Facts for Fancy Fruit 2001-09  Purdue University Fruit Growers
Newsletter July 11, 2001

The latest issue of "Facts for Fancy Fruit" newsletter is available at
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/fff/fff.html.  The text version follows.

Crop Conditions:  Blueberry harvest is getting underway in the main
production areas of North Central Indiana. Japanese beetles have
emerged in force and are attacking the fruit.  Bramble harvest
continues in all areas of the state. Japanese beetles and anthracnose
are the main problems at this time. Strawberry renovation should be
completed as soon as possible. Hail has been public enemy number one
for fruitgrowers this year.  One grower I know of has suffered damage
in four different hail events this year.  Hail fell on parts of the
state again this past Sunday.

A Fantastic Summer Meeting:  Kudos to Sarah and Rick Brown for hosting
one of the best and well attended Hort. Society summer meetings in
recent years.  Those who attended saw that I wasn't exaggerating in
describing The Apple Works as "one of the best managed orchards in the
state."  I heard from a number of folks who were inspired by seeing how
it's supposed to be done and giving them something to aim for.  Sarah
and Rick, we thank you and your staff for the time and dedication in
making the arrangements, which were flawless.  The apple dumplings were
also pretty hard to fault!! (Hirst)

Necrotic Leaf Blotch On Goldens:  Generally we first start noticing
necrotic leaf blotch (NLB) on Golden Delicious in late June or July,
when the weather becomes hot and sticky.  Symptoms of NLB are leaf
yellowing and drop; often patches of brown blotches develop along with
leaf yellowing.  Symptoms develop suddenly, almost overnight, and in
waves, generally from June through August.  The cause of NLB is not
known; however, the disorder is thought to be related to air
temperature, light intensity and soil moisture.  It is most severe when
a cool, rainy period of 4 - 5 days precedes several hot, sunny days.
Although it appears NLB is not fungal caused, the disease is reduced
when ziram is included in the cover sprays. (Pecknold)

Late Season Grape Disease Control:  The first of July signals the shift
from early season to late season disease control strategy in grapes.
From now until harvest the spray interval can generally be extended to
14 to 21 days (depending on rainfall) and growers must change
fungicides.  On most grape cultivars the last application of mancozeb
is recommended two weeks post-bloom because it has a 66 day pre-harvest
interval.  One of the other protectant fungicides must be substituted
for mancozeb for the remainder of the season.  Materials currently
available for late season disease control are captan, ferbam, ziram,
and copper.  Ziram has been granted a 24c label (Special Local Needs)
for Indiana that allows its use during the late season (21 day PHI).
The protectant should be combined with one of the sterol inhibitors
(SIs) such as Nova, Bayleton, Rubigan, etc.  Another option is one of
the new strobilurin products such as Abound, Flint, or Sovran.
However, these may be a better choice for the bloom and post bloom
sprays because of economics. We are approaching bunch closing so it is
time to make an application for Botrytis bunch rot control on varieties
that are susceptible such as tight-clustered hybrids (Vignoles, Seyval)
and most vinifera, especially Riesling and Pinot noir.  Use either
Rovral, Vangard, or Elevate and follow the guidelines on page 10 in the
2001 Indiana Commercial Small Fruit and Grape Spray Guide (ID-169).
(Bordelon)

Japanese Beetles: Japanese beetles have emerged in southern and central
areas.  It's difficult to predict how much of a problem they will be
this year, but they will likely be a problem on blueberries, brambles,
and in new grape plantings.  Though they seem to eat everything,
Japanese beetles are particularly fond of grape and plum foliage, and
blueberry, raspberry, and peach fruit. Scout often and apply an
insecticide registered for your particular crop if damage is bad enough
to warrant an insecticide application (the economic threshold is
reached).  Beetles can cause serious losses in blueberries and brambles
by feeding on fruit.  Fruit are damaged, but not completely consumed by
beetles in a single feeding.  The next feeding the beetles select
clean, undamaged fruit, so that a single adult may damage dozens of
berries in its lifetime.  Multiply that by thousands of beetles and the
losses can become significant.  One problem with applying pesticides
near harvest is the potential for visible residue on the fruit,
especially with dark colored fruit such as blueberries. Growers may
want to consider using formulations of insecticides that do not leave
as much visible residue as wettable powder formulations (e.g. Sevin
XLR).  The pre-harvest interval (PHI) is another consideration when
applying pesticides close to harvest.  For Sevin, the PHI on small
fruits is 7 days.  Imidan has a 3 day PHI and a SLN (Section 24)
registration for blueberries in Indiana that allows up to 5
applications.  Though Imidan isn't quite as effective against Japanese
beetles as Sevin, it seems to persists a little longer and some growers
claim it reduces bird damage.  Imidan is not labeled for use on
brambles, so raspberry and blackberry growers will have to rely on
Sevin or malathion.  During harvest, Sevin is not a viable option
because of its 7 day PHI.  Malathion is less effective, but has a 1 day
PHI.  Some formulations of malathion may have a 3 day PHI, so be sure
to check and follow the instructions on the label.  Check the small
fruit spray guide for a complete list of registered insecticides, their
PHIs and relative effectiveness. (Bordelon)

