-9
and/or Mark rootstocks and/or interstems.  Due to their high
susceptibility, fire blight prevention is mandatory in orchards
containing these rootstocks. The ÒMARYBLYTÓ computer software program
will help you in determining when and if an infection event occurred as
well as predict the risk for future infection periods.  If you are
interested in obtaining MARYBLYT contact GemplerÕs at 1-800-382-8473.
ÐPecknold
	Apple Scab:  The peak period for scab infection is now!  Primary scab
spores are ripe and ready to infect, all they need is a good scab rain.
 Are you prepared?  For growers on a curative schedule, or for those
who get caught with their pants down (unprotected), we suggest Nova,
Flint, or Sovran.  These fungicides will provide up to 96 hours
Òcurative activityÓ.  However, the sooner you apply them the better!
Do not sit around thinking there is no need to rush. ÐPecknold

Rust Diseases:  Cedar apple and cedar quince rust are now actively
infecting foliage and fruit. Except for the northern areas of the
state, we are now into the peak period for rust infection.  The
sterol-inhibiting fungicides, Nova and Rubigan, are excellent in
preventing rust problems, as well as providing excellent control of
powdery mildewÉwhich is also infecting new leaf tissue, right now!
ÐPecknold

Nova, Rubigan & Tank Mixes :   All Nova or Rubigan applications should
be tank-mixed with a standard protectant fungicide to avoid problems
with resistance to apple scab.  However, it is especially important
that your final spray (petal fall or first cover ) of Nova or Rubigan
be combined with a protectant fungicide such as captan, ziram,
mancozeb, or Polyram.  The addition of a protectant fungicide at this
time will help provide protection from summer diseases such as black
rot, sooty blotch and fly speck and also give added protection from
fruit scab.  Refer to Rubigan and Nova labels for additional
information on tank mixes. ÐPecknold

THE STROBILURINS:  ÒSCAFFOLDSÓ, the newsletter out of New York,
recently had an excellent article on the new strobilurin fungicides. If
you have questions on these fungicides or are considering their use, I
highly recommend you read this article. ÐPecknold

Apple Disease Control with New Fungicides: Source:  Wayne Wilcox and
Dave Rosenberger, Plant Pathology, Geneva & Highland, New York.  Apple
growers have two new options for controlling diseases this season.
ÒSovranÓ from BASF and ÒFlintÓ from Novartis are broad-spectrum
fungicides from the new chemistry class commonly known as strobilurins.
 Both materials received federal registrations for pome fruits (apple,
pear, and quince) in 1999.  They are welcome additions to the Òtool
chestÓ, not only because of their inherent activities, but because they
should take some pressure off the SI fungicides.  This is important not
only where the SIs have begun to ÒslipÓ due to resistance development,
but also where they havenÕt (i.e., letÕs keep it that way).  In an
ideal world, each fungicide group would help keep the other alive.

Origin and mode of action of strobilurin fungicides Strobilurin
chemistry was derived from a natural anti-fungal compound that occurs
in a small mushroom, Strobilurus tenacellus, which grows on fallen pine
cones in Europe. Chemists in several companies modified the original
compound to make it more stable and more effective as a fungicide.

The strobilurins are very active against a wide array of plant
pathogenic fungi, generally at rates of only one to three ounces of
active ingredient per acre.  They have very low toxicity to birds,
earthworms, beneficial insects, predaceous mites, and mammals
(including humans).  They break down quickly in soil but have good
residual activity on foliage and fruit.  Because of their broad spectra
of activity and favorable environmental profiles, they are the most
significant new group of fungicides to be developed since the sterol
inhibitors.

Unlike the SI fungicides, the strobilurins are excellent inhibitors of
spore germination; thus, they are excellent protectant fungicides.
These materials are retained primarily within the waxy cuticle of
leaves and fruit, which means that they are more rainfast than
traditional protectants.   This also means that they donÕt redistribute
very well from leaf to leaf in rainwater, although they do redistribute
well within the waxy layers of a given leaf (or fruit).  Furthermore, a
small portion of the total dose does diffuse from the surface of a
sprayed leaf and, after a few days, enough accumulates on the other
side so that it offers fungicidal protection on that unsprayed side
(termed ÒtranslaminarÓ activity).  This general pattern of fungicide
movement is unique to the strobilurins, and different manufacturers
have made up their own trademarked names to describe it, e.g., Òsurface
systemicÓ for Sovran and ÒmesosystemicÓ for Flint.  YouÕll be hearing
these terms in the advertisements.

