FFF04-08 July 30, 2004

Crop Conditions: Apple harvest has begun with early varieties such as
Lodi and Pristine.  Peach harvest is progressing well, with no
widespread problems being reported.  Grapes are at or just starting the
Òveraison,Ó or ripening stage. Harvest is usually about 35-45 days from
the beginning of veraison. Harvest appears to be on a normal schedule
this year with early varieties ripening in early August in southern
Indiana to early September in northern areas.

ReTain is Now Labeled for Stone Fruit Except Cherries:  Many of you may
have used ReTain as a harvest management tool on apples and pears.
Well now this product is labeled for use on stone fruits (except
cherry) also.  The new label lists the following possible benefits for
stone fruits: improved harvest management, increased fruit size,
maintenance of fruit firmness, reduction of preharvest fruit drop,
improved fruit quality, and enhanced storage potential.  Rates of
application are similar to that of apple, but the timing is different.
For stone fruits, the product should be applied 7-14 days before the
anticipated beginning of normal harvest.  More details and a copy of
the label are available at: http://www.valent.com/ Click on Labels then
select ReTain. (Hirst)

Apogee Fights Fireblight and Apple Scab Infection:  Apogee has more
effects on fireblight and scab than was first realized.  Last week I
attended the American Society for Horticultural Science annual meeting
in Austin, TX.  One of the outstanding presentations was by Dr. Wilhelm
Rademacher, head of the Global Plant Growth Regulator research group at
BASF, and the person in charge of research and development of Apogee.
He presented research that showed that plants sprayed with Apogee had
less fireblight, apple scab and in some cases powdery mildew than
unsprayed trees.  Apogee modified flavonoid biosynthesis in the apple
tree, which in turn made the tree less susceptible to these diseases.
Flavonoids are a group of plant pigments that are also antioxidants,
and many of the healthy effects of fruits and vegetables that we hear
about are due to these kinds of compounds.   The Apogee has no direct
effect on the bacteria or fungus, but rather enhances the natural
defenses of the plant. (Hirst)

Determining Apple Maturity:  Making the decision on when to harvest can
be a very tricky and complicated issue.  The longer you intend to store
the fruit, the more precise your timing needs to be.  For summer
apples, most growers only intend to store them until their better
quality fall apples come on stream, so storage times beyond a week or
two are not that common.  Even for fall apples, many growers aim to
sell the majority of their crop immediately to the consumer, and try to
be done by mid November or so. Since storage times are relatively
short, harvest maturity is less important.  This being the case,
harvest apples when fruit are fully ripe.  There are various tests for
this, but taking a bite out of a few apples is just as good an
indicator as any test.

Even in cold storage, fruit continue to ripen, just at a slower rate.
Therefore, fruit intended for longer-term storage should be harvested
when they are less ripe.  There is no single test that will give you
the answer but factors such as calendar date, heat unit accumulation,
fruit firmness, soluble solids concentration, starch content and
ethylene evolution all give answers to a piece of the puzzle.  As you
can see, this gets complicated real fast.  Beyond the taste test, if
you are going to perform one test I suggest looking at starch index.
This gives as estimate of how much of the starch in the apple has been
converted to sugar.  It is quick, easy, and doesnÕt require expensive
instruments to perform.  For more details look in the Tree Fruit Pest
Management Handbook, ID- 93, available at
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/fruitveg under bulletins. (Hirst)

Brown Rot Warning:  A first warning for severe brown rot of stone
fruits (apricot, nectarine, peach, cherry, plum).  Conditions have been
excellent for brown rot infection.  As fruit softens during the
ripening process, it becomes more susceptible to brown rot.  Keep in
mind that wet, humid weather is ideal for brown rot development. Scout
orchards now for brown-rot-infected, aborted fruit.   Also maintain
good insect control, especially for curculio.  Special attention to
brown rot control is required where trees are planted closely and/or
where woods surround the orchard.  Such conditions reduce air movement,
and dew or rain evaporates more slowly, leading to possible brown rot
outbreaks.   See ID-168, Ò2004 Indiana Commercial Tree Fruit Spray
GuideÓ, for recommended fungicides.    This is located at:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/fruitveg and look under ÒBulletinsÓ
(Pecknold)

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)

