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,'