As with any member of a Royal Family, alfalfa has more pressures on it than most other perennial for ages. And, disease wise. 1990 was no exception. Over the past several years a great deal of attention has been paid to the live major diseases attacking alfalfa in the East - Bac terial Wilt, Phytophthora Root Rot, Fusarium Wilt, Anthracnose, and Verticillium Wilt And few would dispute that these are the major five. Alfalfa breeders throughout the country have devoted most of their breeding efforts to developing varieties with resistance to these diseases. And, when we refer to varieties with multiple pest resistance we’re referring primarily to resis tance to these five diseases. CONTRACTS AVAILABLE FOR NEW/UPDATED BROILER, BREEDER. PULLET, TURKEY AND LAYER HOUSES NEW H 2 FEEDER IS WHAT YOU NEED A New Way To Feed Broilers And Turkey Poults H 2 Broiler Feeder With Flood Gates Open, Fills Pan With Over flow Onto The Paper For Quick Starts With Minimum Waste. V *9 VqPf|TPP9S|HfI FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL OUR TOLL FREE NUMBER: 1-800-673-2580 r.trMJl But there are other diseases attacking alfalfa too. And in this column I’d like to review these briefly and hopefully point out their relative importance. Leaf And Stem Disease During the past growing season Dr. Ken Leath, Forage Patholo gist, at the USDA Pasture Lab, has identified no fewer than five leaf and/or stem diseases on alfalfa. Here’s a brief run-down. Common Leaf Spot- a leaf dis ease that occurs wherever alfaHh is grown and develops during moist periods at moderate to cool temperatures. Lepto Leaf Spot • generally infects young leaves, and the greatest damage occurs on young growth after clipping if favorable, • OUR 10-YEAR WARRANTY on the auger and 5-year warranty on the pan says it all - WE STAND BEHIND IT! 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Favored by cool, moist weather. Bacterial Leaf Spot- a relatively uncommon disease in our area, but never-the-less identified several times this year. Again favored by moist weather. I’m sure you get the picture on these diseases. All are favored by moist weather. Some develop under cooler conditions, others when it’s hot and muggy. But, regardless, weather conditions in 1990 were ideal for their development. Under severe conditions all will cause a loss of leaves, and, thus, loss in quality. They seldom cause stand loss. To date alfalfa breeders have these diseases on the back burner in terms of breeding for resistance. But they will get more attention in the years ahead. There are two other diseases you may have heard of. One is Sclerodnia Crown and Stem Rot, the other Aphanomyces. Sclerotinia does pose a threat under certain conditions. You may notice it in early spring on isolated Other Diseases • ALL-PLASTIC FEEDER consists of 3 simple, rugged polypropylene parts for permanent corrosion-proofing. Pan easily removes for clean-out and hangs from feeder for drying and storage. FOR YOUR REMODELING NEEDS, WATERING, FEEDING OR VENTILATION EQUIPMENT CALL US STORE HOURS MON.-FRI. 7:30-4:30 plants of new late summer seed ings, and especially in no-till plantings. Infection occurs in the fall. But you’ll find it in the spring when the crown or basal part of the stem may be soft and discol ored. Later on a white fluffy mass grows over the area framing hard, black bodies called sclerotia. These stick to the surface or may become embedded in the stems or crowns. Remember, you’re most likely to observe this disease in the spring on no-till seedings made the previous summer, especially in southern Pennsylvania, Mary land and Virginia. And under epidemic conditions it can cause stand thinning. Red clover seed ings are more susceptable than alfalfa, but if the organism is pre sent most legumes can be affected. Finally, Aphanomyces is a rela tively newcomer as a potential alfalfa disease problem. But it has gotten some press. Aphanomyces root rot is caused by a water loving fungus, and along with two other fungi, Phytophthora and Holstein Association Recognizes Achievements STATE COLLEGE (Centre Co.) The Pennsylvania Holstein Association would like ROLL-FORMED TUBE ii !zed inalde and out it-resiatance. Uncaster Farming, Saturday, October 6, 1990-A35 Pythium, are common causes of seedling damping-off and poor stand establishment of alfalfa. This disease has been known as a pathogen of peas and beans for decades. And, while the organism has been isolated from soils in several eastern states, to date its effect on alfalfa establishment or productivity has not been docu mented outside of the pea growing areas of Central Wisconsin. Some progress had been made to develop varieties with limited resistance to this disease. Howev er, to complicate the problem Wis consin workers recently detected a second race (race 2) of die organ ism which is highly pathogenic to varieties with resistance or toler ance to race 1. So, first of all, we don’t know if the disease is or will be a problem in the Northeast Never-the-less, in terms of resis tance, for alfalfa breeders it’s “back to the drawing board” in search of Aphanomyces-resistant varieties. to thank our supporters Show a success. A large and trophy donors who ringside viewed the helped make our 1990 show and had the Fall Championship opportunity to hear who helped support the show. .OE within dome :kly to all birds. ADJUST LEVEL lets you set Sng to allow for types of feed you side to use. ILE FEED-SAVER in pan limit* raking