FFF05-05 July 11, 2005

Crop Conditions: Peach harvest has started in more southern areas of
the state and crops are generally looking good.  The dry weather has
probably hurt fruit size somewhat.  Bramble and blueberry harvest is
well underway, and fruit quality has been very good. Potato leafhoppers
and Japanese beetles are being found attacking a number of crops. Grape
leaf phylloxera and some other miscellaneous galling insects have been
prevalent. Phomopsis, downy mildew, and black rot are the main diseases
showing up on grapes despite the relatively dry conditions.

A Grower Self-Assessment of Food Safety Risks:  This publication is one
of a series of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) tools available for
on-farm use by commercial fruit and vegetable producers. The
self-assessment walks farmers through GAPs and helps them to identify
the practices requiring attention. These practices include the areas of
record keeping, worker hygiene, toilets and hand washing, water use,
pesticide use, manure use, compost use, herd health, wild animals,
harvest sanitation, postharvest handling, juice and cider, direct
marketing, u-pick operations, petting zoos, farm biosecurity and crisis
management.

This self-assessment is available to Ohio and Indiana fruit and
vegetable producers free of charge while supplies last through the Ohio
and Indiana Specialty Crop Food Safety Initiative. Other GAPs tools for
farm use include a basic GAPs brochure (Spanish and English), a
growerÕs guide, worker training video (Spanish and English), and
laminated posters addressing hand washing, toilet use and toilet paper
disposal (Spanish and English). Producers in other states may order
these materials and more by visiting www.gaps.cornell.edu/.

Contact Mid American Ag and Hort Services by phone at 614-246-8286, fax
at 614-246- 8686, or email at maahs@ofbf.org. More information about
the Ohio and Indiana Specialty Crop Food Safety Initiative may be found
at www.midamservices.org by clicking on ŅProjects.Ó The Initiative is
conducted in partnership with the USDA Risk Management Agency and
numerous other organizations.  (John Wargowsky, Executive Director Š
Mid American Ag and Hort Services)

Apple Fruit Quality After Storage:  If youÕre like me you probably
canÕt go into the supermarket without checking out the produce section,
just to see what they have, what the quality looks look, and what price
the produce is selling for.  I was in a local supermarket in Lafayette
a few weeks ago and saw some Gala from Washington.  Bear in mind that
Gala typically stores well for a few months then loses quality quickly,
but the fruit looked excellent, so I bought a few.  I ate one when I
walked out of the store and was surprised to find that it was crisp,
juicy and in really good condition.  This was after about 10 months of
storage.  IÕm sure the fruit had been treated with SmartFreshTM (1-
MCP) and probably stored in CA storage also.  Remember that
SmartFreshTM is a relatively new product from Rohm and Haas that blocks
the ripening action of ethylene within the fruit, thereby extending
storage life and improving fruit quality after storage. In the past
there was no way a Gala would be fit to eat after 10 months in storage.

So why am I telling you about my little trip to the store? Two reasons.
 The first is to say this stuff really works.  But most Indiana growers
donÕt store their fruit that long anyway. The second reason is that
this material has the potential to really change the dynamics of
wholesale fruit marketing on a worldwide scale.  It doesnÕt take a
rocket scientist to figure out what the effect on prices could be if at
the time you are ready to market your fruit, there is still fruit
available on the market in excellent condition.  This could be fruit
from Washington, New York or even New Zealand.  The best insulation
against this is, of course, to sell fruit retail directly to the
consumer through farm markets, community farmersÕ markets and the like.
 Large growers will tell you that the wholesale business has been
getting tougher to make money in, and the advent of SmartFreshTM looks
like it could make the wholesale business even more competitive.
(Hirst)

Mites Like Hot, Dry Weather: The weather conditions we have been
experiencing in most areas of the state have been perfect for
development of serious spider mite problems. On apples, European red
mite populations are starting to build to damaging levels in many
orchards. At this time of year, we would consider populations above
7.5- 10 mites per leaf to be high enough to justify treatment. In the
past, we have seen European red mite populationsÕ peak sometime in mid
to late July. We can expect to see the populations we have now continue
to increase for several weeks, especially if the weather stays hot and
dry.

