FFF06-05 June 16, 2006 Crop Conditions: Warm conditions with adequate moisture have resulted in good tree and fruit development. In Lafayette apples are around 30-35 mm in diameter. Blueberry and raspberry harvest is underway in southern areas, and will start soon across the rest of the state. Quality looks very good. Strawberry harvest is well underway statewide. Grape bloom is just finishing in the Lafayette area and set looks to be very good. IHS/IFMA Summer Meeting: In the last issue of FFF, I forgot to mention that the summer meeting of the Indiana Horticultural Society is in conjunction with the Indiana Farm Market Association. In the last few years, farm marketing has been given more prominence as we have recognized its important role, and we aim to continue that. Purdue's specialty crops marketing specialist, Jennifer Dennis, will lead a discussion of marketing aspects of the operations we will visit during the summer tour. For more details on the summer meeting, refer to the previous issue of FFF or go to: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/fruitveg/ (Hirst) Leaf Yellowing in Honeycrisp: Since the early days of Honeycrisp, growers of this variety have been concerned about a leaf disorder that shows up about the middle of the growing season. Typically, leaves become thick and leathery, and turn lighter green, yellow, or even brown later in the season. These symptoms were similar to damage caused by potato leafhoppers, but research by Jim Schupp and others in New York showed that trees protected from leaf-hoppers still exhibited the disorder. The leaf yellowing symptoms typically show up about the time that shoots stop growing and are more severe on trees with a light crop. As leaves produce carbohydrates from photosynthesis, these carbohydrates need to be transported to other parts of the tree where they are needed, such as developing fruit and roots. Dr. Lailiang Cheng and his coworkers at Cornell University found that Honeycrisp has trouble transporting carbohydrates out of leaves, and therefore they accumulate. The leaf responds by reducing the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves, leading to yellow leaves. The best remedy is to leave a moderate crop load on the tree to reduce the yellowing, but thinning must be done early to avoid biennial bearing. (Hirst) The Future of Guthion on Apples: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached a preliminary decision to phase out the use of azinphos methyl (Guthion) on apples by 2010. Apple growers will be required to incorporate additional mitigation measures, such as increased buffers, in the years preceding the phase out. Additionally, EPA plans to increase the reentry interval for Imidan from 3 to 7 days. A 60-day comment period will provide an opportunity for comment on the impact of EPA's preliminary decisions. We will keep you posted on these developments as more information becomes available. (Foster) Causes of Early Summer Leaf Spots, Part I: Leaf spots on fruit trees are caused by a wide variety of pathogens and abiotic factors. Most growers can identify typical leaf lesions caused by apple scab, cedar apple rust, powdery mildew, and cherry leaf spot. However, when leaves develop small, nondescript brown leaf spots or small shot holes, even experienced plant pathologists often have difficulty identifying the causes. Fortunately, the nondescript leaf spot diseases in the northeastern United States rarely cause economic losses, even when their appearance temporarily disfigures the tree canopy. The fungi causing apple leaf spot diseases either do not have secondary cycles on leaves or they are easily controlled with fungicides and appear only when fungicide protection is disrupted by extended spring rain events. Abiotic leaf spots that develop shortly after petal fall are often attributable to agrichemical mixtures that have caused localized phytotoxicity. Following are some of the most common causes of early season leaf spots and clues for determining their causes. This article focuses on leaf spots that may appear in May, June, and July. Leaf spots with other causes and symptoms sometimes appear during August and September, but they will not be discussed here. Frog-eye leaf spot, caused by Botryosphaeria obtusa, is the stereotypical leaf spot disease on apples. Frog-eye leaf spots are round, dark brown spots, 2-5 mm in diameter, with an almost black border and a tan center. Individual leaves may have a single spot or as many as 30 to 50 spots. Frog- eye can usually be differentiated from other kinds of leaf spots by its non-random distribution and its association with nearby inoculum sources. In sprayed orchards, frog- eye leaf spots are usually concentrated in the vicinity of mummified fruitlets that were retained after fruit thinning. Fruitlet mummies can be colonized