Plant Doctor Explains
WOOSTER, Ohio Ohio
State University scientist Mike
Ellis believes that everything in
the world of plant diseases relates
in some way to Integrated Pest
Management (IPM).
Ellis, a plant pathologist with
the Ohio Agricultural Research
and Development Center
(OARDC) and Ohio State Uni
versity Extension, relates his
work to IPM using the term Inte
grated Disease Management
(IDM).
IPM doesn’t just include in
sects it also includes diseases
that can only be controlled by in
tegrating different methods. IDM
programs develop and explain
the biology and pathology behind
plant diseases, then share this in
formation with growers, which is
one of IPM’s goals.
“Integrated Disease Manage
ment is a critical portion of the
overall pest management pro
gram,” Ellis said. “I consider my
self a plant doctor. I got my mas
Wi the
BUSINESS
of FARMING
Lower operating expenses, reduce commodity spoilage,
and incur fewer weather-related maintenance costs
with a Cover-All® building. Decrease the payback period
on your investment with the quality and protection of a
naturally bright Cover-All®.
Get the Building that Pays for Itself.
U Our 40 x 80foot Cover-All is bright enough to let me work
until dark without any additional lighting. It has held up in the
worst of weather, with no dripping or condensation. The
Cover-All was more cost-effective than adding an additional
grain bin, and I can store my equipment and farm supplies in
it when not in com. I am now planning on getting a second
Cover-All for a calf raising facility. H Duane Langcndorfer
NATIONWIDE
BUI UMNO CLEARANCE
on SAS Buildings
See us at AQ PROGRESS DAYS
August 19 - 21, 2003 - Rock Springs, PA
Cover-All Buildings of New Jersey - Brielle, NJ - 877.90.C0VER
JB Contractors - Lancaster, PA - 717.656.6151
Mason Dixon Cover-All - Gettysburg, PA &MD - 888.289.4213 fcfi Mmmmmm
Snyder Equipment - Watsontown, PA - 570.538.5555 AUTHORIZED DEALER
* * ±Jf 4*vt4.f*+fa***i* »*J *. #•' * f • * t ** * * * *<>«♦ * * *4 * >***4♦ * t i / 4 Mi M 1
-4 >9 *WPIMKI»O HUgiKWy iynp» * WW—WMr WfWmmM mmm wbt* *«*«»*«<**»****»*<***«»♦*
‘tli* t t >/i « J j iU tt 11 iti U.t iti 1 « 1 tti I ***-.■ it t,ii t t i . i'l >i J
ter’s degree in botany, and I went
into plant pathology because I
viewed it basically as plant med
icine.
“Diseases aren’t like insects
that you can see,” Ellis added.
“Diseases have to be controlled
before you see them. When you
see a disease, you’re seeing the
symptoms of the disease, (which
result from) the interaction be
tween the pathogen and the
host.” The pathogen can infect
the host days or even weeks be
fore symptoms are visible.
A plant pathologist for 27
years, Ellis develops IDM pro
grams that integrate as many
control practices as possible for
the diseases of small fruits and
tree fruits apples, grapes,
peaches, raspberries and straw
berries. His work addresses the
needs of both commercial fruit
growers and backyard fruit grow
ers and gardeners.
The key is not just to spray
with the fiingicide, but also to in
1.800.268.3768 • www.coverall.net
Integrated Pest Management Ties
tegrate programs that cover all
bases of pest and disease man
agement. IDM programs include
not only cultural practices, like
pruning and mulching, but also
disease resistance and biological
control.
“The thing that drives my
thinking there, is not so much the
food safety issues, because I be
lieve fungicides we use are safe —.
if they’re used the way they’re
registered,” Ellis said. “These
products cost Ohio growers thou
sands, millions of dollars. And it
comes right out of their own
pockets.”
For example, it costs a straw
berry grower $l,OOO to purchase
a four-gallon case of the fungi
cide Quadris. To put this figure
in perspective, Quadris costs ap
proximately $4O an acre to apply.
