Crop Conditions: Apple and peaches are generally growing well, despite some fireblight outbreaks. The thinning window is closing, with only late thinning being an option at this stage. Grapes are just at budbreak in the north, and early varieties have 8-10 inch shoots in the south. Blueberries are in bloom in the main growing region of north-central Indiana. Strawberries are blooming across the state and brambles have 6-10 inch lateral shoots and new primocanes have emerged. Indiana farm market receives top farm direct marketing award In the Northwest corner of Indiana, two people “made something out of nothing,” to quote one of their customers. David and Bonnie McAfee, who own County Line Orchards, Hobart, Ind., were honored in January when they were named Outstanding Farm Marketers of the Year. The McAfees are proud to receive this award, and they attribute part of their success to their “orchard family” (staff that returns year after year). As David is often heard saying, “We got something worth doing here.” The sharing of information and resources within NAFDMA is outstanding. NAFDMA is a wonderful asset for the small family farmer. They understand that all of our hearts are in our farms; it’s not just a business, say the McAfees. “NAFDMA has been the equivalent of a PhD in farm marketing,” says David. David and Bonnie started planting apple trees in 1988. They had nothing to market and no place to market it from until 1992, when they built their main building and the trees began bearing fruit. In 1993, with little to sell, and few customers to sell to, someone called asking if they did school tours. “Why not?” they thought. “We needed to sell something to someone!” That year, 4,000 students, teachers and chaperones visited the farm, and the number increased every year. Almost 38,000 people visited the farm in 2005. They are open only in September and October, so all of those tours occurred during those two months. Through the years, they added pumpkins and animals. The animals are now in the Kid’s Farm. They have several NAFDMA-inspired creations on the farm, including Peter, the pumpkin-eating dinosaur, and the Golden Goat Bridge. They’ve added more buildings, a full commercial kitchen, “spiffy” restrooms and more retail space. They host weddings and other celebrations. In the words of David and Bonnie McAfee, their story is one of “how two people with average jobs, a vision and minimal capital turned 35 acres of corn and soybean land, renting for $75 per acre in 1987, into County Line Orchard, an enterprise that employs 300 people during the season. It’s been fun for our customers, our employees and us as owners. We firmly believe that what we do is worth the doing.” To learn more about County Line Orchard, visit www.countylineorchard.com. Please join us in congratulating Dave and Bonnie McAfee in attaining this highly competitive and prestigious award. (Hirst, from NAFDMA) Apogee Many growers across the state have used Apogee as a growth regulator of apples over the last few years and found it to work quite well. The most effective time to apply Apogee is when new shoots are 1-3” long, so we are getting towards the end of the period when we would expect it to work. Apogee not only reduces shoot growth, but also reduces the incidence of fireblight infections. Initially it was thought to just reduce the amount of highly susceptible tissue but now there are suggestions it may also affect the fireblight bacterium itself. Either way, if fireblight has been a problem in the past, then Apogee can be an effective tool to reduce the amount of disease infection. (Hirst) How well did that thinner work? There are many factors that influence how effective a chemical thinner application will be. The most important factor is the time at which the thinner is applied, in terms of stage of fruit development. Materials such as Sevin and NAA work well up to about 12 mm fruit diameter, but are less effective once fruit are bigger than this. Once fruit are over 14 mm diameter the only option is ethephon, but this does not work well on Gala and Fuji, so at that stage hand thinning is the only option. Weather conditions also play an important role in how well thinners work. Most thinners work best when applied a couple of days into a warming trend. Look for daily temperatures 65F or above. Thinners are likely to have little effect when applied when it is cooler than this. Before assessing how well your thinner worked, allow sufficient time. It usually takes 10-14 days for thinners to have a visible effect. So don’t rush in with your second application before allowing time for the first application to work, or overthinning could occur. (Hirst) U.S. Apple Crop Shows Early Season Potential As the U.S. apple industry prepares for the 2006 crop year, USApple contacted industry representatives from the major growing regions for a preview of the upcoming crop. Overall, weather conditions