Some growers who used Danitol last year to control periodical cicadas
are seeing mite outbreaks, likely because of the toxicity of Danitol to
predator mites. If you used Danitol last year or earlier this year, I
recommend that you watch your mite populations closely. If you need to
use a rescue miticide now, I have had good luck with Acramite and
Nexter (formerly Pyramite). My experience has been that Nexter may give
slightly better control of European red mite than Acramite, but Nexter
also is harder on the predator mites. So, in the long run, you likely
wonÕt see a lot of difference in the overall control you receive. A
word of caution: Acramite will not perform well if you use hard water.
You must condition your water to lower the hardness if you use
Acramite. There are a couple of other miticides available that I have
not tested, Fujimite and Zeal. I would expect them to work well, but I
donÕt have any personal experience.   (Foster)

July Is Leaf Analysis Month: The only sure way to know the nutritional
status of your fruit trees is to collect a leaf sample and have it
analyzed by a reputable laboratory. Unlike animals trees canÕt tell us
when they are hungry. Numerous factors impinge upon the accuracy of
your leaf analysis. For example, heavy crop loads may lead to a
dilution of mineral content found in leaves. On the other hand light
crop loads usually result in lower N values and higher K values. Other
factors that affect the results include rootstock, cultivar, tree age,
soil type and composition, and fertilizer practices.

One of the key areas that impact leaf analysis results is the time of
sampling. Depending upon the time of season nutrient levels may be
higher or lower.   Over a number of years scientists have determined
that the nutrient levels are most stable during the early to mid
portion of the growing season. Therefore, all recommendations are based
on collecting samples from the middle of July to about the middle of
August. Even if you do not have time to mail the sample in you still
should collect it during this period.

The following are some rules to utilize when collecting leaf samples:

1. Samples should only be collected from plantings old enough to bear a
commercial crop or where a nutritional problem is suspected. 2. A
single sample should not represent an area larger than about 5 acres.
3. Include only one cultivar or strain in a sample and preferably only
one rootstock type. 4. Mark or map each plant or area sampled for
future resampling. 5. On large trees, select leaves from the periphery
of trees at shoulder height or higher from the middle of the current
seasonÕs terminal shoots of about average vigor. 6. On dwarf trees
select the same type of leaf but on shoots approximately midway on the
tree height. 7. Collect 10 leaves per tree from shoots randomly
selected from all sides of the tree. Select leaves free of disease or
damage (unless diagnosing a trouble spot). 8. 50 leaves per sample are
sufficient unless leaves are small. 9. Remove leaves with the petiole
(use a downward pull). 10. For trouble spots, take a composite sample
from five affected trees and five non- affected trees and label bags
accordingly. 11. Contaminated samples (by soil, spray, or other
residues that would interfere with analysis) should be cleaned with a
nonionic detergent solution and rinsed with soft water (not tap water).
Wash leaves ASAP and quickly (for one minute or less). 12. Dry leaves
at 80¼C or air dry. Samples should not be stored in a location that is
moist where mold or damage may occur. 13. Submit the dried sample to a
laboratory for analysis along with appropriate information on supplied
forms. Make sure the samples are labeled in a fashion that the
corresponding location in the orchard can be found easily.

This yearÕs dry weather further complicates leaf analysis
interpretation. You may see the following trends with our current dry
weather pattern: 1. Nitrogen may be lower in light cropping trees that
were over thinned. 2. Potassium levels may be lower due to a lack of
moisture, which may in turn result in reduced fruit size 3. Calcium may
not be moved to the fruits; therefore, you may see an increase in
calcium related disorders. However, with increased moisture stress
shoot growth is suppressed therefore calcium supply may be evened out.
4. Magnesium, like calcium is absorbed as a divalent ion (Mg+2) and may
also be lower due to moisture stress.  (Rob Crassweller, Penn. State
University)

Japanese Beetles on Grapes and Berry Crops: The first of this yearÕs
Japanese beetles started to emerge in the Lafayette area last week.
Growers familiar with this pest know that they have a voracious
appetite for leaves of a number of crop and non-crop plants, and the
fruit of some crops such as blueberries and brambles. Control of adult
beetles is relatively easy with insecticide applications. However, due
to the continual emergence of adults over a several week period,
re-application may be necessary several times during the season. Sevin
is the most effective material labeled for use on most fruit crops. The
preharvest interval (PHI) on small fruits is 7 days, which can present
a problem during harvest. Imidan is moderately effective and has a
3-day PHI, which may help somewhat. Malathion has a 1-day PHI on
blueberries and brambles, although it is not the most effective
insecticide. Insecticides containing pyrethrum can be used up to the
day of harvest, but provide only very short-term control. Insecticides
that contain Neem extract appear to have some repellency against
Japanese beetle. Be sure to adhere to the preharvest restriction and
Restricted Entry Intervals for whatever pesticide you choose to use.
Traps are generally not recommended as they likely attract more beetles
to the crop area. In recent years research has found that use of
soil-applied insecticide, imadicloprid (Admire) at egg laying will
significantly reduce the number of larvae in the soil. However, it is
unclear whether reduction of larvae in and around a planting will
significantly reduce the number of adults feeding on a planting since
they can travel quite a distance to feed. (Foster and 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 strawberries, 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)

Weed Worries: The Indiana Forestry Service has released a Pest-Alert
for an invasive plant called Ņmile-a-minuteÓ (Polygonum perfoliatum).
There have been no reports of mile-a-minute in Indiana, but it has been
reported in Ohio.

