30-Foraging Around. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 10,2001 (Continued from Page 29) Kesistant varieties are the first line of defense against forage dis eases. the “Forage Trials Report,” issued annually by the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station, should be your guide to choosing varieties, as the type and level of disease resistance of all varieties is given in this report. A grower should be aware that even the most resistant variety will contain plants that become infected and die from the disease to which the variety, as a whole, is resistant. Over time the frequency of diseased plants will diminish, the healthy plants will fill in the stand, and performance will be Satisfacto ry- Diseases Of Alfalfa • Bacterial wilt. Fusarium wilt. and Verticillium wilt are serious dis- eases in Pennsylvania, although losses are kept to a minimum through the use of resistant vari eties. These wilts occur statewide; however, Fusarium wilt is worse in southeastern areas, and Verticullium wilt is more prevalent in the northern counties. It is recom mended to grow varieties resistant to all three wilt diseases throughout the state. • Anthracnose is widespread through the state but is more severe in the southeastern portion. Nearly all varieties for sale in Pennsylvania have moderately high to high levels of resistance, and only such varieties should be grown. Sanitation prac tices also help to reduce losses from this disease. The fungus that causes anthracnose does not overwinter well in the field, therefore cleaning equipment of all plant debris before winter storage can prevent early introduction of the pathogen into clean fields the following spring. • Phvtonhthora root rot can be extremely damaging when it occurs in a young stand because it kills plants very rapidly. Its development, however, is limited to poorly drained sites or to periods following heavy prolonged rainfall. Most newer vari eties have resistance to this disease, and only such varieties should be VZ'tf 4 —we ❖ Special Report * - IIWSOiV / ~ ,K ’ ..'-’.v'-A J .. * £ n,v- , » yxf »▼ * *% <* «5 k * \ ». jt > » - .w,' <V»*» planed where the disease is known to be a problem, or, perhaps another forage species, more tolerant to wet soils should be used. Seed treated with the fungicide, metalaxyl (Apron formulation), is available and should be used in problem areas. The fungicide treatment will likely be beneficial even when a resistant variety is used, because very young plants may not have developed a high level of resistance. Another formulation (Ridomil) of this fungicide is labeled for soil application at planting. is a rela tively new disease, and although both strains of the pathogen have been identified' in Pennsylvania soils, the importance of the disease in this state has "not been estab lished. The disease is caused by a fungus that thrives in wet soils. It is most severe on seedlings, causing stunting and death. However, it can also cause a chronic root disease of established plants. It is possible that some disease losses attributed in the past to Phytophthora root rot were actually caused by Aphanomyces root rot. The fungicide treatments useful in controlling Phytophthora root rot are not effective against Aphanomyces root rot. Some newer varieties are resistant to one strain of the pathogen and may provide improved establishment under wet soil conditions. • Foliar diseases are caused mainly by fungi, and the diseases most common and most severe in this state are lepto, common, phoma (spring black stem), and stemphyli um leaf spots. Most of the newer varieties have some resistance to one or more of these leaf spots, but none is highly resistant. All foliar ♦ «■ Round Bale Carriers available in 8,10, &12 bale sizes. Delaware Hoober Equipment Middletown, DE • 800/341-4028 Jays Bams Frankford, DE • 302/732-8040 Maryland George Hines Equipment Union Bndge, MD • 410/775-2620 Potomsc Valley Supply Hagerstown, MD • 301/223-8877 Walter Q Coale. Inc. Churctwllle, MD • 410/838-6470 New Jersey BrodheckerFarm Newton, NJ • 873/383-3582 diseases can become severe and cause losses in yield and quality. The recommended management strategy is to harvest early. Yield will be reduced, but quality will be higher, because leaf loss will be minimized. Not only are more leaves harvested, but less inoculum remains in the field to infect subsequent regrowth. • Root and crown rot complex