Facts for Fancy Fruit 2002-12 September 4, 2002

Crop Conditions
More Plum Pox in Pennsylvania
No Plum Pox in Indiana
New Apple Varieties
Pinpoint Scab
Collar Rot
Asian Lady Beetle Survey
Fall Small Fruit Care
US Apple Association Apoints New President
Indiana Horticultural Congress
Upcoming Meetings

Crop Conditions: Grapes are being harvested and quality has been
excellent overall.  Yields are down in some vineyards due to the May
frosts. Fall bearing brambles are still producing well. Apple harvest
is well underway, although in many places it's not a happy situation.
Cool conditions during the flowering period meant that for most of the
time the flowers were open, the bees weren't flying.  Many orchards
have light crops and one long-time grower said it's the worst apple
crop he's seen in 30 years.  Many growers also had to cope with frosts
during bloom, further reducing fruit set and also marking fruit that
did set.  Some growers are seeing premature fruit drop likely caused by
poor seed set in those fruit.

More Plum Pox in Pennsylvania:  As a result of surveys of commercial
orchards carried out by USDA and State inspectors, PPV has been
confirmed at an orchard outside of the current quarantine areas for the
first time this year.  The detection was made at an orchard in Monaghan
Township, York County.  PPV was identified by scientists at the State
laboratory in Harrisburg, PA, and confirmed by Scientists at the
PPQ-Center for Plant Health Science and Technology in Beltsville, MD.
In addition to requiring the removal of the orchard, the project staff
will also be requiring the removal of all host material within 500
meters.  This will result in the removal of a total of 50 acres of
orchard.  The State and USDA will be revising the current quarantine
areas to include an area that includes the new find.  (Hirst)

No Plum Pox in Indiana:  We have completed a second year of sampling
for plum pox in Indiana peach orchards. Over the last 2 years, we have
collected just over 2000 samples and all have tested negative.  No more
sampling is planned.  Let's hope the virus can be contained in
Pennsylvania and Ontario.  (Hirst)

New Apple Varieties:  As some of you saw during the Hort. Society
summer tour at Purdue, we are testing a range of new apple cultivars to
see how they perform under Indiana conditions.  This is our first year
of seeing fruit from these trees.  Last week I sampled fruit from
Zestar from MN and Silken from BC.  My first impressions are that
Zestar looks promising, although it shows some unevenness in shape and
russeting.  These could be problems associated with light crops from
young trees. I wasn't too excited about Silken.  Although it is quite
attractive (very light cream color) it's flavor was pretty bland.
Please bear in mind these are just initial impressions from young trees
and that we need to evaluate these varieties over a number of years to
have a more accurate handle on their performance here.  Thanks to
contributors to the Return Bloom Fund who helped pay for the
establishment and management of this planting.  (Hirst)

Pinpoint Scab:  Wet weather during the apple harvest period can lead to
the development of pinpoint scab and other fruit infecting diseases,
such as sooty blotch and fly speck.  Pinpoint scab can infect fruit up
to and during the harvest period if wet weather persists at this time,
however, the symptoms of pinpoint scab may not show up until the fruit
have been stored for several months. Late season apple scab can also
build up on leaves after harvest, resulting in large quantities of
primary scab spores the following season, even though a good spray
program was followed early this year.  Help prevent such problems by
maintaining scab fungicides in late cover sprays; also do not stop
cover sprays too early.  Check the label for days-to-harvest
restrictions before making the final application.  (Pecknold)

Collar Rot:  Late summer is a good time to inspect trees for
above-ground symptoms of collar rot. Look for weak trees with premature
leaf reddening (especially on goldens); sparse, yellow foliage; and
many small, highly colored fruit.  Keep in mind that such symptoms are
general stress symptoms that may be caused by a number of factors, such
as wet feet, mouse injury, trunk decay, root rot, etc.  However, trees
that show the above-described symptoms AND ALSO have a canker at or
just below ground level are likely infected with collar rot.  If collar
rot is suspected we advise the use of Ridomil Gold EC in the fall after
harvest.  Apply Ridomil as soon as possible after harvest so it will be
in place before the fall rainy periods begin and possible new
infections occur.  Also be sure to concentrate your Ridomil treatment
on surrounding healthy appearing trees, not just trees already showing
symptoms of collar rot.  Ridomil is best used to prevent collar rot,
not cure it. The soil-borne fungus, Phytophthora, which causes collar
rot, can be even more of a problem on stone fruits, such as cherry and
peach.  Don't forget to check out your stone fruits for symptoms of
collar rot as described above.  (Pecknold)