Obliquebanded Leafrollers:  For the second year in a row, we have
caught obliquebanded leafroller moths in pheromone traps in northern
Indiana. This insect has been a serious pest in New York, Michigan, and
other apple growing regions, but has not been a problem here in
Indiana. Last season, I received some samples of damaged apples at
harvest from northern Indiana that appeared to have been damaged by
obliquebanded leafrollers. Because we did not see the insects, I can't
say for sure what insect caused the damage, but obliquebanded
leafrollers are the likely culprit.
	The male moths (the ones you will catch in pheromone traps) have a
wingspan of about 3/4 inch. The moths have bands on their wings of
various colors, ranging from tan to chocolate brown. The larvae get to
be around 1 inch long with yellowish green bodies. The heads are dark
brown or black. They overwinter as larvae and will feed on both fruit
and leaves. The damage is often around the stem end of the apple, with
deep gouges in the fruit. Some of these fruit will fall off the tree,
but the more mature fruit will remain. The adults begin flying around
June 10 and continue to fly through August. The first generation larvae
prefer to feed on water sprouts but will move to fruit. The
second-generation adults fly from early August until late September.
The larvae from this generation can also feed on leaves or fruit. This
is the generation that will overwinter. If you have extension
publications from Michigan or New York, they will have pictures of the
insects and damage. You can also find pictures on Michigan State
University and Cornell University web sites.
	One of the primary reasons that obliquebanded leafrollers are a
serious concern is that in many areas they are resistant to most of the
organophosphate insecticides, including Guthion and Imidan. As a
result, your regular spray program may not control these pests. We do
not know yet if the obliquebanded leafrollers in Indiana are resistant
to the OPs or not. Control is best achieved by killing the
overwintering generation at pink or petal fall, but it is also
important to control the later generations. Growers in the southern two
thirds of Indiana should not worry about obliquebanded leafrollers for
now.  I would recommend that growers in the northern part of Indiana
stick with their normal spray schedule until we determine the
resistance situation. Make sure that you do not skip sprays late in the
season when you get busy harvesting earlier varieties. Be sure to
adhere to pre-harvest intervals (PHIs). If you are monitoring for
obliquebanded leafrollers with pheromone traps and think you have
caught some, please let me know or send me the trap. If you see damage
at harvest that you think might be from obliquebanded leafrollers,
again, either let me know or send me some samples. It would also be
helpful if you let me know what your spray schedule has been.
Obliquebanded leafrollers can be a serious problem and may cause some
of us to change our spray programs, but we have the tools we need to
control it even if they are resistant to the OPs.  (Foster)

Doors Closed at Stark Bros Nursery:  As of June 29, Stark Brothers
Nursery, MO, ceased operations.  I know many growers in the state have
purchased trees from Stark's in the past and will be sorry to hear of
their closing.  Apparently they are looking for a buyer, and if one
emerges operations may be continued.  (Hirst)

Brown Rot Of Stone Fruits:  As peach harvest approaches be aware of the
need for sprays to control brown rot.   Warm, wet, humid weather is
particularly favorable for brown rot.  Pre-harvest sprays for brown rot
should be started no later than 3 weeks before harvest or when fruit
begins to color.  For information on fungicides and timing of spray
applications see  ID-168, "2001 Indiana Commercial Tree Fruit Spray
Guide ".  In addition to maintaining sprays for brown rot, also
maintain sprays for insect pests that may injure fruit and allow brown
rot to gain a foothold.  Use care in the picking and handling of fruit
to avoid punctures and skin abrasions.  Any break in the skin of the
fruit enables brown rot to more easily cause infection. (Pecknold)

Indiana Winegrower's Guild Summer Meeting:  The IWG will hold its
summer meeting at Butler Winery and Vineyards in Bloomington on
Saturday July 14. The board of directors will meet at 12:30 pm and the
general membership will meet at 3:00 pm. Dinner will be held afterward
at a cost of $10 per person. There is an important issue to discuss
during the business meeting (Bond to Bond bulk wine sales) so the board
is urging all members to attend. The meeting is open to IWG members and
anyone interested in Indiana grapes and wine.  The meeting will be at
Butler Vineyard, 6200 East Robinson Rd. Directions from SR 37: Exit SR
37 onto Sample Road (Wylie Floor Covering Warehouse is at the corner)
follow Sample Rd. until it ends at Old 37. Go right for two miles.
After the bridge, take the first left onto Robinson Rd. (uphill).
Travel 3.5 miles to the vineyard on the right.  For a detailed map
visit www.butlerwinery.com. Please RSVP to make dinner arrangements to
812-339-7233.

Upcoming Meetings:

July 10-13 - American Society for Enology and Viticulture - Eastern
Section Annual conference and symposium "Space Age Winegrowing"
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Contact Ellen Harkness. 765-494-6704.
email: harkness@foodsci.purdue.edu

July 14 - Indiana Winegrower's Guild Summer Meeting. Butler Winery and
Vineyard. Bloomington, IN. Contact Jim Butler 812-339-7233 email:
vineyard@bluemarble.net

July 25 - Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center Viticulture
Field Day and Steak Cookout.  Benton Harbor, MI. Contact SWMREC at
616-944-1477 ext 200

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bruce Bordelon, 1165 Dept. of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture,
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN  47907-1165, 765/494-8212,
e-mail: bordelon@hort.purdue.edu

Peter Hirst, 1165 Dept. of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture,
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN  47907-1165, 765/494-1323,
e-mail: hirst@hort.purdue.edu

Paul Pecknold, 1155 Dept. of Botany & Plant Pathology, Purdue
University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1155, 765/494-4628, e-mail:
Pecknold@btny.purdue.edu

Rick Foster, 1158 Dept. of Entomology, Purdue University, West
Lafayette, IN 47907-1158, 765/494-9572, e-mail:
Rick_Foster@entm.purdue.edu

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