by B. obtusa and then provide inoculum for infecting the leaves the following season. Splashing rain between tight cluster and about second cover disperses spores. Frog-eye is most common on apple cultivars such as Cortland, Northern Spy, and Honeycrisp, which retain many fruitlets after chemical thinning. However, all cultivars may retain thinned fruit in years when weather conditions fail to promote rapid abscission of thinned fruitlets. Frog-eye leaf spot may cause premature drop of severely affected leaves, but most damage from frog-eye is cosmetic. The same fungus that causes frog-eye leaf spot also causes black rot fruit decay, but there is no evidence that leaf spots contribute to fruit infection. Instead, the inoculum for fruit infection comes from the same fruit mummies that provide the inoculum for leaf infection. Thus, frog-eye on leaves can be viewed as an indicator for conditions that may have favored infection of fruit, but the leaves themselves do not contribute directly to the development of black rot on fruit. Black rot infections in fruit may remain quiescent until fruit ripen because green fruit contain inhibitors that prevent fungal growth. Most fungicides control frog-eye leaf spot, but the SI fungicides (Rubigan, Nova, Procure) and the 3 lb/A rates of mancozeb or Polyram are less effective than captan, Flint, and Sovran. The fungicide program that was used the previous season may affect severity of leaf spotting around fruitlet mummies. This is, because fungicides used after thinning may prevent the fruitlets from becoming infected as they dry out during summer. However, the relationship between spray programs, colonization of retained fruitlets by B. obtusa, and inoculum levels within trees has not been documented for most of the fungicides currently available. Rust-induced leaf spots develop when cedar apple rust and hawthorn rust infections are killed either by subsequent application of SI fungicides or by host incompatibility reactions. SI fungicides applied within 96 hours of the start of wetting periods will eliminate rust infections before they can cause visible damage to leaves. However, if SI fungicides are applied more than 4 days after infection, leaf cells invaded by the rust fungi will die even though the rust fungus is eradicated. These killed leaf cells result in small 1-2 mm diameter leaf spots that are tan or brown, sometimes with a tiny orange rust fleck in the center of the leaf spot. Similar lesions can appear on McIntosh, Empire, Liberty, and other rust-resistant cultivars if trees are subjected to high levels of rust inoculum in the absence of fungicide protection. On the rust-resistant cultivars, fungal development is arrested by the genetic resistance of the host rather than by fungicide activity, but the resulting leaf spots are similar. Leaf cells killed by the initial phases of rust infections provide an entry point for other less-pathogenic leaf spot pathogens such as Botryosphaeria, Alternaria, or Phomopsis species. These fungi invade cells killed or damaged by failed rust infections and then move into adjacent healthy tissue, thereby enlarging the leaf spots until the individual lesions look like frog-eye leaf spots. Rust- induced leaf spots can be distinguished from frog-eye leaf spots because the former are uniformly distributed throughout tree canopies, whereas the latter are clustered near inoculum sources. Sometimes the original orange- yellow rust lesion remains visible in the center of rust induced leaf spots, whereas frog-eye leaf spots never have such bright orange centers. Other leaf spots resulting from fungus-fungicide interactions can develop when SI fungicides, strobilurin fungicides (Sovran, Flint, Pristine), or Topsin M are applied to leaves that contain incubating apple scab or mildew lesions. Scab spots that are arrested during the early part of the incubation period (roughly 5 to 8 days after infection) can produce "ghost lesions." Ghost lesions are indistinct pale spots 2-3 mm in diameter that develop where the scab fungus has disrupted normal cell function before the fungus was inactivated by the fungicide. The same fungicides applied just before scab lesions become visible can result in rusty, red-brown lesions that exhibit the usual size and shape of normal scab spots. Post-infection application of the SIs and strobilurins can also cause "burned out" mildew lesions on leaves. Mildew lesions arrested by fungicides can appear on the upper leaf surface as large chlorotic lesions with indistinct margins, or on the lower leaf surface as more sharply-defined red blotches. Portions of the leaf compromised by mildew may be more susceptible to subsequent invasion by secondary pathogens that may cause necrotic spots or larger irregular areas of leaf necrosis. Alternaria leaf spot appears as brown spots similar in