across the nation have been favorable for the upcoming crop with growers optimistic in most regions. Warmer than normal temperatures in April brought an early bloom to some Eastern areas. California has experienced unusually wet weather this spring and only one area, southwest Michigan, has experienced limited frost. Following is a brief overview of the conditions in some of the major U.S. apple growing regions. Washington: Favorable Weather Weather conditions have been favorable for the Washington apple crop with normal temperatures this spring and no frost damage so far. Bloom occurred on a normal schedule this year after being earlier than normal the last two years. All areas of the state had good weather for bloom and pollination across all varieties. Continued good weather after full bloom has been favorable for cell division which should help with good fruit size this year. Washington experienced an extended bloom period across its different apple growing areas stretching out crop development. This should help with scheduling labor throughout the season. The snow pack in the Cascade Mountains is back to normal levels after below normal precipitation levels a year ago. Ample water for irrigation and for cooling orchards is expected this year. California: Unpredictable California has seen wetter than normal weather and bloom was delayed about two weeks. Some areas were hit by hail in April. It is too early to determine if the abundant rain will affect crop potential. Michigan: Bloom on Schedule The Ridge area of Michigan is in the bud stage and has avoided frost damage so far. This area has experienced good weather conditions this spring including a sunny April and adequate moisture. Crop potential looks good at this time. Southwest Michigan experienced some frost at the end of April, but most trees were not in bloom and avoided damage. Weather conditions were favorable during full bloom and pollination with fruit development on a normal schedule. Appalachia: Conditions Mixed Weather conditions, including warm temperatures in April, have been favorable for the apple crop. Bloom occurred ahead of schedule. In northern areas, the bloom period is over except for later varieties. Pollination is mostly completed and bee activity was good. Trees in the southern areas are now in the petal fall stage. Rainfall has been short this year and moisture could be a problem if dry weather persists. New York: Great Potential In upstate New York, abundant sunshine and warm temperatures have been favorable for normal crop development. Trees are now budding and not showing evidence of winter damage. Full bloom is expected in the next several days, on schedule for the region's average. In the Hudson Valley, the warm April weather brought an early bloom, about five to seven days ahead of normal. The pollination period was exceptional and trees are past full bloom and covered indicating the potential for a full crop. Thinning will begin soon. A good rain in late April eased concerns about dry weather in the area. However, lack of moisture could be a concern if the dry weather returns. New England: Mild Weather In New England, a mild winter and lack of snow cover brought an earlier than normal spring. Since then, cool weather has delayed bloom to more typical dates for the region. New England has avoided frost problems so far. The southern and central areas have seen some bloom and bees were brought in the first week of May. McIntosh buds in the northern areas are in tight cluster at present. Recent rains have helped bring adequate moisture and the crop potential is good at this time. (from US Apple Association) Indiana Growers Dodge the Frost Bullet: It appears that most Indiana growers were extremely fortunate to have avoided damage from recent cold temperatures. Essentially all fruit crops are at vulnerable stages and damaging temperatures occurred in regions just north and east of our area. There are some reports of injury to apples in the northern part of the state, but there are still plenty of flowers for a full crop. Grapes in Southwest Michigan and Western New York were damaged to varying degrees. In the Lake Erie Grape Belt of western NY and PA significant bud loss was observed. Hans Walter-Peterson reported that temperatures dropped low enough early on the morning of April 26 to inflict some pretty significant bud damage. Based on temperature data taken from several loggers located around the belt, temperatures got as low as 24°F at the cordon height, with temperatures near the surface generally about 1° cooler. Damage assessments are still fairly preliminary because it's only been a few days since this cold event, but reports from several growers and field reps are less than encouraging at this point. Lower spots and blocks were hit particularly hard, with well over 50% primary bud loss in these areas, and some vines approaching 100%, in the Fredonia area. Go to