Asian Lady Beetle Survey:  The Multi-colored Asian Lady Beetle (MALB)
has been a serious problem over the past two years in grapes. The
insects are not directly attacking the fruit, but they tend to cling to
the harvested clusters and when the fruit is processed into juice, they
impart a definite off-flavor and aroma to the resulting wine. We have
organized a multi-state coalition to monitor the problem this year but
as luck would have it, the MALBs have not cooperated. Apparently their
population is way down this year, perhaps due to reduced populations of
soybean aphids. We're really not sure what happened, but we're not
complaining either.  However, we would like to hear from any fruit
grower that sees a significant build up of this insect in their
plantings. It's doubtful that they have ceased to be a problem
altogether. If you have any questions or want to report sightings of
this pest, pleases contact Bruce Bordelon or Rick Foster. Our contact
information is at the end of this newsletter. And "thanks" in advance
for your help.

Fall Small Fruit Care: Grapes- Grapes should be encouraged to harden
off for winter by avoiding nitrogen fertilizers and supplemental
watering at this time.  Apply non-nitrogen fertilizers and lime as
needed based on soil and tissue test results.  It is especially
important to maintain healthy leaves through fall to promote proper
hardening.  Downy and powdery mildews often build to epidemic levels on
susceptible cultivars in fall.  Both can cause defoliation and reduced
winter hardiness so it's important to maintain protection against these
diseases throughout the fall until leaves drop naturally.

Blueberries-
	Blueberry plants should be encouraged to harden off for the winter.
However, growers should continue to irrigate if dry weather persists.
Fruit buds are developing now for next year's crop so it is important
to avoid water stress on the plants during this time.  Apply
non-nitrogen fertilizers and materials for soil pH adjustment based on
foliar analysis and soil tests.  Apply these before fall rains begin
and also before adding any supplemental mulch to the plants.

Strawberries-
	Flower bud initiation occurs during late summer and fall, so
maintaining good plant health into the fall is important for high yield
potential next year.  The recent dry weather (in some parts of the
state) can significantly reduce fruitfulness next year.  Irrigate to
provide at least 1 inch of water per week through October.  We
mentioned the importance of an application of nitrogen fertilizer in
the last issue of this newsletter.  If it hasn't been done yet, it's
not too late.  If tissue analysis shows deficiencies in magnesium or
boron, early fall is a good time for foliar applications of Epsom salts
(15 lb./100 gal./acre) for magnesium and Solubor (3 lb./100 gal./acre)
for boron.  Phytotoxicity can be a problem with these materials so read
the labels.  In addition to fertility, controlling leaf diseases
improves the ability of the plant to carry on photosynthesis and store
starch in the crowns.  Check fields for infestations of leafhopper or
aphids.  Generally, plants can take a fair amount of feeding by these
insects, but heavy infestations can be a problem.

Brambles-
	Encourage hardening off of canes in summer bearing varieties of
brambles by avoiding nitrogen fertilizers and supplemental watering at
this time.  Spent floricanes can be removed now, or later in the winter
or early spring.  Fall bearing raspberries can still benefit from
irrigation in dry weather to help maintain fruit size.  Apply
non-nitrogen fertilizers and lime as needed based on soil and tissue
test results.  If Phytophthora root rot has been identified in a field,
treat the affected area with Ridomil Gold EC or Alliette in September
or early October.  This timing is important to get the material in
place in the root zone before the onset of cool wet weather in the
fall. (Bordelon)

US Apple Association Appoints New President:  The US Apple Association
(a Washington-based lobby group for the apple industry) has selected
Nancy Foster as their new president and CEO. Foster comes to the apple
industry association after seven years as vice president of legislative
affairs with CropLife America, formerly the American Crop Protection
Association. Foster has served as the vice president of legislative
affairs for CropLife America since 1995. She replaces Kraig Naasz, who
departed USApple at the end of May to become president of The
Fertilizer Institute.  (from http://www.fruitgowersnews.com)

Indiana Horticultural Congress:  Planning is currently underway for
next year's Hort Congress which will be held January 27-29, 2003 at the
Adams Mark Hotel in Indianapolis.  We met this past week and started
developing the program. We have some exciting topics and believe this
will be one of the best conferences yet. Support from the Indiana
Commissioner of Agriculture's specialty crop block grant program will
allow us to bring in more speakers this year.  We would like to have
your input.  If you have a burning issue you would like us to address,
or a speaker you would like us to consider, please let us know soon.
Remember, the congress is for the participants, not the organizers, so
let us know what you want.

Upcoming Meetings:

Sept. 27-28	Indiana Nut Growers Association American Persimmon
Conference. Terre Haute, IN Contact Jerry Lehman, 812-298-8733 or
jwlehman@aol.com or visit www.nutgrowers.org

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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@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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