A32-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 6, 1998
Tobacco Blue Mold In Lancaster, Producers Should Spray Now
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Fanning StafT
LANCASTER (Lancaster
Co.) Tobacco Blue Mold this
week has been confirmed on three
operations in Lancaster County
and samples have been sent for
further testing to determine if the
strain is the fungicide-resistant
variety.
Lancaster County Extension
Agent Robert Anderson on Wed
nesday said that growers need to
adopt stringent fungicide applica
tion programs.
He also said that, while it may
take some time for the tests to con
firm pesticide resistance, based on
the fact that other tobacco states
have reported the resistant variety,
and that two of the operators with
the infected plants treated their
beds earlier this year with Ridomil,
the traditional fungicide used
(although labeling for the newer
version wasn’t extended for tobac
co beds), its seems likely that it is
the resistant variety.
He said there is a “... 99-percent
chance Ridomil will not control
it.”
Last year, resistant Blue Mold
became a problem in the area
ahead of when expected because of
a grower importing transplant
sized tobacco from North
Carolina.
The blue mold is a problem in
the Southern states, where raising
transplantable-sized tobacco for
sale to farmers to plant in their
fields is big business. It is believed
by some in the tobacco industry
that the continuous production in
floating beds in the South and the
dependence there on Ridomil
helped to accelerate the resistance
in the fungus.
Blue Mold does not overwinter
in Pennsylvania, but its spores are
carried into the state with storm
fronts eminating from die South. A
reporting system has been set up
among cooperating tobacco rais
ing states to track the progress of
the disease as an early warning
service.
Anderson said it is
believed that Blue Mold
arrived naturally this
year via storms, though
it is two to three weeks
ahead of when
expected.
‘This year, no (out
of-state) transplants
came into the county
that I’m aware of.”
Anderson said. “We’re
assuming it blew in on
storm fronts about two
to three weeks ago. It’s
been in Kentucky about
four weeks.”
The timing is critical
as many plants still have
to be transpanted from
beds to fields.
“The three locations
(where Blue Mold has
been confirmed) were
not on a real stringent
fungicide application
program,” Anderson
said, “which reinforces
the need for a stringent
fungicide program,
especially with the
floating beds.”
Anderson said that, at
this point, growers can
begin spraying their
tobacco beds with one
of three fungicides;
• For fields and beds,
Acrobat MZ, which
recently received a Sect.
18 label, can be applied
at a rate of 1 to 2 teas-
poons per gallon of water.
• In tobacco beds, Ferbam, at a
rate of 2 to 3 tablespoons per
gallon.
• In tobacco beds, Diathane DF,
at a rate of 1 teaspoon per gallon.
All applications must ensure
thorough coverage of the plant.
The fungicides are surface pro
tectants and Blue Mold not only
affects the part of the plant that it
enters, but travels throughout the
plant and becomes systemic.
After tobacco plants spike and
are topped, for some reason still
unknown, the spread of Blue Mold
and its affect on the plant is
curtailed.
Anderson said that if growers
find they have bed plants with Blue
Mold, and some have already been
transplanted to the field, then the
producer needs to spray in the
field, as soon as they green up. He
said that with the wind and dry
weather up until this weekend, that
some transplanted tobacco didn’t
look well.
He said that beds and any fields
with plants displaying symptoms
such as yellow spotting on the leaf
top with a blue-gray mold growing
under the leaf (best observed in the
morning with the dew still on
plants) should definitely be
sprayed.
In some cases, growers may
want to consider destroying plants
and starting over.
“North Carolina recommends
destroying beds if growers see it,”
Anderson said, adding, however,
that advice most likely would not
go over well in Pennslvania.
Instead, growers must decide if the
problem is controllable and that a
saleable crop can be raised.
“If, even after spraying, you see
active mold, it has probably gone
systemic, and when transplanted to
the field, the plants grow crooked,”
Anderson said.
“If that happens, you probably
should not even try to save it. I
hope we get it early enough to keep
it from becoming more of a
problem.”
As of this week, Anderson said
there is no emergency meeting
scheduled to make producers
aware of the problem. It is hoped
that those who leam of the problem
here or elsewhere tell other
growers.
Depending upon weather, if
there is to be a meeting, it would
probably be in the near future,
Anderson said.
Last year, in order to help pro
ducers protect their plants, Exten
sion researchers in cooperation
with a spray equipment manufac
turer, designed a special spray
head assembly in order to achieve
Subsidized Barley
Gets High-Level Action
WASHINGTON, D.C. A
letter sent to European Commis
sion President Jacques Santer by
U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright protested the sale of sub
sidized European barley to a U.S.
company. A follow-up announce
ment by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) that it will
subsidize 30,000 metric tons of
U.S. barley exports to Algeria,
Cyprus, and Norway under the
Export Enhancement Program
(EEP) underscores the gravity of
the European action, according to
National Farmers Union *NFU).
“The fact that the state depart
ment has gotten involved in an
agricultural trade issue indicates
the seriousness with which it
views the European use of export
subsidies to sell agricultural prod
ucts to the United States,” said
NFU Government Relations Vice
President Tom Buis.
Subsidization of exports is not a
new European practice, but until a
month ago, the subsidies were
used only for sales of agricultural
products to countries with deficits
of the commodity being trans
acted. Last month Is news of the
purchase of 30,000 metric tons of
European barley by a U.S. com
pany through use of a $5O-per-
complete protection of the plant,
which includes the under-leaf area.
Since plants are still small, such
a boom sprayer-head assembly
isn't needed, but producers need to
make the fungicide applications
thorough.
Anderson asked that those dis
covering Blue Mold in their plants
to please call him so he can track
the progress of the disease and help
the industry protect itself. Ander
son doesn’t publicize the names of
growers with the problem, but will
help provide information to con
trol it.
metric-ton export subsidy brought
cries of protest from agricultural
producers. The United States is a
net exporter of barley and many of
the other commodities exported
by European countries using sub
sidies.
“The use of export subsidies to
sell to a market which has a sur
plus of that commodity under
scores the shortcomings in our
current international trade agree
ments,” Buis said. “No farmer I
know objects to fair trade, but we
cannot be pitting our farmers
against the treasuries of foreign
governments.”
NFU is pleased that the subsi-
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Those who discover Blue Mold
in their plants should report it to
Anderson at (717) 394-6851.
In other news, Anderson that
overall plant diseases and prob
lems have been fairly slight this
year. He said there were some ear
ly insect problems, such as the flea
beetle which attacks young com,
tobacco and potatoes, but he sus
pects that pest population is on the
decline for the year and should
soon be out of the way.
Other problems, such as pear
thrips, have not seemed to have
been a problem for fruit growers.
Sale
dized barley sale is being given
the highest level of attention and
that the Department of State is
working with the U.S. Department
of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade
Representative to determine an
appropriate response to the Euro
pean Union action. The Europeans
are contending that the sale is leg
al under current trading rules, but
such action has never been tested.
“This is a very serious situation,
the outcome of which has ramifi
cations for all U.S., commodities.
It fnust be dealt with immediately
and also Should be a top priority
for future trade negotiations.”
Buis said.
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