WASHINGTON, Mar. 15, 2017 –America’s farmers and ranchers will soon have the opportunity to strongly represent agriculture in their communities and industry by taking part in the 2017 Census of Agriculture. Conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the census, to be mailed at the end[Read More…]
Bramble Fruit
Eastern Indiana Fruit Growers Association Hosting Orchard Garden tours at the “Slice of Paradise” 3912 S. Felton St., Marion, IN. Tuesday, May 23 at 6:30pm Dr. Rick Foster from Purdue University will be in attendance For more information, call 765-661-4597 Indiana Horticultural Society Field Day June 28, 2017 Tuttle Orchard Greenfield, IN More details to come but[Read More…]
Grapes have grown quickly this past week and most varieties are now past bud burst. The earliest have 4 to 6 inch shoots at this time. Blackberries and raspberries are also growing rapidly, with new primocanes emerging from the ground and laterals on floricanes out to 4 inches or longer. Flower buds are visible on[Read More…]
Orange rust is one of the most common diseases of blackberries and black raspberries in the Midwest. It is a systemic disease that is confined to Rubus spp. (autoecious). There are two forms, a long-cycle form that occurs on black raspberry, and a short-cycle form that occurs on blackberries. There are two causal organisms: Arthuriomyces[Read More…]
One of the first and most important parts of a good insect and mite management program is the application of an early season oil spray to control European red mites, San Jose scale, and several species of aphids. Scales overwinter on the tree as nymphs and European red mites and aphids overwinter as eggs. Because[Read More…]
A number of growers have experienced increasing problems with woolly apple aphids over the last several seasons. Part of the reason for the increased populations may be related to the changing spectrum of insecticides you are using to control other pests. Our experience has been that many of the aphicides that are available that provide[Read More…]
One way insects communicate with individuals of the same species is with pheromones. Pheromones are volatile chemicals released by an insect that usually can be detected only by individuals of the same species. There are a number of different types of pheromones, but the most common type is the sex pheromone. Usually the females will[Read More…]
As the spray season approaches, it is good to remember the profound impact water quality has on the performance of pesticides used by fruit growers. Purdue Pesticides Program recently published a guide, The Impact of Water Quality on Pesticide Performance PPP-86, available at the Education Store, 1-888-EXT-INFO or www.extension.purdue.edu/store/. I highly recommend this guide to[Read More…]