http://lenewa.netsync.net/public/update.htm to see the pictures associated with this article. In the Finger Lakes, Tim Martinson reports sub-freezing temperatures in some areas of the Finger Lakes occurred on 3 nights – April 26, 28 and 29. Buds in the area were still in the bud swell phase, so were safe down to 28 degrees. After checking, it appears that overall bud injury in the Finger Lakes is light, based on phone calls and some vineyard visits. In Southwest Michigan a hard freeze hit juice grapes in southwest Michigan. Temperatures in the early morning hours of April 26 ranged from 24 to 28? F. At the four sites scouted for this report, damage to primary buds ranged from 39% up to 100% and damage to secondary buds ranged from 0% up to 27%. It should be noted that these damage assessments are preliminary and only time will show what the actual damage levels are. Damage was lighter for grapes that weren't as far along (wine grapes and grapes farther north). Calls to growers in northern Indiana indicate that temperatures did not get cold enough to cause significant damage. Fortunately, most wine grapes are just at the bud break stage now. The coldest temperature recorded for the state was 25? F at Angola. Early grapes in that area suffered up to 50% bud damage. Across central and southern areas, temperatures for the most part remained above 30?F. (Bordelon) Topsin M and Indar Receive Section 18 Exemption for Use on Blueberries: EPA has just granted section 18 Specific Exemptions for thiophanate methyl (Topsin M WSB) and fenbuconazole (Indar) fungicides for use on blueberries in Indiana for the 2006 growing season. Indar is used for mummyberry control and Topsin M is used for control of mummy berry disease, Botrytis blossom blight, anthracnose fruit rot, Phomopsis twig blight and canker, and Fusicoccum canker. We realize that the approval comes after the optimum time for use for Indar. It should have been applied at the green tip stage, which is usually about April 1 in north-central Indiana. EPA has new requirements this year regarding endangered species and it took us extra time to get the requests prepared and submitted. Hopefully, EPA has all the data they need to approve general use labels for both these products this year. They have been under consideration for several years. Copies of the supplemental labels must be in the possession of the applicator at the time of application. Versions in printable PDF format are available on the Midwest Small Fruit and Grape Spray Guide website at http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/ext/sfg/ under “Recent Updates” link. If you have questions about section 18 exemptions for pesticides, contact the Indiana State Chemist at 765-494-1587. (Bordelon) Important Grape Sprays: The recent cool, wet conditions and stage of grape growth (1 to 6 inch shoots) are ideal for infection by Phomopsis viticola, the causal agent of Phomopsis Cane and Leaf Spot on grapes. Phomopsis is the first disease to infect shoots each year and is the major cause of late season fruit rots in Indiana (rachis infections cause shelling, or latent capstem infections rot individual berries). Cool, wet conditions increase the risk of severe infection by favoring the fungus and making the grape shoots more susceptible. Applications of protectant fungicides (mancozeb or captan) must be on the plants prior to the start of the infection period. While rainfall will remove some of the applied fungicide, it will likely not remove it all. A rule of thumb is that 1 inch of rain will remove about 50% of the fungicide, so growers should shorten their spray interval in half (from 10 days to 5 days). 2 inches of rainfall will remove most of the fungicide, so reapplication will be necessary as soon as possible. Grapes will be approaching bloom across the state in about 2-4 weeks. The fungicide applications made around the bloom stage are very important for controlling the major fruit pathogens. The immediate pre-bloom (or early bloom) and the first two post bloom applications are the most important sprays for controlling black rot, but also are important for downy and powdery mildew. 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 label rates. This would be a good time to use one of the strobilurin fungicides such as Abound, Sovran, or Pristine. On Botrytis bunch rot susceptible varieties, addition of a botryocide such as Rovral, Vangard, or Elevate in the bloom spray may be beneficial. For a complete discussion of grape pest management refer to the Commercial Small Fruit and Grape Spray Guide (http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/ext/sfg/) and the Midwest Small Fruit Pest Management Handbook (http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~sfgnet/). (Bordelon) Shoot Thinning in Grapes: Annual pruning of grapes is necessary to balance the amount of fruit production with the amount of vegetative growth to insure economic yields of