is the name used to describe the chron ic deterioration of roots and crowns, which is caused by fungi and bacte ria, and aggravated by insect activi ty. Usually, initial symptoms can be ‘bund in crowns during the year after seeding, and the disease devel ops slowly over the following years, destroying additional tissue and eventually killing the plant. Recommended harvest schedules should be followed and adequate levels of P and K fertilizer should be maintained to reduce plant stress and slow the progress of this dis ease. develops rapidly, but only when its particular environmental require ments are met. Cool, wet conditions are needed by this pathogen in order for serious disease levels to be reaches. Prolonged snow cover in the spring provides a suitable environ ment. Recently, this disease has become more common and more severe in alfalfa seeded with conser vative tillage practices in late sum mer or early fall. Diseases Of Red Clover Red clover is afflicted by some of the same diseases that occur on alfalfa, the root and crown rot com plex and Sclrotinia stem and crown rot are diseases common to both crops, and the comments that were made relevant to these diseases on alfalfa apply generally to red clover. • Northern and Southern a.T t ir t _ Ant.hracnose are caused by two dif ferent fungi, but the symptoms are quite similar. The same fungus that attacks alfalfa causes southern anthracnose of red clover. Both dis eases can cause severe losses and stand thinning in red clover, and occur, at least briefly, during most growing seasons. Top Quality Forage Equipment It Shows Up For Wort Every Day. 10 Ton Wagon Gear also available in 8 ton, all with "Easy Hook Up” tongue & rear hitch. Call Your Local Dealer About Our Complete Feeder Line Today! t^wlwl?TfsW K :s2o3 • 814/793-3731 Economical • Durable • Efficient Bale Wagons 8' x 8' box in 18' or 22* lengths. An all steel model with an expanded steel floor is available. A 9* model is alto available. Pennsylvania Blue Ml Oleaal Naw Tripoli, PA • 610/298-34*3 C B Hoober Intercouraa, PA • 717/768-8231 Curt's VlMdlng Roma. PA • 717/247-2539 Erb & Henry Equipment Naw BartnvMa, PA • 215/367-2189 Raida Imptamtnt Eighty Four, PA • 412/222-1194 i-armc6 mfg. 2937 IrtaMown Road • Ranks, PA 17872 • 717/788-7788 Usually, northern anthracnose occurs in early spring with southern anthracnose following later in the summer. Newer varieties have resis tance to one or both of these dis eases, and the improved perfor mance of these varieties is due mainly to this resistance. Varieties with moderate or higher resistance levels to both disease are recom mended for planting throughout the state. Resistance levels for specific varieties are given in the “Forage Trials Report. Diseases Of Forage Grasses For the most part, diseases on for age grasses are simply tolerated, since most of them do not pose a major threat to production or stand longevity. Diseases do, however, reduce yield and quality of grass for age and reduce profits to producers. Crop rotation can reduce disease losses in forage grasses, because without rotation, nematode popula tions can increase to a level that severely limits production in second and third harvest. Often nematode injury is hard to diagnose, and the lack of productivity or response to nitrogen is attributed to other fac tors. Some of the same management practices that are recommended to reduce diseases in alfalfa also apply to forage grasses. In general, devel opment of excessive or underutilized top growth should be avoided by timely cutting or grazing.to reduce the buildup of inoculum in infested thatch. Excessive nitrogen fertiliza tion should be avoided, as this may promote production of succulent leaves and stems that are more sus ceptible to infection. 12 Ton Tandem Wagon Gear with “Easy Hook Up” tongue & rear hitch. Qlenn Wagoner Darlington, RA • 412/827-2184 Jamaa Bargan Slate Hill, NY • 914/355-4571 Lapp's Bam Equipmant Gap, PA • 717/442-8134 Lsadars Farm Equipmant Evacatt, RA • 814/652-2809 Lebanon VaMay Implement Richland, RA • 717/886-7618 Marshall Machinery Honaadala, PA • 717/729-7117 Nawswangsr Machinery Kutztown. PA • 610/683-5970 Reiffa Farm Service Shlppansburg, PA • 717/532-8601 Rombargar Farm Supply Klingaretown, BA • 717/648-2081 Rovandala An & Bam • Wataontown, PA • 717/538-0564 Wyn Koop Farm Equtamant Marion Cantar. BA • 412/397-4080
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers