This is the last installment of our series on spring temperatures for 2018. What a strange year it has been. We started out very cool until mid-April and it didn’t really warm up until early May (Fig. 1). I think every day since then has been over 80F. Although the early spring was much cooler[Read More…]
Pears
We are delighted to be hosted for our Summer Tour by Garwood Orchards – one of the larger and best run operations in the state. This applies to their fruit, vegetable and farm marketing activities. Whether you are a fruit grower, a vegetable grower or a farm marketer, you are bound to be inspired and[Read More…]
June 26, 2018 Indiana Hort Society Summer Field Day Garwood Orchard, LaPorte, IN Contact Lori Jolly-Brown ljollybr@ purdue.edu October 17, 2018 Indiana Flower Growers Conference Daniel Turf Center Contact Lori Jolly-Brown ljollybr@ purdue.edu January 8, 2019 Illiana Vegetable Growers Symposium. Teibel’s Family Restaurant, Schererville, IN Contact Liz Maynard emaynard@purdue.edu https://ag.purdue.edu/hla/Extension/Pages/IVGS.aspx February 12-14, 2019 Indiana Hort[Read More…]
In case you blinked, we went from green tip to bloom in about three days, and by the time you read this, we will have passed through the blossom blight period. For most of the state, the late spring consisted of cool, dry weather that was not conducive to blight infection in the northern half[Read More…]
Please remember that it is the blossoms that are most susceptible to the bacteria; assuming that there are no rat-tail or autumn blossoms, and in the absence of a hail event, the probability of secondary infections in orchards is minimal. In the event that rat-tail blossoms are apparent and extensive, it is critical to prevent[Read More…]
“Spring” might be too strong a word to describe conditions this year. As we see from Figure 1, we’re now officially the latest spring so far this decade, and about the same as the long-term average. Having said that, a good part of our Growing Degree Day accumulation has come from one warm day on[Read More…]
Maryblyt 7.1 is now available for download at http://grapepathology.org/maryblyt For new growers: Maryblyt is a fire blight prediction model. Fire blight is caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora. It is one of the most destructive diseases of apple, pear, and quince worldwide (Fig. 1). There are five distinct phases associated with fire blight, and include[Read More…]
Early spring is a good time to make the first herbicide application of the year. There are several options for fruit crops including both pre- and post-emergent herbicides. See the weed control chapter in the 2018 Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide for a complete list of products. In most situations, there will be some emerged[Read More…]
A new Monsanto-backed company is on the verge of producing the first fruit made with a blockbuster gene-editing tool that could revolutionize agriculture In a move aimed at securing its future, Monsanto has invested $125 million in a gene-editing startup called Pairwise. The alliance could tee up Monsanto, long known for its controversial dealings with[Read More…]