high quality fruit. Pruning severity is based on the strategy of ‘balanced pruning,’ which dictates the correct number of buds to retain, or ‘crop load,’ which determines the number of clusters to retain. Both methods are based on the vine’s pruning weight or ‘vine size’, which is an indication of the vine’s capacity to ripen the crop. Many growers prune vines lightly during the early spring to assure adequate bud number following winter injury, and in case of damage by a late frost or freeze. Now that the danger of frost and freeze is (mostly) over (we hope) and grape shoots are growing rapidly, growers should go back through the vineyard and determine if crop load adjustment is needed. The crop load is adjusted by removing shoots and/or clusters. At this time, shoot thinning is the most important practice. 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 four to six shoots per foot of row. Cluster thinning (removing one or more of the clusters on each shoot) should be delayed until later. Timing depends on desired results. Cluster thinning done before bloom results in the least yield reduction because the remaining cluster(s) generally set more berries. This is desired for seedless table grapes. However, on most wine grapes, and especially tight clustered cultivars, cluster thinning after bloom can result in looser, less rot susceptible clusters. Keeping records of average cluster weights and vine yields can help determine the appropriate amount of fruit to retain now. (Bordelon) Getting the Most out of Early Season Weed Sprays: Fruit growers often apply a post-emergent herbicide beneath the tree or vine row in spring to control winter annuals and early germinating weeds. A pre-emergent herbicide may be included in this application. Glyphosate (Roundup) is a post emergent systemic herbicide that is widely used for this first weed spray. In order for glyphosate to be effective, it needs to be absorbed into the plant. In soft water glyphosate has no problems in being absorbed. However in hard water glyphosate will be ‘tied up’ and not absorbed as readily. Hard water, common in many parts of Indiana, contains high concentrations of soluble salts, especially calcium and magnesium. When these cations are present they react with the negatively charged glyphosate to form compounds that are not readily absorbed by plants. This results in poor uptake and poor weed control. The solution to the hard water problem is to add ammonium sulfate to the spray water before mixing with glyphosate. Ammonium sulfate ions tie up the calcium and magnesium ions forming conjugate salts. Additionally, some of the glyphosate reacts with ammonium to form a compound that some weeds preferentially absorb. Follow the Roundup label recommendations on the amount of ammonium sulfate to add. Another problem associated with spray water quality is that many fungicides and insecticides break down quickly in high pH water. Captan, Imidan, malathion, and Omite are examples of compounds that are especially vulnerable to alkaline hydrolysis. Both the Commercial Tree Fruit and Small Fruit and Grape Spray Guides have a discussion of spray tank pH. Briefly, addition of about 2 ounces of food grade citric acid per 100 gallons of water will lower the pH from about 8.0 to about 5.5. (Bordelon) Apple diseases Apple Scab Now is the time to do a quick scab scouting. I did a quick survey in our unsprayed research plots out at Meig’s Farm and found scab after about 5 min of searching (actually, it was only three, but I didn’t want to brag). Most of these lesions were on the underside of the newly emerged leaves, and probably developed during the infection period that occurred with our rains of mid to late-April. For orchards with low carry over: It’s time to get cracking! For orchards with severe scab—you should already be on your program! It takes about 10 to 17 days from the time of infection by the apple scab pathogen until symptom development of feathery olive to blackish, velvety scab lesions on the upper leaf surface. Tip: The lesions I found on the underside were so young, they were more of a rusty brown color—but contained hundreds if not thousands of spores. A few darker colored lesions on the upper leaf surface were olive-gray. Each mature lesion contains approximately 1,000 to 10,000 spores. These spores, also called conidia, are produced throughout the summer. With untreated leaves producing approximately 10 lesions, and trees producing anywhere from 1000 – 5000 leaves (or more!)