size to frog-eye leaf spots. Alternaria species can be isolated from leaf spots in many orchards, especially in late summer, but Alternaria leaf spot does not cause economic damage in the northeast. In most cases, Alternaria is a secondary invader of damaged leaf tissue. In North Carolina and Virginia, however, a severe form of leaf spotting known as Alternaria blotch spreads rapidly during summer and causes premature defoliation of affected trees. Delicious is particularly susceptible. The strain of Alternaria mali that causes defoliation in the southeast may be different from the common Alternaria mali present in northeastern orchards. None of our fungicides are very effective for preventing Alternaria leaf spot or Alternaria blotch. Causes of Early Summer Leaf Spots, Part II; Phytotoxicity: Leaf spotting caused by phytotoxicity from pesticide sprays can be confused with leaf spotting diseases caused by fungi. Phytotoxicity may result when pesticides are applied at inappropriate rates, under unusual environmental conditions, or in untested mixtures with other products. It is impossible to list all of the potential materials or mixtures that might cause phytotoxicity because no one can evaluate all of the combinations that fruit growers mix in a spray tank, or to duplicate all of the foliage and environmental conditions that occur in orchards. Some of the more common culprits of phytotoxicity are listed below. Captan is a potent fungicide on leaf surfaces, but captan is phytotoxic when it moves inside leaves or fruit. Most growers know that captan, if applied shortly before or after an oil spray, can cause severe leaf spotting, especially on Delicious. There is no set delay that can be used for separating captan sprays and oil sprays because leaf condition at the time of application, rates of the two products, and varietal susceptibility to captan make a simple answer impossible. Captan-oil leaf spotting occurs because oil acts as an emulsifier that enables captan to diffuse into leaf cells. Even in the absence of oil, captan penetrates leaves more easily when leaves have developed under extended periods of cloudy, cool weather, because sunlight and dry conditions are required to stimulate development of the cuticle layer that prevents captan from reaching leaf cells. As might be expected, leaf spotting caused by captan-oil interactions is also more severe and the period of susceptibility is more extended when cloudy weather has limited cuticle development. Captan-related leaf spotting can also occur when captan is tank-mixed with other products that are formulated with special wetting agents or penetrants. The captan label specifically states "The use of spreaders that cause excessive wetting is not advised." Captan almost always causes some leaf spotting and/or shot- holing on captan-sensitive cultivars of sweet cherry and plum. The severity of the injury varies with the prior weather conditions and resulting leaf condition at the time of application. Leaf injury can be especially severe if captan is applied following cloudy, cool weather during a period of rapid shoot growth. Over the past 20 years, I have seen cases of leaf spotting that have been traced to applications of various other pesticides, including Sevin XLR, Guthion, Lorsban, and Asana. In some cases, these products had been applied in mixtures with captan, whereas other cases involved mixtures with other pesticides. Most of these incidents did not result in serious leaf damage, and they are cited here only to illustrate that many different pesticides may cause phytotoxic leaf spotting under certain conditions. In some cases, unusual sequences of pesticide combinations may contribute to phytotoxicity. Last week I visited an orchard with rather severe leaf spotting on mature Red Delicious trees where a tank-mix of Azinphos-methyl plus urea was applied in mid-May and was followed four days later with an application of Agrimek plus 1 gal of summer oil per acre. Adjacent Rome and Spartan trees showed very little injury, and no injury was evident in other orchard blocks that received the first spray of Azinphos-methyl plus urea but not the follow-up spray of Agrimek plus oil. I suspect that the urea softened the leaves enough to allow increased uptake of oil or of oil plus Azinphos-methyl residues when the second spray was applied 4 days after the first spray. Cool, cloudy conditions throughout mid-May was also a contributing factor. As noted on the product label, Sovran can cause leaf spotting on some sweet cherry cultivars. I have seen this damage on several farms where cherries were growing adjacent to apple trees that had been sprayed with Sovran. The strobilurin fungicide azoxystrobin (Abound, Quadris, Heritage) is extremely phytotoxic to McIntosh, Gala, and some other apple cultivars. Drift from azoxystrobin applied