Facts for Fancy Fruit 2000-06 May 17, 2000

Crop Conditions:  Most parts of the state have experienced excellent
weather for apple pollination, thinning and fruit growth.  In the
southern part of the state fruit are towards the end of the chemical
thinning window whereas in central to northern areas, fruit are around
the 12mm stage and in most cases looking good.  There are some great
looking peach crops around the state and most appear to be growing
well.  Blueberries in full bloom in the main production areas of
northern Indiana. Growers report light flowering where no irrigation
was used last fall so pollination will be critical.  Grapes are just
starting to bloom in southwestern Indiana.  Eastern Flower Thrips have
been found in fairly high numbers on strawberries in southern Indiana.
Recent strong storm fronts from the southwest may have brought them in.
 Refer to the past issue for recommendations for control.

Stopping Spread of Apple Scab: About 9 to 17 days are required from the
time of infection by apple scab until the appearance of the
olive-green, velvety scab lesions.  Within the lesions secondary spores
(conidia) are produced throughout the summer monthsÉ by the billions!
Growers should start checking NOW for the first symptoms of scab.  The
recommended course of action where scab lesions are present has been to
apply a SI fungicide (Nova, Procure, or Rubigan) to minimize additional
leaf infections in combination with a FULL rate of Captan to provide
optimum control of fruit scab.  However, with the introduction of the
new strobilurin fungicides growers have a new alternative for keeping
scab in check.  One of the primary strengths of the strobies is their
ability to suppress the formation of secondary spores from recent
infections.  If Sovran or Flint is used to suppress secondary spore
formation it is strongly recommended that you use the full rate of the
stroblilurin fungicide.  Remember that fruit are at their maximum stage
of susceptibility from pink until about 3-4 weeks after petal fall.
-Pecknold

Fire Blight: Even though streptomycin is registered for use until 30
days before harvest on pears and 50 days on apples we do not recommend
the use of streptomycin after petal fall due to the potential for
resistance to develop.  The one exception for the use of streptomycin
after petal fall is following a hailstorm or heavy wind damage.  This
Òhail sprayÓ should be made within 18 to 24 hours after the start of
the storm, even if the foliage is not completely dry. -Pecknold

Strawberry Diseases: Strawberry gray mold and leather rot are most apt
to occur under cool, wet, cloudy conditions.  Keep an eye on your
prevailing weather conditions and act (spray) accordingly. Recent wet
conditions may result in extreme disease during the coming month.  See
ID-169, Ò 2000 Indiana Commercial Small Fruit & Grape Spray Guide Ò,
for further information on suggested fungicides. -Pecknold

European Red Mites:  Even though it is early in the season, I have
already received reports of high populations of European red mites in
apples. Generally, these reports are from blocks that did not receive
applications of Superior oil earlier in the spring, either because of
weather or because the grower decided not to apply it. Once again,
these situations emphasize the importance of early season oil
applications. Even though we have some very good miticides available,
applying oil early is a good, inexpensive management decision.
	As for this year, it appears that we may be in for a serious mite
year. Growers should be out looking for mites now so that they can stop
developing infestations early. Focus your scouting on those areas where
you are most likely to find mites. Good examples of places to look
would be blocks of Red Delicious, blocks where you had a problem last
year or where you perennially have problems, or blocks that did not
receive oil this spring. At this time of year, you should treat if you
find more than an average of 2.5 mites per leaf. Choices for control
would include Apollo, Agri- Mek, Pyramite, or a summer oil. As you get
further past petal fall, the level of control you can expect to get
from Agri-Mek goes down. Best control is achieved if Agri-Mek is used
right after petal fall. I believe that this early in the season, Apollo
will provide excellent control, particularly if infestations are caught
before they get out of hand. Summer oils are an inexpensive choice now
if you have not yet started using captan.
	As I mentioned in the last FFF, if you find a mite problem in a block
that was not treated with Apollo or Savey, and would be willing to put
a test plot in your orchard, please give me a call. -Foster

Rosy Apple Aphid:  I have seen several orchards this spring that had
heavy infestations of rosy apple aphids shortly after bloom.  While it
would have been preferable to control the aphids at pink, control now
is still possible if you get on it quickly. Probably the best
insecticide you can use post bloom is Provado, which will also provide
control of spotted tentiform leafminers and leafhoppers. Other
materials will still kill aphids, but it is difficult to get the spray
on target when the leaves are curled. -Foster

Important Grape Spray Reminder:  Grapes are just starting to bloom in
the southern part of the state so growers should be aware that the next
few fungicide applications are very important for controlling the major
fruit pathogens. The pre-bloom (or early bloom) and the first post
bloom applications are the most important sprays for controlling the
major grape diseases. Care should be taken to get thorough coverage of
all foliage and developing fruit. Slow the tractor speed, spray every
row middle, increase volume, and use full labeled rates. This would be
a good time to use one of the new strobilurin fungicides. Refer to the
last issue of FFF for a thorough discussion of grape disease
management. -Bordelon

Crop Load Adjustment in Grapes:  Annual pruning of grapes is necessary
to balance the amount of fruit production with the amount of vegetative
growth to insure high yields of high quality fruit. Pruning severity is
based on the strategy of Ôbalanced pruningÕ which dictates the correct
number of buds to retain, or Ôcrop loadÕ which determines the amount of
fruit to retain based on the vineÕs pruning weight. Many growers prune
vines lightly during the early spring to assure adequate bud number in
case of damage by a late frost or freeze. Now that the danger of frost
and freeze is over (we hope) and grape shoots are growing rapidly,
growers can go back through the vineyard and adjust the crop load by
removing shoots and clusters. New shoots are easily broken off by hand
without the need for pruners. Growers should pay close attention to the
fruitfulness of shoots. Shoots from primary buds have full fruiting
potential, whereas secondary buds and latent buds on older wood produce
shoots with little or no fruiting potential, depending on cultivar.
Ordinarily, all secondary shoots and shoots from older wood should be
removed. Shoots should be spaced evenly along the trellis if possible
and at a density of about six shoots per foot of row. Cluster thinning
(removing one or more of the clusters on each shoot) done before bloom
results in the least yield reduction because the remaining cluster(s)
generally set more berries. However, on tight clustered cultivars,
cluster thinning after bloom can result in looser, less rot susceptible
clusters. -Bordelon

Nitrogen Fertilization on Grapes:   Active root growth is required for
uptake of nitrogen and other nutrients from the soil. Root growth in
grapes does not begin until a few weeks after bud break. Since nitrogen
fertilizers are quickly available and prone to leaching, application
prior to bud break is inefficient and may lead to ground water
contamination. Mid- to late-May applications are the most efficient.
Try to apply nitrogen prior to an expected rain. This is especially
important with urea, as it volatilizes into the air, particularly under
warm conditions. Ammonium nitrate is usually preferred for this reason.
Avoid applications close to bloom as fruit set may be reduced. Split
applications are generally better than a single application. Applying
1/2 to 2/3 of the expected total in mid-May, followed by the remainder
after fruit set (about 4 weeks later) allows more efficient nitrogen
use and better assessment of the need for fertilizer. Often the second
application can be skipped, depending on the crop load and vine vigor.
Nitrogen can be banded or broadcast in mature vineyards, but should be
banded on young vines. Banded applications are probably better on deep,
well drained soils where root growth does not extend laterally into the
row middles. Rates of up to 100 pounds of actual N are commonly used
and there seems to be little justification for exceeding that rate. On
deep, fertile soils typical of Indiana vineyards, 50 pounds may be
adequate. Foliar analysis does not provide a good measure of nitrogen
status unless samples are taken at full bloom (rather than 70 days
after full bloom as is recommended for other nutrients). The best
indicators of nitrogen status are shoot growth, vigor, leaf color, etc.
Experience is the best guide. Excessive nitrogen fertilization leads to
excess vigor, poor fruit set, poor fruit quality, and inadequate
hardening off in fall. By splitting applications growers have more
opportunity to adjust for various conditions and avoid over
fertilization. -Bordelon

Care of New Grape Plantings:  There have been several new vineyards
planted around the state over the past few years. Those planted this
spring should be growing well. Depending on the date of planting, vines
should be at a point where they will need some initial training. If
your vines are in grow tubes, be sure to provide support for shoots
above the tube to avoid damage from the shoot scraping across the edge
of the tube. Either use a string tied between the mid and upper trellis
wire (if the trellis is established) or tie the shoot to the stake
supporting the grow tube. ÒTapenersÓ work well for quick, easy tying of
shoots to the support, but any type of tie will work so long as it
doesnÕt girdle the shoot. On one and two year old vines shoots should
be removed along the trunk to concentrate growth along the top wire for
cordon establishment. Shoot removal usually needs to be done two or
three times during the season on young vines.
	Control weeds! I canÕt overemphasize the importance of controlling
weeds in new grape plantings. Despite the depth of the root system,
vines do not compete well with weeds. Cultivation or post emergent
herbicide application will be necessary if pre-emergent material wasnÕt
used at planting or has lost effectiveness. Glyphosate (e.g. Roundup)
can safely be used on vines in grow tubes, but extreme care must be
taken using glyphosate around unprotected vines. If grasses are the
main weed problem then grass-specific herbicides such as Poast,
Fusilade, or Prism may be better choices. See the weed control section
in the Commercial Small Fruit & Grape Spray Guide for complete
information. -Bordelon