Identification is an easy task.  It forms dense mats, similar to kudzu.
 It has light green triangular leaves 1.5-2.75 inch long and 2-3.5 inch
wide. The stems have curved hook- like barbs with ocreas (a saucer
shaped sheath).  The fruit are quite obvious, resembling blueberries
and are about 0.15 to 0.2 inches in diameter.  For more information on
mile-a- minute visit the web sites at
www.invasive.org/eastern/biocontrol/26MileAMinute.html or
www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/pope1.htm

Pristine Phytotoxicity on NY 73.0136.17:  A New York grower who has the
numbered grape hybrid NY 73.0136.17 has reported phytotoxicity (leaf
burn) after applying Pristine to this particular variety.  No other
varieties (the grower has about 15, and applied Pristine to everything
except Concord and Niagara) were affected.  This is consistent with an
earlier information passed on by Wayne Wilcox from a 2004 spray trial
in New Jersey, where there was about 20% leaf burn following Pristine
application.  So far, there are no indications of similar effects on
other hybrids.  So donÕt use Pristine on 73.0136.17. (From Tim
Martinson, Finger Lakes Update June 27, 2005)

Agritourism Opportunities for Indiana Farms & Rural Communities:
Purdue University Extension, the Resource Conservation & Development
Office, Indiana Department of Tourism, Indiana Cooperative Development
Center, and the Indiana Commissioner of AgricultureÕs Office are
sponsoring several daylong workshops on agritourism throughout the
state this summer and fall.

The purpose of this series of daylong sessions is to provide local
agriculture and business development professionals such as Extension
Educators, RC&D staff, tourism professionals and local economic
development staff, an opportunity to learn more about potential
opportunities and related issues in order to assist in the development
of agritourism and related rural enterprises on the farm and in rural
areas throughout Indiana. The workshop series will examine tourism on
the family farm and provide information to farmers/growers and
educators who advise farmers that may be considering an agritourism
enterprise on their farm. The workshop will also:

„ Assess the potential for success of agritourism as an alternative
on-farm enterprise. „ Identify and address potential risks and
liabilities involved. „ Identify the components of a successful
business plan and related resources. „ Showcase examples of successful
agritourism efforts in the region/state. „ Identify needs of
participants as they initiate or expand or agritourism enterprises.

Regional workshops will be held as follows: Monday, July 18, 2005,
Northeast ~ McClure-Tate Orchard & Apple Dumpling Inn, Wabash and Miami
County CES

Wednesday, August 3, 2005, South Central ~ Freeman Family Farms,
Hoosier Heartland RC&D

Thursday, August 25, 2005, West Central ~ White Violet Center for Eco
Justice, Sycamore Trails RC&D

Wednesday, September 28, 2005, East Central ~ Ratcliff Tree Farm, Henry
County CES

More information is available from: Four Rivers RC&D (Resource
Conservation & Development), 112 South Lakeside Drive, Petersburg,
Indiana 47567-9040 Phone 812-354-6808 ext. 5 Fax 812-354-2785 Email:
rivers4@sigecom.net

A Farewell from Paul Pecknold:  Well its time to go.  Thanks to
everyone for your friendship and kindness over the years.  A very
special thanks to Dick Hayden, Dave Matthew, Rick Foster, and yes, even
the Kiwi, Peter Hirst.  I truly could not have asked for four better
comrades-in- arms to share the road with.  The plan is to pack the car,
throw the poodle in the rear seat, give Cris a map with LARGE arrows
pointing west, then cross my fingers and say a few prayers that we make
it over the Rockies.  It will be amazing if we make it all the way to
California, but IÕm hopeful.  My very Best Wishes to you all for Health
and Happiness.  Paul & Cris & the poodleÉ

Upcoming meetings:

July 26:  Seminar on grape growing with Richard Smart, international
viticulture consultant.  Galena Cellars Winery, Galena, IL.  For more
information see:
http://www.illinoiswine.com/cgi-local/calendar1/calendar.pl

July 29:  Seminar on grape growing with Richard Smart, international
viticulture consultant.  SIU Vineyard at the Horticultural Research
Center (HRC) in Carbondale, IL. For more information see:
http://www.illinoiswine.com/cgi-local/calendar1/calendar.pl

August 5:  Workshop, ŅExploring Opportunities in Specialty MarketsÓ.

January 23-25, 2006:  Indiana Horticultural Congress, AdamsÕ Mark
Hotel, Indianapolis.