Fruit rot is grower’s problem
Hy MKMSSA IMPKII
LANCASTKIt ■ Although a
fresh layer of snow hud
covered any sign of greenery
this week, vegetable growers
from the area were already
discussing spring planting at
a meeting held here on
Wednesday.
Sponsored by the Lan
caster, York, Dauphin and
Lebanon County extension
services, the regional
vegetable growers meeting
featured a slate of speakers
from Penn State.
Dr. Peter Fcrretti, ex
tension specialist, took the
platform during the morning
session of the program,
discussing strawberries -
their production and
protection.
Noting that strawberries
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Lancaster 393-3906
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were a commodity raised In
great numbers in the region.
Ferrelli named weed control
as the worst problem
associated with the fruit
"I think we need to lake a
lesson from the corn
growers," he explained
"Weed control has become
an important part of growing
corn just as it has with many
fruits - namely strawberries,
the better equipped we
become to handle weed
control the better off we'll
be ”
Ferretti told the growers
that obtaining good plants
from the nursery' played an
important role in harvesting
a good crop. "If you get good
plants in the beginning,
you’ve won half the battle.”
“Look plants over before
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accepting them tin cl if eh«*y
don’l meet your st.u nclards,
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vegetables specialist added
Included in hia suggestions
for more profitable crop
harvests, Ferrettl reminded
the growers to plant early for
better production next year.
‘The berries planted in
June will have a much belter
harvest the next year,” he
noted, “those planted in
September and October
really produce less."
Ferretti also stressed the
importance of mulching in
the fall. “Mulching really
helps a lot because it
prevents heaving and frost
injury, but it must be done at
the proper time.” Deer
season is usually the lime for
strawberry mulching but
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Ferretti explained that the
change in color of the plant
itself was a much belter
indicator
The Penn Stale specialist
explained that pH changes in
the soil and herbicide
reactions also led to
problems with the berries
and that careful
management practices were
essential for good plentiful
crops.
Relating his feelings on
vine fruit pollination,
Ferretti spoke on using bee
colonies in the fields for an
extra amount of pollination.
“Bees can add up to 25
percent more production
because of their pollination,”
he explained. "Especially in
lima beans, the bees are
quite efficient.”
Every grower has ex
perienced problems with
fruit rot in both fruit and
vegetable production and
Dr. Alan McNab, extension
plant pathologist from Penn
State, was on hand to discuss
the problem.
Identifying fruit rot as a
fungus related disease,
McNab told the growers that
management in the fields
was an important part of
keeping the rot at a
minimum.
“The fungus can live only
on dead tissues,” he noted,
“so when frost kills the
berries or when moisture
builds up the rotting oc
curs.”
McNab told the producers
that spacing when planting
was important so that
overgrowth could not hold in
the moisture.
The plant pathologist then
turned his talk to the subject
of pumpkin growing.
“Raising pumpkins is really
concentrated in this area and
fruit rot is often a problem.”
McNab explained that
protection against the
pumpkin fruit rot was a
problem as it was difficult to
obtain good spray coverage.
“The vines are really too
dense to aid in spraying and
poor drainage often hurts
just as much.”
McNab suggested that
growers use high resistant
pumpkins, (which are the
smaller varieties) use
fungicides when possible and
avoid injuries when har
vesting. Also pre-storage
curing by heat treatments
were offered as a possible
help in reducing the disease
incidence.
354-4191
Fruit Rot
Discussed
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RD2, Mount Joy, PA
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday. Jan. 24,1976 —
Cubbngr Maggot
great problem
The Cabbage Hot Maggot
received top honors for
posing the worst insect
problem of 1975, with the
award being jointly offered
by Dr Robert Tctraull. Penn
State extension specialist
and John Smith, county
agent in York.
“Insects are closely
related to the weather
conditions,” Tetrault
noted," and this proved to be
an excellent year for the
cabbage rot maggot'”
Smith echoed the thought
by acknowledging that the
insects had presented quite a
problem due to the unusually
wet season during the past
year.
The corn flea bettle
received second place on the
notorious list of insect
problems, although Tetrault
noted that they had been
“more easy to control even
though they came in a
healthy second.”
Tetrault explained that the
cabbage maggot often kills
seedling plants by feeding on
the roots or severly injuring
the roots which results in
weak plants. “A seasonal
spray program for cabbage
and other cole crop insects is
the only effective means of
Milk hearing slated
Public hearing sessions
beginning February 17 will
be held to consider proposed
amendments to the New
York - New Jersey federal
milk marketing order, the
U.S. Department of
Agriculture announced. The
major proposals involve
various transportation
allowances under the order.
H. L. Forest, dairy official
with USDA’s Agricultural
Marketing Service (AMS),
said the Feb. 17 session will
begin at 1:30 p.m. in the
Hotel Commodore, 42nd St.
and Lexington Ave., New
York City. An additional
session will be held in
Syracuse, beginning Feb. 23
at 10:00 a.m. in the Sheraton
Inn, N. 7th St. and Elec
tronics Pkwy.
The thrust of the key
proposals is three-fold,
Forest said. If adopted,
individual producers would
have to bear more of the
farm-to-plant hauling cost.
Under the present township
(or farm point) pricing
unique to this market
handlers and cooperatives
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keeping plants free from
inserts." hr explained
Tetrault told the growers
that a preventive tran
splanter water treatment is
recommended for all plants
set in the field however, he
cautioned about using
wcltable nowders in the
correct manner, "agitation
of solutions is necessary to
prevent settling out of
wctablc powders,"
Tetrault concluded his
portion of the program by
giving recommendations for
the various herbicides and
how they could be handled
for better insect protection.
Arnold Lueck, extension
agent in Lancaster, served
as program chairman for the
morning session of the
program and discussed the
laws concerning pesticide
application. Lueck reminded
growers that pesticide
courses and exams should be
taken as soon as possible to
abide with the programs set
forth in the state.
John Smith, York ex
tension agent, served as the
chairman for the afternoon
session of the vegetable
growers conference. About
100 producers from all over
the eastern section of the
state were in attendance.
who pick up milk at the farm
bear most of this cost.
In addition, the proposals
are intended to equalize the
cost of milk to all handlers in
the market, regardless of
their location or whether
they obtain their milk on a
direct-ship basis or through
supply plants.
Also, the proposals would
allow distributors in the New
York City area to better
compete with regulated
handlers in the nearby
Philadelphia area for fluid
milk sales in northern New
Jersey.
USDA will evaluate the
hearing evidence and decide
whether the proposed
changes should be made.
Flood control
meeting set
Three sponsoring agencies
(Manheim Boro' Council,
Lancaster County Com
missioners and the Lan
caster County Conservation
District) for the Chickes
Creek Flood Control will hold
a meeting on Monday Jan. 26
at the Farm And Home
Center. ■
The meeting will begin at
7:30 p.m. and will be held in
the training room.
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17