to other crops can cause a leaf spotting on McIntosh that is indistinguishable from frog-eye leaf spot. Higher concentrations (as may result from residues left in a sprayer when switching from one crop to another) will cause extensive necrosis of leaf tissue and browning or russetting of the skin on apple fruit. The large number of labeled uses for azoxystrobin raises the probability that apple growers in the northeast will experience occasional problems due to off-site drift of azoxystrobin. Azoxystrobin injury should be easy to diagnose because the leaf spotting will appear suddenly, will be evenly distributed throughout the canopy, and will occur only on McIntosh, Gala, and other Mac-related cultivars, whereas adjacent cultivars will be completely unaffected. The varietal susceptibility of apples to azoxystrobin injury is a useful distinguishing characteristic, because no other pesticide or fungal pathogen that might cause leaf spotting on apples would be similarly delimited by cultivar. Gramoxone herbicide drifting onto apple leaves can cause a brilliant yellow leaf spot although the spots eventually turn brown and necrotic. Injury from herbicide drift is often more prevalent on low branches, but small spray droplets can drift throughout a tree canopy, sometimes causing an even distribution of leaf spotting that one might not associate with herbicide drift. Mixing a drift inhibitor with the herbicide can reduce the potential for foliage injury with gramoxone. Drift inhibitors reduce the production of small spray droplets that are easily carried into the tree canopy by even the slightest breeze. Summary: In commercial orchards that receive timely fungicide applications, most early season leaf spots are attributable to injury from agrichemical sprays. Risks of encountering phytotoxicity on leaves can usually be reduced by using proper sprayer calibration, following label restrictions on pesticide mixtures, and by keeping spray mixtures as simple as possible. The latter includes avoidance of untested mixtures of pesticides, micronutrients, and plant growth regulators, and avoidance of spray adjuvants not specifically required by either pesticide labels, unique water quality or other application conditions. Special care is required in years when the spring growth flush after bloom coincides with an extended period of cloudy, cool weather, because leaves that develop under those conditions are especially susceptible to injury by pesticide applications. For color photos of many of the symptoms discussed, visit the Scaffolds newsletter website: http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/scaffolds/2006/ (Dave Rosenberger, Cornell University) Food Science Workshops: The Department of Food Science at Purdue is holding a number of workshops in the coming months that may be of interest to readers. Workshops are in the areas of: � Retail food safety � Essentials of Food Safety and Sanitation Program Information � ServSafe Program � An Introduction to Starting a Specialty Food or Food Ingredient Business in Indiana Workshops are offered on different dates at various locations around the state. For more information, refer to http://www.foodsci.purdue.edu/outreach I-9 Employment Eligibility Reverification: Mid American Ag and Hort Services (MAAHS) continues to inform employers about legal workforce issues in light of increased enforcement measures by the Department of Homeland Security and public attention in general to immigration issues. Most of the information below was taken directly from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employer Information Bulletin 102. This bulletin reviews the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Process and may be found at www.uscis.gov. Reverification Requirement: Employers are required to reverify employment eligibility when an employee's employment authorization indicated in Section 1 or evidence of employment authorization recorded in Section 2 has expired. An employer may also reverify employment authorization, in lieu of completing a new Form I-9, when an employee is rehired within three years of the date that the Form I-9 was originally completed and the employee's work authorization or evidence of work authorization has expired. Important: Most employers find it useful to institute a system that reminds them automatically, in advance, that a given employee's authorization document will expire. Advance warning assists both employees and employers, since early notice will usually allow employees time to renew the authorization prior to the expiration date and avoid penalties for employers. Enough advance warning is important so that the employee can apply for and receive replacement documents in time to maintain uninterrupted employment. Note that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' processing