In addition to being excellent protectant fungicides, the strobilurins
are powerful antisporulants. That is, when applied beyond their period
of true ÒkickbackÓ activity, they allow lesions to develop but few
secondary spores form on these lesions.  This is particularly
significant for a disease like apple scab, where economic damage (fruit
scab) is usually caused by the secondary spores that develop on
infected leaves.  For instance, in trials conducted in Geneva in both
1996 and 1998, early infection periods were missed (unintentionally)
and significantly less fruit scab developed when the first two sprays
consisted of a strobilurin (Sovran in 1996, Sovran or Flint in 1998)
rather than an SI plus mancozeb.  This reduction in fruit scab was
directly related to the reduced number of sporulating lesions produced
on cluster leaves treated with strobilurins in the early sprays versus
those treated with other materials.

The strong protectant and antisporulant activities of these materials
are functions of their retention in the cuticle on the surface of the
leaves and fruit.  Conversely, good curative or kickback activity
usually requires a fungicide to penetrate the cuticle and get inside
the leaf, i.e., to get down where the fungus is doing its business
after it has established an infection. Thus, the strobilurins generally
are not as effective in a kickback mode as are compounds with a higher
degree of systemic activity, such as the sterol inhibitors. However,
apple scab may provide an exception to this general rule.  That is, the
apple scab fungus grows just beneath the cuticle, so enough fungicide
to provide true postinfection control may actually Òleak throughÓ the
underside of the cuticle and do the job.  Both Flint and Sovran are
labeled to provide approximately 4 days of postinfection control for
apple scab.  At this point, however, the trials that have led to these
claims are extremely difficult to evaluate, and itÕs not clear whether
postinfection sprays truly kill the incipient infections or merely keep
them from sporulating (in which case, they could potentially reactivate
without additional applications of the fungicide).  There is no
question that Sovran and Flint provide scab control when applied
postinfection, but it seems risky to deliberately design postinfection
control programs with these materials until more is known about the
details just discussed.

Used alone without contact fungicides, Sovran and Flint will perform in
the orchard similarly to SI-protectant tank mixes in their heyday.  It
is important to recognize that these strobilurin fungicides control
scab (and many other diseases) on apple fruit at least as effectively
as mancozeb and captan, and much more effectively than SI fungicides
ever did when the SIs were applied alone.  Sovran is labeled for use at
10-14 day intervals, whereas Flint is labeled for use at 7-10 day
intervals.  Based upon limited comparisons of the two (Flint has only
been available to the university community since 1998), it would appear
that this difference in recommended spray intervals is a result of
Òproduct positioningÓ by the respective manufacturers rather than
differences in product activity.  Spray intervals of greater than 10 or
11 days are not recommended during the primary scab season, due in part
to the need to cover new tissues as they emerge.

What about fungicide resistance? Strobilurin fungicides work by
inhibiting a single biochemical pathway involved in mitochondrial
respiration in fungal cells.  Mitochondria are the energy-producing
units within cells, so disrupting mitochondrial function results in
death of the fungal cells as they Òrun out of gasÓ.  Because
strobilurins inhibit a single biochemical step, resistant strains of
various pathogens will develop if these fungi can utilize an
alternative biochemical pathway that bypasses the step blocked by
strobilurins.  Resistance to strobilurins has already appeared in
powdery mildews of cereal grains and cucurbit crops in Europe and Asia,
as well  as in Botrytis of greenhouse crops.  Thus, resistance is a
very real concern, and resistance management must be incorporated into
plans for using strobilurin fungicides from Day 1 of their
introduction.

To date, strobilurin resistance appears to follow the ÒBenlate modelÓ;
that is, resistant isolates are virtually immune to the fungicides and
multiply rapidly if they are not controlled by some other material.
Furthermore, a fungal strain that is resistant to Sovran will be
resistant to Flint and vice versa.  Therefore, both companies have
agreed on identical labeling which requires use patterns that
incorporate  resistance-management principles: 1) No more than four
sprays of any strobilurin may be used per season; and 2) A strobilurin
fungicide can be used no more than three times in a row; if two or
three sequential applications are made, an effective unrelated
fungicide must be used in the next two applications before strobilurin
use can resume.

Note that tank-mix combinations are NOT a part of this strategy, and
that both fungicides are priced to be used alone.  Thus, this strategy
is to 1) minimize the selection of resistant strains by limiting the
number of selection events (sprays); and 2) limit the opportunity for
resistant strains to multiply, by using unrelated fungicides in
rotation. Restricting the number of sequential strobilurin sprays to
two might be an even more effective anti-resistance strategy, although
three is legal.  Economics will help enforce the limited-spray
strategy, but it is important that growers and advisors not
deliberately short-circuit the intent to limit the buildup of resistant
fungus strains; e.g., by failing to rotate with effective unrelated
materials.  For instance, rotating Flint or Sovran with only
benzimidazole/captan sprays would not be a good  resistance-management
strategy with respect to the powdery mildew fungus, because mildew is
already resistant to the benzimidazoles in many orchards.

Strobilurin fungicides can be phytotoxic to some crops. Sovran is
phytotoxic to a few sweet cherry varieties and therefore will not be
registered for cherries.  All of the foliage on Somerset, Sweetheart,
Valera, Van, and Vandalay can be killed if trees are sprayed directly
with Sovran.  Less severe phytotoxicity (mostly leaf spotting)  has
been observed on Cavalier, Emperor Francis, Royalton, Schmidt,  Summit,
and Viva trees that have been sprayed directly.  Drift (other than
direct blow-through) and the concentrations resulting from residue
remaining on spray tank walls are believed to pose relatively little
danger.  Tart cherries and other sweet cherry varieties show little or
no phytotoxicity from Sovran, even when sprayed directly. Flint is
phytotoxic to Concord grapes when applied directly, and is specifically
not labeled for use on that variety.  Azoxystrobin (Abound, Quadris),
another strobilurin fungicide which is registered for use on grapes and
some vegetable crops, is extremely phytotoxic to certain apple
varieties (e.g., Macs, those with Mac parentage, and Gala), even at
very low concentrations resulting from drift or spray tank residue.
Thus, each of these strobilurins has a problem with phytotoxicity to a
few varieties of one specific crop.  Fruit growers producing apples and
stone fruits or apples and grapes may wish to consider the potential
for phytotoxicity when selecting which of these fungicides they will
use on their farm.

Sovran and Flint provide excellent control of apple diseases. In
university trials, Sovran and Flint have provided excellent control of
apple scab, powdery mildew, sooty blotch, flyspeck, and black rot.
Both Sovran and Flint provide only marginal control of cedar apple rust
and quince rust, especially when used at the lower end of labeled
rates.

Which product is better, Sovran or Flint?  That depends primarily on
the rates of the respective products that are used in comparisons.
Evidence to date suggests that Sovran and Flint provide comparable
control of apple diseases when the rate of Sovran is double the rate of
Flint.  Thus, Sovran at 4 oz per acre will provide the same level of
control as Flint at 2 oz per acre, and early indications are that the
products will be priced accordingly.  The Sovran label gives
recommendations in rates per 100 gallons (1.0 - 1.6 oz) as well as
rates per acre (4.0 - 6.4 oz) whereas the Flint label lists only rates
per acre (2.0 - 2.5 oz).  The  minimum labeled Sovran rate of 1.0
oz/100 gallons may prove marginal under high apple scab pressure, based
upon experience in our high-inoculum test orchards at both Highland and
Geneva.  Experience with  Flint is more limited, but a rate response
was also seen in the one comparative study conducted in Geneva.  That
is, a rate of 0.5 oz/100 gallons - presumably equivalent to the 1.0
oz/100 rate of Sovran - was less effective than a higher, unlabeled
rate (1.0 oz/100).