… the potential for billions of spores is very real! In addition to my conservative estimate of a gazillion spores, developing fruit (from pink to about 1 month after petal fall) is EXTREMELY susceptible. If, after your survey you found scab: 1). begin a course of SI fungicides like Nova, Procure, Rubigan at full rate (Bayleton, another SI fungicide, does not provide good scab control) 2). tank mixed with Captan OR Mancozeb OR Polyram at the full rate. This program would also be useful if you haven’t found scab yet, but just (no more than 96 hrs prior) went through a scab period. If you haven’t found scab (and you’ve done a good job looking), or you suspect resistance, consider using the strobies or APs instead—they’re excellent protectants that provide outstanding coverage, but their kick-back leaves something to be desired. Just like the SI fungicides, the risk of resistance is real. Don’t forget your tank mix! 1). Procure, Sovran or Flint OR 2). Pristine 3). Vanguard or Scala 4). Tank mixed with Captan OR Mancozeb OR Polyram at the full rate. Scab samples: We are still requesting scab samples from growers around the state. Even if you don’t have a problem controlling scab with your fungicides, having a baseline to evaluate developing or future problems is extremely useful for all apple growers in the Midwest. Please consider sending at least 25 leaves with scab wrapped in only newspaper to Janna Beckerman (see address at the end of this newsletter). These fresh samples are a lot easier to work with, and we are having considerable success isolating the fungus in the laboratory. If all goes well, we hope to have preliminary data to report at the 2007 Horticulture Congress meeting in Indianapolis about the status of fungicide resistance in Indiana. Fire Blight After the heavy rains we’ve experienced in April, wild weather, and history of hail, I’m expecting a bad round of fire blight to develop throughout the state in the next few months. Symptom development should begin around mid-May in southern Indiana, develop in central Indiana in early June, and show up in the northern part of the state by mid June. If you’re a grower in southern Indiana, start scouting today! Remember, the first symptoms of fire blight are the blossom blight symptoms. These usually develop NOW (within bloom to petal fall) and involve the entire cluster of blossoms. Blossoms wilt, turning brown on apple (and black on pear—hence the name “fire blight”!), and die. As the bacteria that causes this disease spreads from flowers to the shoot, tips on young shoots wilt and resemble “shepherd’s crooks.” When scouting, diligently examine young apples (<5-7 yrs old), susceptible cultivars like Braeburn, Gala, Ginger Gold, Ida Red, Jonagold, Mutsu (Crispin) and Rome, and these scions in combination with M-26, M-9 and/or Mark rootstocks and/or interstems. Cut out blighted twigs 10 to 12 inches below symptomatic tissue. Sterilize pruning tools between each cut. Remember: Should severe rainstorms occur (with or without hail) during peak fire blight season (which is now), apply streptomycin ASAP, but within 24 hours. Streptomycin is most effective when applied the day before or the day of an infection event. The growth regulator, Apogee, reduces shoot growth, and indirectly reduces the incidence of fire blight. Refer to Peter’s article in this issue for more information. Powdery Mildew Wet weather may be reducing our powdery mildew incidence, but keep an eye on water sprouts, and shaded limbs, especially on mildew-prone varieties such as Cortland, Ginger Gold, Jonathan, Rome Beauty, and Ida Red. Remember that fungicide protection is needed until terminal buds are set. The SI fungicides (Bayleton, Nova, Rubigan and Procure) and the strobilurins, Sovran, Flint, and Pristine provide excellent protection against the powdery mildews (and rust). Don’t forget to tank-mix or alternate chemistries! Rust Rust never sleeps, and all these never-ending disease management guidelines are probably causing insomnia in many of you! Cedar-apple and cedar-quince rust are producing lovely, gelatinous tendrils, releasing thousands of spores now actively infecting foliage and fruit. The SI fungicides, Nova, Procure, and Rubigan, are excellent in preventing rust problems, as well as providing excellent control of scab and powdery mildew, which is also infecting new leaf tissue, right now! If scab isn’t your problem, then switch to Bayleton, which probably provides the best powdery mildew and rust control of any of the SI fungicides, but falls down on scab. Stone Fruit: Peach Scab Timing sprays to early shuck-split and shuck-fall are essential for peach scab control. Apply the first spray about one week after petal fall and continue to spray on a 7 to 14-day interval until 40 days before harvest. If you’re using Bravo for brown rot control (in addition to scab), be sure to stop at shuck-split, or things can get ugly. See the 2006 Indiana Commercial Tree Fruit Spray Guide for further information. Brown Rot First, check the mummies on your orchard floor for lovely, cup or even wine-glass shaped structures called apothecia. Although probably not present in the southern part of Indiana, they may still be developing in the northern part of the state. These structures produce spores that get the disease started. Finding them means you need to spray to protect