.UB-kancasttr Farrnlno, .Saturday, October, 4,. 1997 ■»! UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) Few things are as frustrat ing for the home gardener as poor plant growth and nonproductive or dying plants. A major cause of plant problems in the garden is disease. Many plant diseases can be minimized or eliminated if you know bow to recognize them, says Dr. Alan Mac Nab, professor of plant pathology in Penn Slate's College of Agricultural Sciences. “Unhealthy plants usually result from some form of external irritation," say Mac Nab. “Injury, or instantaneous irritation, can be caused by animal or insect chew ing, lightning, freezing, burning, excess or inappropriate chemicals, and careless use of garden tools. “Disease, on the other hand, is a product of continuous irritation. This can be caused by fungi, bac teria, viruses, nematodes, parasitic E N, HAP (Continued from Pag* B 16) Champion Market Lamb- Heather Ford. Reserve Champion Market Lamb- William Ford. Bleeding Ewes Baby Oolla- 1. Kristine Henn. Mix Bread- 1. Amber Buttner Champion Breeding Ewe- Amber Buttner. Reserve Champion Bread ing Ewe- Kristine Henn Showmanship- 1 Nicole Kondziola, 2 Sarah Geiger, 3. Joel Geiger Fitting- 1 Joel Geiger, 2 Sarah Geiger, 3. Nicole Kondziela Market Swine Light Weight- 1. Nicole Kondziela, 2. Joel Geiger Medium Weight- 1. Sarah Geiger, 2 Joel Geiger. Hsavy Weight- 1. Sarah Geiger, 2 Nicole Kondziela Hsavy Heavy Weight- 1. Tif fany Strunk. 2 Tiffany Strunk Pair Claaa- 1. Sarah Geiger, 2 Nicole Kondziela, 3 Tiffany Strunk Champion Market Swino -1 Sarah Geiger. Reserve Champion Market Hog- Sarah Geiger Goat Showmanship Seniors- 1 Rebecca Lobus, 2 Brant Kleib er, 3 Kateryna Lobus Intermediate-1. Diana Hol der, 2 James Ford Juniors- 1 Stephanie Neff, 2 Amber Buttner, 3. Angel Beta Fitting Seniors- 1 Rebecca Lobus, 2. Kateryna Lobus, 3 Halyna Lobus Intermediate- 1 Diana Hol der, 2 James Ford. Juniors- 1. Stephanie Neff, 2 Amber Buttner, 3. Angel Beltz Senior Doe Show Alpine 3 years and under 5 years in milk- 1 Brant Kloiber LaMancha Under 3 years in milk- 1 Heather Ford Nubian Undar 3 yaara In milk- 1 Heather Ford Senior Champion- Brant Kkxber.' Baal Uddar in Show- Brant Kkxber Junior Doe Show Alpine 0 to undar 5 montha- Brant Kkxber LaMancha 0 to undar 5 montha- Kris tine Henn 10 to under 24 montha- Amber Buttner. Nubian 0 to under 5 montha- 1 Halyna Lobus, 2. Stephanie Neff, 3 Diana Holder 5 to undar 10 montha- 1 Stephanie Nelf Pygmy 10 to undar 24 montha- 1 Amber Buttner, 2 Kristine Henn. Champion Junior Doa In Show- Halyna Lobus. Grand Champion Doa in Show- Brant Kkxber. Marital Show- 1. Heather Recognize, Control Garden plants, temperature extremes, pes ticides, improper pH, or incorrect amounts of water, light or nutrients." Mac Nab says accurate diagno sis is the first step in overcoming a plant problem. Once the cause is known, steps can be taken to over come the problem or prevent its spread. When diagnosing a plant prob lem, there are several questions to consider: • What are the symptoms? Usu ally, a few specific symptoms develop, which can indicate a spe cific problem. • Are insects evident? Insect problems are easy to diagnose when insects are visible. But if insects are small or have left the plant, diagnosis must be based on symptoms or microscopic observations. • What plants are affected? Organisms that cause problems prefer some plants over others. Most infest only related plants or one plant species. Adverse envir onmental conditions generally affect a wide range of plant species. N G S • What is the pattern of symp- Match a Spreader 1 ToYour Needs Get Unmatched Flexibility At A Great Price. 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Excessive fertilization near plants can cause root bum and plant wilting. Deep cultivation or pulling large weeds near plants can damage roots and cause water stress, resulting in wilting and leaf curling. Herbi cides can damage garden plants when a sprayer is contaminated from prior use or drift occurs when spraying a surrounding lawn. • Did symptoms appear follow ing specific weather conditions? A. against rust and corrosion And for hauling long distances, the truck-mount option proves to be the safest, most economical way to transport large amounts of material To see how simple it is to customize your spreading operation, contact your AGCO® New Idea dealer today You'll be surprised how much time and money you'll save with the New Idea 3700 Series Spreaders lAJ New Idea ABCO BUILT FOB TUB BOTTOM LIMB Plant Disease Sunlight and wind can dry out “soft” transplants that are inadequately prepared for outdoor weather. Sunlight can bum toma toes and peppers when their leaves fail to shade the fruit Frequent rain promotes reproduction of some disease-causing bacteria and fungi. Wet soil can cause root rot and plant wilting. If observation or laboratory analysis indicates that a microor ganism is the culprit, Mac Nab says there are several steps you can take to control the problem or prevent its reoccurence in the future: 1. Choose a garden site with ample sunshine, air circulation and drainage. Many fungal and bacterial diseases are most serious in chronically wet conditions. 2. Change the garden's location occasionally, and always practice crop rotation within your garden plot Many diseases, especially soil-borne diseases, arc most severe when the same or related crops are grown in the same area year after year. 3. Fertilize and lime your gar den as recommended by soil test results. Plants grown with balanced fertility and optimum pH arc less susceptible to diseases than excessively weak or vigorous plants. 4. Grow disease-resistant var ieties when available and suitable for local use. 5. Use disease-free seed and transplants. Obtain seed from a reputable company. Obtain trans plants from a greenhouse operator who uses disease-free seed and soil. 6. Control insects. 7. Control weeds. Perennial weeds near the garden often are the initial source of viruses in the spring. Dense weeds in the garden promote fungal and bacterial harvest diseases. 8. Pull and destroy diseased plants soon after harvest. Compost or plow under crop refuse as soon as possible after harvest to prom ote decomposition and kill disease-causing organisms. 9. Spray or dust appropriate crops with fungicides to control specific diseases. If you must use fungicides, be sure to read and fol low label instructions. See Your AGCO - New Idea Dealer Listed Below. 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