Therefore, we suggest that apple growers in New York use Sovran at a
minimum rate of 1.33 oz per 100 gallons of dilute spray for
tree-row-volume applications.  Technical support personnel from BASF
recommend a minimum of 2.0 oz per acre even on the smallest trees, a
recommendation that prudently recognizes the potential inefficiency of
spray capture in small  trees and the relatively high crop value in
high-density plantings.  We recognize that a rate of 1.0 oz per 100
gallons for Sovran may be adequate for purely  protective sprays under
modest pressure, but both the label and our personal experiences
indicate the need for higher rates if postinfection activity is
required.  The minimum rate for Flint is 0.67 oz per 100 gallons dilute
basis.  The latter is based not only on the 2:1 formula for
Sovran:Flint, but also is derived by dividing the lowest label rate (2
oz per acre) by 3, using the increasingly standard assumption that
per-acre  rates must be divided by 3 to arrive at rates per 100 gallons
for apples in New York State.  A common Òfudge factorÓ (at least 150
gallons per acre dilute basis, even on the smallest trees) yields a
minimum per- acre rate of 1.0 oz for Flint.

Suggested use patterns for Sovran and Flint What is the best timing for
strobilurin fungicides?  There is no single ÒcorrectÓ answer.  However,
we believe that the best timing in many locations is around the tight
cluster plus pink bud stages, except in areas where quince rust is a
concern.  Applications at tight cluster and pink target the period of
peak apple scab ascospore discharge and the  beginning of the mildew
season, and they will also suppress secondary spore production on
lesions that managed to sneak through in earlier infection periods.
Sovran or Flint applied at these early stages, before  SI fungicides
are used, will help Òbreak the cycleÓ and limit the ability of
SI-resistant scab and mildew strains to re-establish on new foliage.
Using Sovran or Flint to control early-season infections will result in
less selection pressure for scab and mildew strains resistant to the
strobilurins because inoculum levels are lowest early in the season (an
example of the old concept that X % resistant strains in a small
population provides fewer problem individuals than X % resistant
strains in a large population). Combinations of contact and SI
fungicides can then be used at petal fall and first cover to provide
continued protection against scab and mildew.  Having a contact
fungicide present at petal fall should reduce potential risks from a
myriad of minor diseases for which we still have limited data on
activity of strobilurin fungicides.

A typical apple fungicide program might therefore involve an initial
application of a protectant fungicide (maybe two in very wet years),
followed by two sprays of Sovran or Flint at approximately 10-day
intervals starting about tight cluster.  A single mancozeb spray may be
needed during an extended bloom period to bridge the gap between the
second strobilurin spray and the petal fall application.  At petal fall
and first cover, an SI-contact combination could be used to round out
the scab and mildew season.  If desired, a final strobilurin spray
could be used to extend the period of optimal scab and mildew control
and provide excellent flyspeck control, before switching to routine
summer fungicide programs; or, summer programs could be initiated now.
In blocks where scab pressure is low and no mildewcide is needed, the
Sis might be omitted and contact fungicides used alone to provide
protection through petal fall and early summer.

In blocks where quince rust is a concern, the SI-contact combination
should probably be used at tight cluster and pink, the period when
quince rust infections occur on fruit.  Sovran or Flint could then be
used at petal fall and first cover when fruit are no longer susceptible
to rust.  Sovran and Flint will provide acceptable (but not perfect)
protection of leaves against cedar apple rust, but they will not
provide  adequate protection against quince rust on fruit during the
tight cluster and pink stages.

Sovran and Flint are very effective for controlling flyspeck (and sooty
blotch) and could be used as substitutes for benzimidazole-captan
sprays during summer, especially where the four-day re-entry interval
for captan creates management problems.  The best timing for Sovran and
Flint in summer sprays remains to be determined, as does their cost
effectiveness at this time in much of the Northeast.  If Sovran or
Flint scab sprays are applied at tight cluster and pink, then they
should not be used again until second cover.  During early summer, good
spray coverage is still possible whereas dense foliage, fruit
clustering, and limbs drooping under heavy crop loads often compromise
spray coverage in late summer.  However, if Sovran or Flint scab sprays
are applied at petal fall and first cover, then additional summer
applications would need to be delayed until July or August because of
the requirement for intervening applications with some other class of
fungicides.

Sovran has a 30-day preharvest interval and the label indicates that it
should not be used as the last spray of the season.  This prohibition
was based on the assumption that growers might apply Sovran for scab
control starting at green-tip, and using it both to end the season and
begin the following season would compromise resistance management.
Flint has a 14-day preharvest interval, and Novartis has actively
investigated the value of late-summer sprays.  Both Flint and Sovran
appear to have residual activity against flyspeck that is equivalent to
that provided by Benlate and Topsin M.