blossoms during wet periods. Should these spores produce a successful infection, they go on to produce even more spores when temperatures are from 55 to 77 F in the spring, with optimal temperatures for blossom infection of peach occurring in the 72 to 77 F range (in other words, NOW!). Under these temperature conditions, fruit infections can occur with only three hours of wetness! If brown rot has been a problem, now is the time to monitor. At shuck fall, carefully examine ten shoots for blossom infection on a few randomly chosen trees. A total of one blossom infection per ten shoots indicates moderate risk, and ten or more blossom infections represents a high risk for fruit infection. Several fungicides are labeled for control from pink to shuck split—The 2006 Commercial Tree Fruit Guide lists them, and their corresponding rates. Keep in mind that use of the Pristine will also provide added protection against powdery mildew, too! Blueberries Phomopsis Phomopsis canker and twig blight, caused by the fungus Phomopsis vaccinii, has been and continues to be a serious problem in Indiana. Our mild winter means we wouldn’t anticipate this being a problem this year, and growers with a history of this disease can try to get a jump on eradicating what phomopsis they do have, and really protecting the new green growth, reducing the risk for future problems. If you haven’t already, or even if you started, continue to prune out dead and diseased twigs, even if they are green, and as they develop! Destroy all infected plant material. Protect the new growth from mechanical or chemical injury—these injuries allow the fungus to get into the plant! Use fungicides to protect new canes from infection. The following fungicides are labeled: Topsin M+ Captan or Topsin M+ Ziram Indar + Captan or Ziram Pristine or Cabrio (tank mixed with Captan or Ziram) or rotated with any of the above These fungicides should be applied every 10-14 days from early pink bud through pea-size fruit. Under high pressure, fungicides should be used through August, as spore activity of Phomopsis ceases around September. (Beckerman) Small Business Procurement Workshop This FREE workshop is presented by the State of Indiana in cooperation with the U.S. Small Business Administration. This half-day immersion program is designed to help small businesses begin or expand doing business with government agencies and large corporations in every industry. Experts from the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE, SBDC, Federal, state and local government agencies and major corporations like Lockheed Martin, HP and FedEx will present an intensive, interactive group training session. Wednesday, June 14, 2006 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon Indiana Convention Center – Indianapolis Topics include: * Strategies for accessing government and private sector prime and subcontracting opportunities * Getting registered in CCR to do business with government agencies * Insights on free and necessary resources accessible from the SBA, SCORE, and SBDC * An introduction to and priority registration in the Business Matchmaking Online Network * Effective marketing and sales approaches Go to www.BusinessMatchmaking.com to register FREE for this workshop beginning Monday, May 1, 2006. Purdue/MSU Blueberry IPM Scout Training 2006 and Blueberry Growers of Indiana Spring Meeting The hands-on field scouting workshop will be held at the Pinney Purdue Agricultural Center and area blueberry farms. The Pinney Purdue Agricultural Center is located at 11402 S. County Line Road, Wanatah, IN. Registration fee for those that did not attend the 2-day intensive training program in March will be $35. For those paying, please bring a check payable to Michigan State University. The program will begin at 9:30 am and end at 4:00 pm. Please RSVP to 765-494-8212. The Blueberry Growers of Indiana Spring Meeting and Farm Tour will be held at Bonnell's Blueberry Patch which is located at 3565 S 750 W, North Judson, IN. Cliff and Wanda Bonnell's phone number is 574-896-2266 or 574-896-5365. For more information, contact Melvin Van Kley at 219-956-3687. The tour will begin at 4:00 pm with a potluck dinner at 5:00 pm. Please bring a dish to share. Business meetings following dinner. Upcoming Meetings: June 12: Purdue Wine Grape Summer Workshop and Indiana Winegrowers Guild Meeting. Huber Orchard & Winery, Starlight, IN Contact Jill Blume for more details 765-494-1749, blume@purdue.edu or visit www.indianawines.org June 13: Blueberry Growers of Indiana Summer Meeting and IPM Scout Workshop. Watch future issues for more information. June 27-28: Indiana Horticultural Society and Indiana Farm Market Association summer tour. Full details will be in the next issue of FFF. July 9-11: American Society for Enology & Viticulture-Eastern Section 31st Annual Technical Meeting and Symposium. Rochester, NY. Watch future issues for more information.