Thinning Ð how much is enough:  Experienced growers donÕt need me to
tell them that thinning decisions are one of the trickiest, yet most
crucial management decision they will make during the year.  This is
especially so when crops have suffered some degree of frost damage.
Frost often results in crops that are patchy, with some areas of the
tree or orchard looking heavy whereas others appear be have very light
flowering.  As a general rule, I would suggest thinning such blocks to
try to even out the flowering for next year.  Thinners work best when
there are heavy crops and may have little or no effect on areas of
trees or orchards with light flowering, so applying thinners to these
trees should even out the crop quite well. Of course the devil is
always in the details and this is where general advice is of less
value. To come up with specific guidelines, the best resource is your
experience for your own orchard. KEEP NOTES ON WHAT THINNING YOU DID.
We all think we will remember, but a lot will happen in the next 350
days or so until you are thinking about thinning again.  Whether you
keeps records on a computer, in a notebook or chisel it into the barn
wall, for each variety record what you applied, the stage of crop
development and the weather conditions at the time of application and
for several days afterwards.  Remember that chemical thinners donÕt
work below 65_F and work best when temperatures are in the 70Õs.
Over-thinning may result when temperatures are above 85_F.  Keep in
mind that the risk of under-thinning is probably greater than the risk
of over- thinning.  Under-thinning can ruin 2 years crops, not just
one.  -Hirst

Thinning of Honeycrisp:  Many growers around the state have planted a
few Honeycrisp trees, and are wondering how to treat them regarding
thinning.  The best information available comes from Dr Jim Schupp of
Cornell University.  According to Jim, Honeycrisp is easy to chemically
thin and 2 1/2 Ð 5 ppm of NAA works well during the 10-12 mm fruit size
window. NAA at 2 1/2 ppm with a quart of Sevin works well as an
aggressive thinning strategy.  Adequate thinning of Honeycrisp is
essential as it can be very biennial, but over-thinning can be a
problem as large fruit can tend to exhibit bitter pit. -Hirst

New Zealand Tour:  Plans are progressing for our fruitgrowers tour of
New Zealand in 2001. Here are some dates for your calendar.  We will
fly out of Indianapolis on Monday February 19 for Los Angeles then on
to New Zealand.  We will see commercial production of apples, peaches,
pears, grapes, kiwifruit (down there they are kiwifruit and not kiwis!)
and vegetables.  We will also visit packing plants, coolstores,
shipping and distribution depots and markets.  Heinz Corporation has
their largest investment outside the United States there and we hope to
visit this fruit and vegetable processing plant.  We will also see a
fair amount of the country and visit bubbling mud pools, have a Maori
hangi (a tradition feast cooked in a pit in the ground), and various
other cultural/recreational sites.  We will stop over for a day
relaxing in Fiji on our way home.  The total length of the tour will be
2 weeks, arriving back in Indianapolis on Sunday, March 4.  Thanks to
those who have provided feedback on their preferences Ð IÕve taken
account of as many of your suggestions as possible.  Watch this space
and IÕll keep you updated as the planning comes together. -Hirst

Take care of young trees:  If you planted trees this year, donÕt forget
about them.  Now is a good time to spend just a little bit of time
pointing them in the right direction.  Rubbing out unwanted shoots now,
while they are only a few inches long, is quick, easy, and helps to
develop the tree faster.  The main concern now, is several competing
shoots at the top, especially if trees were headed at planting.  Select
the leader (usually the top, most upright and strongest shoot) and rub
out the 2-3 shoots immediately below it.  Typically these shoots will
be very upright and will cause problems later if left in the tree.
Also remove shoots that are too low Ð I consider 2 1/2-3 feet above the
ground to be where the lowest branch should be.  This should take less
than a minute per tree at this stage where unwanted shoots can be
easily rubbed out or broken off by hand.  A little time invested in
young trees now will pay off big time later. -Hirst