Other fungicides, like Switch, get
still more expensive: $6O an acre
per application. “The growers
aren’t using them unless they
have a real perceived need for
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 16, 2003, Ag Progress Section-E49
them,” said Ellis. “Nobody
throws their money away. Would
you?”
And that’s part of the beauty
of IPM. By applying Ellis’ re
search, farmers won’t have to
empty their pockets on fungi
cides.
Ellis received his bachelor’s de
gree in education and his mas
ter’s degree in botany from East
ern Illinois University. He
Wet Fields Root Of
Soybean-Disease Problems
WOOSTER, Ohio Constant rains and cool weather have given
soybean fields the short end of the growing stick, and now, along with
stunted plants, growers can expect to see diseased, dying plots.
Most of Ohio has had a constant rain since May and growers are
now seeing stunted, yellow soybean plants with small or non-existent
rhizoidal nodules, said Anne Dorrance, an Ohio State University plant
pathologist. The result: poorly developed root systems and rotten roots
caused by Phytophthora root rot, Sclerotinia stem rot and soybean
cyst nematode.
received his doctorate in plant
pathology from the University of
Illinois. Before joining OARDC,
Ellis worked as a plant patholo
gist for the University of Puerto
Rico.
“It’s great,” said Ellis of his ca
reer. “It’s one of the most re-
warding things when a grower
comes up to you and thanks you
for something you have devel
oped that actually works.”
“Every heavy rain puts us that much further
behind,” said Dorrance, who also is a researcher
with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Devel
opment Center in Wooster. “Some of the fields
that were planted in May have plants that are
only ankle high and they just can’t get their
roots established.”
According to the Ohio Agricultural Statistics
Service, only a little over 50 percent of soybean
fields are in good condition.
Constant flooding injury has kept plants from
establishing new root systems and diseases are
starting to latch on. While the rain and cpol eve
nings have helped to ward off Phytophthofa,
Dorrance recently found symptomatic plants in
a research plot in northwest Ohio. Within the
week, growers are going to start seeing dead
spots in the field, she said.
“The next thing that will be coming down the
pipe is Sclerotinia stem rot,” Dorrance said.
Fields that have a history with stem rot are at
much higher risk for the infection. Other condi
tions for these fields include a closed canopy be
fore flowering and high moisture and cool nights
during flowering, both of which have existed this
year.
This year’s flooding problem should indicate
to growers that along with choosing resistant va
rieties and implementing crop rotation, they
have to have drainage in their fields.
Miller Named To
Regional Agriculture
Advocacy Committee
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Rep. Sheila
Miller (R-129) has been appointed to the North
east States Association for Agricultural Steward
ship (NSAAS) Executive Committee. The or
ganization is an affiliate of the Council of State
Governments Eastern Regional Conference.
“Assisting Pennsylvania’s number one indus
try has been a top priority of mine during my
tenure in the state House,” said Miller, who op
erates her own 150-acre beef cattle farm in
Berks County and serves as vice chairman of the
House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Commit
tee. “I look forward to the opportunity this ap
pointment will provide to further enhance the
industry throughout the northeast U.S.
Miller said the agriculture industry is facing
some serious challenges, such as low commodity
prices and high land and input prices. While
technology is transforming the way farms are
operated, there is much that needs to be done to
make sure agriculture continues to survive the
obstacles placed on it by Mother Nature and
economic policies, said Miller.
“We need to work together to ensure farmers
have the tools they need to meet these challenges
so agriculture can continue to thrive in the fu
ture,” she said.
NSAAS includes representatives from states
from Maine to Delaware, as well as Puerto Rico
and U.S. Virgin Islands. It was established in
1999 to address the region’s agricultural and
rural concerns. The organization recently played
a key role in ensuring that regional equity and
conservation programs were addressed in the
federal Farm Bill in 2002.
Miller, who also chairs the Center for Rural
Pennsylvania, plans to attend the organization’s
annual meeting in October in Pittsburg.