of applications for work authorization or evidence of work authorization can take up to 90 days. Reverification Process: Employers must reverify employment authorization on Section 3 of the Form I-9, or complete a new Form I-9 to be attached to the original Form I-9, no later than the date that employment authorization or employment authorization documentation expires. To reverify expired status (Section 1) and/or expired work authorization document(s) (Section 2), an employee may present any currently valid document from List A or List C. Remember: Receipts showing that the employee has applied for an extension of an expired employment authorization document are not acceptable. Note: Employees are not required to present, for reverification purposes, a new version of the same document that was presented to satisfy Section 2 but subsequently expired. Any document or combination of documents that would be acceptable to demonstrate work eligibility/authorization under Section 2 may be presented for reverification purposes. It is the employee's choice as to which document to present. Where Reverification is Not Required: Permanent Resident Cards (also known as Alien Registration Receipt cards, Forms I-551, Resident Alien Cards, Permanent Resident Cards, or "Green Cards") are issued to lawful permanent residents and conditional residents and should not be reverified when the cards expire. Temporary evidence of permanent resident status in the form of a temporary I-551 ADIT stamp in an unexpired foreign passport is subject to reverification. This is because of the temporary nature of this document. Likewise, documents from List B need not be reverified when they expire. In fact, documents from List B are acceptable even if they have already expired at the time that they are initially shown. Rehires: Employers may reverify information for an employee rehired within 3 years of the date of the initial execution of the Form I-9 as an alternative to completing a new Form I-9. If the rehired employee's basis for employment eligibility, as listed on the retained Form I-9, remains the same, the employer must update the previously completed Form I-9. If the basis for work eligibility has expired, the employer must reverify. To update or reverify on the previously completed Form I-9, employers must complete Section 3 items A (name), B (date of rehire), and C (new documentation) in full, as applicable. In this section, as in Section 2, it is important that the person who actually examines the documents on behalf of the employer personally sign and date the attestation provision at the bottom of the form. To Update: Employers should record the date of rehire; sign and date Section 3 of the previously completed Form I- 9 or complete a new Form I-9. To Reverify: Employers should record the date of rehire, record the document title, number, and expiration date (if any) of documentation presented to reverify expired work authorization or work authorization documentation, sign, and date Section 3 of the previously completed Form I-9. A new Form I-9 may be completed instead. Note: Documentation for reverification purposes may be the renewed version of the originally presented document or any other acceptable document from List A or List C that demonstrates current work eligibility/authorization. List B documents do not need to be updated or reverified, even if expired. Rehire vs. Continuing Employee: An individual is considered to be continuing in employment rather than a rehire if he reasonably expected to resume employment and: (1) was on a paid or unpaid temporary leave of absence approved by the employer; (2) was promoted or demoted; (3) was temporarily laid off due to lack of work; (4) was on strike or in a labor dispute; (5) was reinstated by a court or settlement after a wrongful termination; (6) was transferred from one distinct unit of the employer to another; (7) continues employment with a related, successor or reorganized employer; or (8) is engaged in seasonal employment. (John Wargowsky, Mid American Ag and Hort Services) Noted Cornell Viticulturist, Robert M. Pool, Remembered: Geneva, NY: Robert M. Pool, professor emeritus of viticulture at Cornell University, died at his home on Saturday, June 10, after a long illness. Over the course of his distinguished career, Pool's research, extension work and teaching contributed significantly to the science and practice of viticulture, and positively influenced New York's wine and grape industries. "Throughout Bob Pool's career, he provided leadership in areas of viticultural research that had many positive impacts on the New York wine industry," said Thomas J. Burr, director of the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, N.Y. "His work elevated the stature of viticulture at Cornell and earned him the respect and friendship of