Fire blight, caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, is a devastating disease of apples and pears. Epidemics of the disease develop quickly, particularly in a climate of warm, wet weather, with hail events—like last night’s 0.75” to 1.5” hail! The type of management program developed by each orchard will vary considerably based upon a variety…Read more about Fire Blight[Read More]
Pome Fruits
We’re getting close to the time when growers need to make chemical thinning decisions – for many the most perplexing and risky decision they will make all year. This is usually a tricky call to make, even more so when we have had spring frosts. Luckily in most places the spring frosts have not been…Read more about Chemical Thinning[Read More]
Apple growers should have their codling moth pheromone traps in place now. See the April 12 edition of Facts for Fancy Fruit for details of where traps and pheromone lures can be purchased. Traps should be checked for moths several times per week, if not daily. Pheromone lures should be replace about every 3 weeks….Read more about Codling Moth Pheromone Traps[Read More]
In Lafayette grapes are at bud break to 2-inch shoots. Blackberries are at 3 to 4-inch shoots with flower clusters showing, and raspberries are at 2-3 inch shoots. Strawberries are just starting to bloom. Apples in the northern half of the state are approaching full bloom whereas petal fall is more common in more southern…Read more about Crop Conditions[Read More]
Weather for 2016 continues to be unpredictable. And although bad weather can damage crops, it does little to stop the pathogens that plague pome fruit. The past few weeks of cool weather has slowed things down, but not scab—at least, not completely. All plants, insects, and pathogens develop in response to temperature–The warmer the weather,…Read more about Unpredictable Weather[Read More]
The 2016 Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide (ID-465) is available for purchase from the Purdue Education Store. This publication replaces two previous annual publications: The Midwest Tree Fruit Spray Guide (ID-168) and The Midwest Small Fruit and Grape Spray Guide (ID-169). This guide provides pest management recommendations for commercial tree fruit, small fruit, and grape…Read more about New Fruit Pest Management Guide Available[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 about Woolly Apple Aphid[Read More]
Management of European red mites is a continual process. Decisions made throughout the growing season will affect your mite populations. Outlined here are steps that can help with mite management. For a more complete explanation, please see the following publication: https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/E-258.pdf. Put on a timely Superior oil spray. See the article above. Conserver predator…Read more about Mite Management in Apples[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 about Pheromones and Pheromone Traps[Read More]
Ascospore release is timed to optimize infection, which happens around tight cluster through petal fall. This is when all the fun really begins: Ascospores are at their peak and ejecting, and apple tissue is expanding, providing a larger, susceptible canopy that spores can hit. That excellent timing is the poetry of evolution in motion. Other…Read more about Ascospore release[Read More]