Note: The Finger Lakes Vineyard Notes recently had a similar article on
fungicides for grapes written by Wayne Wilcox. WeÕll run a copy of it
in the next Facts for Fancy Fruit.

Strawberry Frost Protection:  Strawberries are in early bloom in
southern and central areas of the state.  Sprinkler irrigation
equipment for frost protection should be set up, tested, and ready to
go.  Once flowers open they are susceptible to temperatures below 30ûF.
 Application of water through overhead irrigation can prevent
temperatures from dropping below 30ûF even though the air temperatures
may drop to 25ûF or colder.  The principle behind this method of frost
protection is that as water freezes, heat is released.  As long as an
adequate layer of freezing water covers the bud or berry, the
temperature will remain at or near the freezing point.  It is important
to remember that a layer of freezing water must be present at all
times.  Ice without the continued application of water will not protect
the flowers from freezing temperatures.  This means that the rate of
application of water must be carefully monitored.  The rate at which
water freezes is dependent on several environmental factors, including
air temperature, humidity, and wind speed.  Generally, the lower the
air and dew point temperature, and/or higher the wind speed, the
greater the rate of freezing.  Application rates for frost protection
are fairly low compared to normal overhead irrigation rates.  Most
growers install a smaller set of nozzles in the sprinkler head
specifically for frost protection.  The correct rate of irrigation can
be determined from the following table.

Air temperature at canopy level (ûF)		Wind speed				
	0-1 mph	2-4 mph	5-8 mph	At 50% relative humidity		27	0.10 inches per
hour	0.20	0.30 24	0.10	0.30	0.35 20	0.15	0.35	0.45	

At 75% relative humidity		27	0.05	0.10	0.20 24	0.10	0.20	0.30 20	0.10	
0.25	0.40	

Irrigation should be started before damaging temperatures occur.  Start
irrigation when the temperature in the lowest part of the planting
reaches 34-32ûF at canopy level.  Continue irrigation until ice begins
to melt after sunrise.  Irrigation can be very effective for frost
protection, but it can also create problems such as excessively wet
soils, nutrient leaching, and fruit rots.  Misuse of irrigation for
frost protection can cause more harm than good. ÐBordelon

Excellent Strawberry Publication: TheStrawberry Production Guide for
the Northeast, Midwest, and Eastern Canada is available from the
Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Service (NRAES). The guide,
published in 1998, is a comprehensive, up-to-date resource for both
novice and experienced growers in northeastern North America. It
contains 178 pages, 115 color photos, 37 illustrations, 47 tables, and
adjustable budget spreadsheets on diskette for Macintosh or IBM
Compatible computers. The publication is the latest in the highly
acclaimed series from NRAES that include the Bramble Production Guide
(NRAES-35) and Highbush Blueberry Production Guide  (NRAES-55). The
cost is $45.00 plus postage and handling. Quantity discounts are
available. It can be ordered from NRAES, Cooperative Extension, 152
Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-5701. Phone: (607)255-7654, Fax
(607)254-8770, E-mail NRAES@cornell.edu, Web site
http://rcwpsun.cas.psu.edu/NRAES. - Bordelon

Strawberries and Botrytis Fruit Rot:  The most important sprays for
control of Botrytis fruit rot of strawberry are those applied at bloom
- starting at 10% bloom!  There are some major changes in fungicide
registrations for Botrytis control in strawberries.  Ronilan can no
longer be used on strawberries. The current Rovral label states Òdo not
make more than 1 application per season and do not apply after the
first fruiting flowerÓ therefore, it is no longer recommended for
control of Botrytis on strawberries.  A new fungicide, Elevate received
registration last year, so the only options for Botrytis control are
Elevate, Benlate, and Topsin M.  Neither of the three should be used
alone for season-long control of Botrytis because of the potential for
development of resistant pathogen strains.  Benlate cannot be used on
strawberries once the crop has been turned into ÒU-PickÓ or
ÒPick-Your-OwnÓ or similar operation. However, it can be used
preharvest (bloom) and post-harvest as long as the field is not open to
U-Pick.  See ID-169, 2000 Indiana Commercial Small Fruit & Grape Spray
Guide, for further information.  -Bordelon