Re-entry Intervals: There have been some changes in the re-entry
intervals for some insecticides, particularly Guthion. For Guthion, the
interval depends on the activity the person entering the orchard will
be doing. The re-entry interval for summer pruning is 48 hours, while
the interval for hand thinning is 14 days. The reason for the
difference is the amount of physical contact one could expect with the
treated crop with each activity. The re-entry intervals for other
insecticides you might be using this time of year are:  Imidan - 24
hours, Thiodan - 24 hours, Lorsban - 24 hours, Apollo - 12 hours,
Agri-Mek - 12 hours, and Provado - 12 hours. These re- entry intervals
may seem to limit your ability to get everything done that needs to be
done. However, they are in place to protect the health of you and your
workers. Be sure to check the re- entry intervals for all pesticides
before you use them. -Foster

Chinese Apple-Juice Concentrate Imports Assessed 52 Percent Antidumping
Duty: The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled unanimously today
(May 15) that Chinese apple- juice concentrate imports are causing U.S.
producers economic harm. Chinese apple-juice concentrate imports now
face duties of 52 percent for being sold in the U.S. market at prices
well- below production costs - a practice called dumping. ÒThis is
tremendous news for apple growers and processors who have been
economically ravaged by cheap Chinese concentrate  imports for five
years,Ó said U.S. Apple Association (USApple) President and CEO Kraig
R. Naasz.  ÒTodayÕs unanimous final ruling should restore a level
playing field and help our industry regain its financial footing.Ó
USApple spearheaded the U.S. apple industryÕs dumping complaint against
Chinese concentrate imports, which was lodged with the Commerce
Department and ITC on June 7, 1999. On April 7, the Commerce Department
levied final antidumping duties of 52 percent on most Chinese
concentrate imports.  The final duties will take effect in
approximately two weeks, as soon as the Commerce Department issues its
instructions to the Customs Service. In the meantime, importers are
still required to pay preliminary duties of 55 percent on imported
concentrate from China.  The ITC, by vote of 5-0, today affirmed its
July 22, 1999, preliminary injury decision that Chinese concentrate
imports were causing economic injury to domestic concentrate producers.
(from The Fruitgrowers News online http://www.fruitgrowersnews.com)


Return Bloom Fund:  This spring, Peter Hirst, Paul Pecknold and I began
a long term project to investigate the feasibility of growing apples
organically. Rather than converting an existing orchard to organic
production, we wanted to start from scratch, with the experiment
designed specifically to compare organic and conventional production
systems. The study consists of eight blocks of 64 trees each planted at
each of two locations, the Meigs Farm near Lafayette and the Southwest
Purdue Ag Center near Vincennes. At each location, four of the blocks
will be grown organically and four will be grown conventionally. Within
each block, half of the trees will be Goldrush and the other half will
be Priscilla, so we have a late variety and an early variety. Randy
Woodson from Purdue Ag Research Program provided funds for the purchase
of the trees, with the stipulation that expenses for care of the trees
come from other sources. One of the sources that will initially support
this research will be the Return Bloom fund.  We anticipate that as the
trees get closer to bearing, we will be able to secure outside funding
to support the research.
	A reasonable question that you might ask is, ÒWhy should my
contributions to the Return Bloom fund support research to investigate
organic apple production?Ó Many of you may have no interest in trying
to grow apples organically, which makes this an even better question.
The answer is twofold. First, we believe that if we can successfully
demonstrate that apples can be grown organically, more conventional
growers may decide to devote a limited portion of their orchard to
satisfy the demand for organic production. Our research will include
calculation of the economic feasibility of organic production, as well
as the technical feasibility of controlling all the pests and producing
fruit. Second, whether the overall organic system is successful, we
believe that techniques that we try in the organic system will be
applicable for conventional growers as well. Given the uncertain future
of various pesticides, such as the organophosphates, we believe that it
is prudent to constantly be looking for alternative methods of
controlling pests. -Foster

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:

June 5-7 Ð 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).

June 8 Ð Blueberry GrowerÕs of Indiana Summer meeting.  Dean & Diane
OttÕs farm on State- line road. More information to follow. Contact
Melvin Van Kley 219-956-3687 or Bruce Bordelon 765-494-8212.

June 27-28 Ð Indiana Horticultural Society Summer Meeting.  Write these
dates on your calendar Ð more details to follow.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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


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person using products listed in this newsletter assumes full
responsibility for their use in accordance with current label
directions of the manufacturer.