grape researchers worldwide. Bob will also be remembered as a highly effective and caring teacher and mentor who touched the lives of many Cornell students." Pool's primary research interests included: mechanization of pruning, crop level as it affects grape and wine quality, sustainable viticulture, vineyard floor management and weed control, the effects of cultural practices and rootstocks on cold hardiness, interaction of disease (fungal, bacterial and viral), and vine productivity. Pool was active in developing national grape germplasm repositories at Davis, California, and Geneva. He formed, and, for 10 years, chaired the Grape Commodity Advisory Committee to the National Plant Germplasm Committee. He served on the advisory committees of New York's regional grape extension specialists, on Cornell University's statewide fruit extension committee, and was an active participant in writing extension publications, organizing research tours and presentations, and training extension agents. In July of 1997, Pool received the Cantarelli Prize for 1995-96 from the Italian Academy of Vine and Wine. The award was given in recognition of Pool's outstanding and original contributions to research in the mechanical regulation of crop load and fruit quality in grapes, as well as the impact and consequences of his work on the reduction of production costs for the vine and wine industry. "Bob always managed to balance industry needs with practical trials involving varieties and clones new to the region as well as other trials involving viticultural practices that could be easily implemented in area vineyards," said Dave Peterson of Swedish Hill Winery. "His work on mechanical pruning and thinning changed a method that had first appeared to be short-termed and headed toward running a vineyard into the ground, into a more sustainable practice. His insight into practices that incorporated quality and economic reality were all- encompassing and led to solutions that helped industry not only survive in difficult times, but prosper." "Viticultural research has been a vital part of the New York grape industry's evolution, and Bob Pool has been a leading force in that area," said Jim Trezise, president of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation. "His projects have covered a very broad range of issues of importance to grape growers, and the results of his research have been published in parts of the world well beyond New York." Pool was born in Sacramento, California in 1940 and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He graduated from the University of California, Davis with degrees in enology and food science, received his Ph.D. in pomology from Cornell in 1974 and joined the Cornell faculty as an assistant professor of viticulture. He was named professor in 1988. He was a member of the American Society of Viticulture and Enology, International Society for Horticultural Science, and the American Society for Horticultural Sciences. Pool recently realized a lifelong dream by opening his own vineyard and winery, Billsboro, in Geneva, N.Y., which features several varietals. He was proudest of his Pinot noir wines, made from a clonal selection based on his research. Pool was an active member of the Presbyterian Church, in Geneva, where he sang in the choir, served several terms as Elder and chaired the Mission Committee. He also enjoyed singing with the Community Chorus and the MLK Choir. He will long be remembered as a generous host and gourmet cook who loved sharing good food and wine with friends and family. Pool is survived by his wife of 25 years, Jennifer Morris, his sons Ron and Alex of Geneva, his daughter Margaret (Bruce) Mills of N. Palm Beach, FL; two sisters, Margaret Baker of Castro Valley, CA; and Judy (Jack) Langdon of Knaresborough, England; three grandchildren, several nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews. He was pre- deceased by his parents and a sister Shirley. Memorial contributions may be made in Pool's name to the Mission Committee Fund for Youth Mentoring, care of the Presbyterian Church, 24 Park Place, Geneva, NY 14456. (By Joe Ogrodnick) Wine Grape Summer Workshop: The Purdue Wine Grape Team held it's summer grape and wine workshop at Huber's Orchard & Winery near Starlight on Monday June 12. About 70 people attended the event. The weather was perfect, the lunch was delicious, and the group thoroughly enjoyed the day. A special thanks to Ted, Dana, Greg, Jason, and all the staff at Huber's for hosting this annual event. (Bordelon) Blueberry IPM Workshop and Blueberry Growers of Indiana Spring Meeting: Purdue teamed up with Michigan State University to offer a Blueberry IPM Scout Training Workshop on Tuesday, June 13. About 30 people attended the training to get hands-on experience scouting diseases, insects and weeds in