Return Bloom Fund  As soon as I finish writing this, I am headed out to
set up another experiment that the RBF has allowed us to start.  This
particular experiment is looking at ground cover under the trees and
weed control.  We are looking at a number of strategies to control
weeds, especially hoping to do this using fewer or no herbicides.  Some
of the waste products from around campus will be used.  Coal ash from
the physical plant will be spread under trees and watered to form a
crust on the ground and hopefully will eliminate weeds (the physical
plant generates thousands of tons of coal ash every year).  Slight
composted wood chips will also be used along with a more heavily
composted material.  Consumers are increasingly aware of not only WHAT
products we produce, but HOW we produce them.  This is a first step to
come up with a less chemical dependent form of weed control in
orchards.  Promising treatments will be used in a planting to compare
organic versus convention apple orchard management (more on that
later). Thanks again to contributors to the Return Bloom Fund for
supporting our research programs.  - Hirst

Grape Flea Beetle:  With the prolonged period of bud break I think itÕs
important to remind growers about possible damage from the grape flea
beetle. These insects can be a serious pest of grapes because they feed
on developing buds after final pruning. Lost buds can relate to a
direct loss of yield. On young vines, bud loss can cost a year in
training.  Grapes across the state are in the in the critical early
swell to budbreak stages when they are most likely to be damaged from
flea beetles. Scout vineyards for these insects or their damage and
control if necessary. Damage appears as holes eaten into the sides of
buds. The insects are small (1/8 inch long) and shiny green, blue or
black in appearance. They crawl quickly along the canes and tend to
drop to the ground if disturbed. Incidence often occurs in outer rows
adjacent to fence rows or woods, making spot spraying an option. Scout
the planting carefully and apply insecticides only where needed. Damage
from flea beetles usually decreases as buds break and shoots become 1/2
inch or longer. Sevin will provide excellent control of this insect.
Refer to the label or ID-169 (www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/ext/sfg/) for
complete recommendations. -Bordelon

June 5-7 - Heartland Wine School, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
The Heartland Wine School is a joint project of Purdue University,
Michigan State University, and the Ohio State University and was
created in response to requests for a regional opportunity to train
winery personnel in classic wine making principles. Extensive tasting
sessions will complement the presentations. Register early to be sure
your place is guaranteed - space is limited and will be allocated on a
first-comeÐfirst -serve basis. To obtain a registration packet contact
Roland Riesen, OARDC, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, 1680
Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691. Phone 330/263-3685.
E-mail:riesen.1@osu.edu

Coming Meetings:

May 3 Ð Eastern Indiana Horticultural Society meeting, Muncie.  Contact
Harold Brown (765- 747-7732).

May 9 Ð Twilight meeting. LaPorte Co.  Contact Walt Sell
(219-326-6808).

June 5-7 - Heartland Wine School, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
Contact Roland Riesen, OARDC/OSU Phone 330/263-3685.
E-mail:riesen.1@osu.edu

June 6 Ð Eastern Indiana Horticultural Society meeting, Muncie.
Contact Harold Brown (765- 747-7732).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bruce Bordelon, 1165 Dept. of Horticulture, Purdue University, West
Lafayette, IN 47907-1165, 317/494-1301, e-mail:
bordelon@hort.purdue.edu

Peter Hirst, 1165 Dept. of Horticulture, Purdue University, West
Lafayette, IN 47907-1165, 317/494-1323, e-mail: hirst@hort.purdue.edu

Paul Pecknold, 1155 Dept. of Botany & Plant Path., Purdue University,
West Lafayette, IN 47907-1155, 317/494-4628, e-mail:
Pecknold@btny.purdue.edu

Rick Foster, 1158 Dept. of Entomology, Purdue University, West
Lafayette, IN 47907-1158, 317/494-9572, e-mail:
Rick_Foster@entm.purdue.edu


Disclaimer:  Reference to products in this publication is not an
endorsement to the exclusion of others which may be similar.  Any
person using products listed in this newsletter assumes full
responsibility for their use in accordance with current label
directions of the manufacturer.