Fruitgrowers discuss pest control, peach vote
ORRTANNA Pest control, a
proposal to raise funds for peach
research, and a review of
operations in the Department of
Entomology at Penn State were
topics considered when the Adams
County fruitgrowers met on May 8.
James Bucher of Bendersville,
President of the grower’s
organization, presided.
Hosted by Hall Brothers Fruit
Farm, R 1 Orrtanna, the meeting
covened at 6:30 p.m. for an or
chard tour. Serving as guides,
Harry and Paul Hall described
their diversified family farm
operation which includes the
production of potatoes, sweet com
and field crops, the finishing of
beef cattle and the production of
apples and peaches. A significant
amount of the fruit and vegetables
is sold at the farm.
Larry Hull, entomologist at the
Penn State Fruit Research
Laboratory, cited the Hall
Brothers for their cooperation in
his research programs into in
tegrated pest management, tufted
apple bud moth, and the testing of
new pesticides. Reminding the
growers not to apply insecticides
during bloom, Hull encouraged
daily inspections of orchard blocks
to evaluate the completeness of
Generator Sets
Manufactured for Agriculture
POWER
•Air CooledOaits: 2 - 20 KW
Maxi-Power Generator has over 325 automatic
units in South Eastern Pa. Why not check with
the leader before buying!
Sales
Service
Rental
Used Units
Trade In
Allowances
Switch Gear
- THE ORIGINATOR OF AGRICULTURE SWITCH GEAR - ]
MAXI-POWER GENERATORS
\ ( I 330 FONDERWHITE RD, LEBANON, PA 17042
717-274 1483
POWER * RADIO DISPATCHED TRUCKS ★ 24 HOUR SERVICE
0S&0'
insect control to date.
“If you find an average of one or
two curled leaf clusters, spray for
rosy apples aphid in petal fall”,
said Hull. Overwintering red mite
eggs began hatching April 29.
Where oil sprays were not applied
or synthetic pyrethroids not used
last fall, a petalfall spray is
recommended. Sprays at this time
are also important for control of
white apple leafhopper, spotted
tentaform leafminer and red
banded leafhopper.
Hull reminded the growers to
make daily inspection of newly
planted trees for the presence of
gypsy moth. These will blow in
with air currents. By mid-June the
larva will be capable of eating all
the leaves on a small tree in one
day.
Disease outlook
“A cool, wet spring has provided
optimum conditions for peach leaf
curl” said James Travis, Ex
tension Plant Pathologist. This
disease is already developing on
trees which were not sprayed in
the dormant season or where
coverage was inadequate. “It is
too late now” said Travis,
reminding the growers that
treatment must be applied in the
period from leaf crop up until bud
break in the spring.
“Wet weather conditions' have
been favorable for disease” said
Travis. He cited scab infection
periods on or about April 14; April
22; April 28-29; May 3; and May 6-
8. Cool temperatures have slowed
spor6 maturation with the primary
infection period expected to
continue another four weeks.
“Stone fruit trees under stress
are more susceptible to invasion
by cytospora canker” continued
Travis. He reminded the growers
of the special stress created by
droughts in 1982 and 1983 and the
low temperatures of the recent
winter.
•Water Cooled Units: 7.5 -1000. KW.
“Keep your trees growing well,
prune your trees in April and apply
fungicide immediately following
pruning” he added.
“Regular use of chemical
thinners will result in larger apples
which are more acceptable in the
market place” said Robert
Crassweller, Extension
Pomologist from Penn State. He
urged the growers to make their
decision on when to apply thinners
on the basis of measured size and
to follow up with some hand
thinning if possible.
Current issues
“Two factors limit Penn State’s
imatic
>sfer
id State
mtrol
ogic
ability to conduct research helpful
to the fruit industry” said Charles
Pitts, Head of the Department of
Entomology at Penn State. He
listed these as a shortage of staff
and lack of the supporting funds
required to carry out research.
On a related note, growers John
Lott and Philip Baugher urged the
peach and nectarine growers
present to participate in a
referendum authorized by
Secretary of Agriculture Penrose
Hallowell to raise funds for
production and marketing
research. Growers having 500 or
more peach and/or nectarine trees
of all ages are voting whether to
assess themselves $3.00 per acre
for all their peach and/or nec
tarine acreage, the money going to
fund long range research.
Voting will continue until
Friday. If passed by a majority of
growers and representing a
majority of production, the
program will go into effect July 1
and will cover the 1984 crop.
The program, to be administered
by an advisory board of nine
growers, may raise about $25,000
annually for research.
Apple Blossom
Festival
County Agent Thomas E. Piper
NW strawberries hit hard
CORVALLIS, Ore. -
Strawberry producers in the
Northwest are facing a possible
loss of 50 percent of their crop this
summer due to last winter’s severe
weather, says W. Arden Sheets,
Extension Chairman of
Washington County, Oregon. In
areas where snow cover was light
or nonexistent, many of the mother
plants were frozen. The survivors
have not shown consistent growth
this spring.
“Many fields have not responded
to fertilizer treatment, which
growers applied in March to
combat winter stress. Daughter
plants are looking better than the
mother plants in the stressed
fields,” Sheets says.
Lancaster Fahning, Saturday, May 19,1984—D27
complimented the growers for
their excellent cooperation which
contributed to a successful Apple
Blossom Festival, May 5 and 6,
mspite of marginal weather
conditions.
Piper reviewed plans for the
State Hort Society - sponsored
Summer Tour which will be hosted
by the Adams County growers on
June 25 and 26. Assembling at
South Mountain Fairgrounds,
Route 234 west of Arendtsville at 8
a.m., the visitors will complete a 90
mile tour of the fruit belt during
the day, concluding with dinner
and a panel response to questions
ats;3op.m.
Tuesday’s program will feature
an in-depth visit at the Penn State
Fruit Research Laboratory, an
orchard equipment demonstration,
and a special ladies/children
program to include a tour of the
national battlefield at Gettysburg.
To register send $2B per person
($3O if participating in the Ladies
program) to' Patti Levis, State
Horticultural Association of
Pennsylvania, Loganville, Pa.
17342. Make checks payable to
“Summer Tour - State Hort. Assn,
of PA”. A late registration fee of $5
will be added to those who register
at the fairgrounds.
Severity of plant damage vanes
from field to field, he adds. He has
received reports detailing damage
in Washington and Oregon, and
from British Columbia, Canada.
Damage to transplant stock has
also been reported in Washington.
“The nurseries report varying
degrees of discoloration in the
plant crowns. In one instance, a
processor representative showed
me a sample of two varieties that
showed browning in the crowns,
and some separation from the
cambium.”
Growers realize that planting
stock may not be of top quality this
year, but that there was nothing
they could have done to prevent the
damage, Sheets adds.