blueberries. Thanks to Jon Leuk at the Pinney Purdue Agriculture Center in Wanatah for hosting the morning session, and Lou and Jennifer Van Meter of Blue Sky Berry Farm, and Pat and Kevin Goin of Goin's Berry Farm for hosting the afternoon sessions. And special thanks to the staff of Michigan State University for traveling down to our corner of the world to share their expertise. Following the IPM Workshop, the Blueberry Growers of Indiana held it's annual Spring Meeting and Farm Tour, hosted by Cliff and Wanda Bonnell at Bonnell's Blueberry Patch near North Judson, IN. Cliff and Wanda put in lots of hours mowing and trimming to get their planting into top shape for the workshop. Everything looked great! The potluck dinner was excellent, with an array of delicious desserts to sample. The Blueberry Growers of Indiana made their annual crop estimate. Production this year is expected to be about the same as last year at about 3.5 million pounds of blueberries. About 2.5 million of those will be sold fresh and 1 million will go to processing. Prices for blueberries are very strong right now and supplies are relatively low, so, if all goes well, this should be a good year for blueberry producers in the region. (Bordelon) Skin Cancer: With many of us working outside in the sun, we need to stay alert to spot the signs of skin cancer. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, accounting for almost half of all cancers. More than 1 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are found in this country each year. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 62,000 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the United States during 2006. Melanoma is a cancer that begins in the melanocytes - the cells that produce the skin coloring or pigment known as melanin. If melanomas are detected early, the 5-year survival rate is 98%, but if left undetected and only found later, the survival rate drops to 16%. In 2006, about 11,000 people in the US will die from skin cancer (7,910 from melanoma and 2,800 from other skin cancers). The risk factors include: � Unprotected and/or excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation � Fair complexion � Occupational exposures to coal tar, pitch, creosote, arsenic compounds, or radium � Family history � Multiple or atypical moles � Severe sunburns as a child The signs and symptoms of skin cancer include: � Any change on the skin, especially in the size or color of a mole or other darkly pigmented growth or spot, or a new growth � Scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or change in the appearance of a bump or nodule � The spread of pigmentation beyond its border such as dark coloring that spreads past the edge of a mole or mark � A change in sensation, itchiness, tenderness, or pain The best ways to lower the risk of skin cancer is to practice sun safety: � Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (ok, maybe this is not practical for those working outdoors, but read on) � Seek shade: Look for shade, especially in the middle of the day when the sun's rays are strongest. Practice the shadow rule and teach it to children. If your shadow is shorter than you, the sun's rays are at their strongest. � Slip on a shirt: Cover up with protective clothing to guard as much skin as possible when you are out in the sun. Choose comfortable clothes made of tightly woven fabrics that you cannot see through when held up to a light. � Slop on sunscreen: Use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. Apply a generous amount (about a palm full) and reapply after swimming, toweling dry, or perspiring. Use sunscreen even on hazy or overcast days. � Slap on a hat: Cover your head with a wide-brimmed hat, shading your face, ears, and neck. If you choose a baseball cap, remember to protect your ears and neck with sunscreen. � Wear sunglasses with 99% to 100% UV absorption to provide optimal protection for the eyes and the surrounding skin. � Follow these practices to protect your skin even on cloudy or overcast days. UV rays travel through clouds. In farming, it may be impossible to avoid exposure to the sun. However some of the steps listed above can be followed to reduce the harmful effects of the sun. And if you do spot something suspicious on your skin, get it checked out by a medical professional immediately. (Hirst, with info from the American Cancer Society) Upcoming Meetings: June 27-28. Indiana Horticultural Society summer meeting. For complete information, refer to the last issue of FFF or http://www.hort.purdue.edu/fruitveg July 9-11: American Society for Enology & Viticulture- Eastern Section 31st Annual Technical Meeting and Symposium. Rochester, NY. For complete information, program and registration, visit the ASEV-ES web site at http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/fst/asev/