Sooty Blotch & Flyspeck: Young developing apple fruit are already
showing the dark smudges and black speckling indicative of sooty blotch
and flyspeck.  Yes, this is turning into a ÔgoodÕ sooty blotch and
flyspeck year. These diseases are best managed if fungicide
applications are maintained on a regular schedule throughout the summer
months.  They become a problem when the time between sprays is
stretched too long (4 weeks between sprays just wonÕt cut it) and/or
when spray applications are stopped too early in the season. Check
harvest restriction days on the pesticide container label and MAINTAIN
fungicide applications on a REGULAR SCHEDULE up to the cut-off period.
See ID-168, Ò2004 Indiana Commercial Tree Fruit Spray GuideÓ, and the
previous edition of this newsletter for recommended fungicides.
Infection from sooty blotch and flyspeck can further be reduced through
IPM strategies that lower humidity and promote rapid drying.  Also,
remember to remove reservoir hosts, particularly brambles, from the
orchard and surrounding hedgerows to help reduce the level of incoming
spores. (Pecknold)

Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle, Grapes, and Wine:  The Multicolored
Asian Lady Beetles or ÒLady BugsÓ as most of us know them have become
an indirect pest of grapes. Armed with a smelly defense chemical, these
beetles have the capability or ruining vast amounts of wine. In the
past few years, we have found them congregating on certain grapes at or
near harvest. They tend to stay in the clusters through the crush and
pressing operation, depositing their defense chemical (methoxypyrazine)
into the juice, leading to a distinctive ÒLBÓ odor and flavor to the
wine. Most people consider this herbaceous odor and flavor a serious
wine flaw. The problem exists across the wine regions of the eastern US
and seems to be mostly a problem where grape harvest occurs in late
August and September. The problem seems to be worse in central and
northern Indiana, the Great Lakes region, etc. It has not been a
serious problem along the Ohio River Valley. However, we need growers
and winemakers to help us monitor this pest. We would like to know when
you notice significant numbers of Asian Lady Beetles showing up in your
vineyards, what varieties they seem most attracted to, and at harvest,
if they are present in harvested clusters. (Bordelon)

Tissue Analysis Grapes and Small Fruits:  Plant nutritional status is
important for all phases of plant growth and has a direct effect on
vigor, fruitfulness, cold hardiness, and other factors.  Tissue
analysis is the most reliable means of determining plant nutritional
status.  Combined with soil testing, tissue analysis can help pinpoint
the source of problems and determine what measures may be needed to
ensure proper nutrition of the crop.  Tissue analysis samples should be
collected at the appropriate time to give the most meaningful results.
For strawberry, sample the first fully expanded leaves after
renovation, usually in mid to late July.  For brambles, sample leaves
on non-fruiting canes (primocanes) between August 1 and 20.  For
blueberries sample leaves during the first week of harvest.  For
grapes, samples should be taken about 70 days after full bloom, usually
early to mid August.  Samples should be adequate in size.  Collect
30-60 leaves for strawberries, brambles, and blueberries, and 100 leaf
petioles for grapes (for grapes submit only the leaf petiole, or stem,
for analysis, discard the leaf blade).  Collect samples to represent
the entire field, not just from a few plants.  Sample different
varieties separately. If specific problems exist, collect separate
samples from both normal and problematic areas of the planting. After
collection, leaves should be washed gently to remove any pesticide
residues and dust that might affect analysis, laid out to dry for a
couple of days, then bagged in paper bags for submission to the lab.
Some labs offer tissue analysis sample kits.
	There are several private companies and a few universities that
provide tissue analysis. Your county extension office has a list of the
ACP Certified plant and soil analysis labs in Indiana.  The Midwest
Small Fruit Pest Management Handbook has a chapter on tissue analysis
and fertilizer recommendations.  It is available on line at
http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~sfgnet/  (Bordelon)


Upcoming meetings:

July 28	Southwest Michigan Viticulture Field Day and Steak Cookout.
Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center, Benton Harbor, MI
Contact SWMREC at 269-944-1477 (ext. 200) or see
http://www.msue.msu.edu/swmrec/index.htm

Sept 27-29 HACCP training course, West Lafayette.  More details to
follow.

January 24-26, 2005.  Indiana Horticultural Congress, Adams Mark Hotel,
Airport, Indianapolis.