Hello to apple growers in New England's and New
York's, northern regions and friends in Quebec!
There is still time to register for Cornell
Cooperative Extension's Northeast NY Commercial
Fruit Program's 2011 Upper Hudson - Champlain
Tree Fruit School, coming this Monday, February
14, at the Fort William Henry Conference Center
in Lake George, NY.
Come for an information-packed day, a commercial
trade show, 3.5 DEC and VT pesticide applicator
recertification credits, much collegiality, and a
great lunch!
For complete registration information, contact
Ms. Nancy Kiuber, at 518-885-8995 or by email at
[email protected]. Registration cost ranges from
$25 to $90 per person depending on annual
enrollment status in Cornell University
Extension's Northeast NY Fruit Program. After
Friday, February 11, walk-ins will still be OK
but they will carry an additional $10 late fee -
and you may not be guaranteed lunch! Call ahead
your stomach will thank you!
Here's a quick run-down of the Program:
Dr. Tracy Leskey, with USDA's ARS
Appalachian Fruit Research Station will fill us
in on the brown marmorated stinkbug (BMSB), an
invasive Asian insect accidentally introduced
into the Allentown region in the mid 1990s. The
critter has established itself throughout DE, MD,
PA, NJ, VA and WV and been detected in DC and 26
states! In 2010 the pest caused severe economic
injury to stone fruit, apples, Asian pears,
raspberries, grapes, and vegetable and grain
crops (peppers, tomatoes, soybeans, corn). This
is one frightening bug!
Cornell Entomologist David Combs will
present some very interesting results from field
and lab work with the Apple Maggot revolving
around this pest's pupal and larval survival in
apple storages. Dave believes growers are going
to be able put his findings to good use in the
future - especially for their export operations.
Another serious apple pest, this time to
the tree itself, is the dogwood borer, especially
in high-density orchard systems, which carry high
risks of borer injury. Great interest surrounds
the possibility of utilizing Mating Disruption to
counter this pest's predations and Dr. Art
Agnello of Cornell will be updating us on this
potential.
Cornell colleague Dr. Harvey Reissig is
readying implementation of a practical Oblique
Banded Leafroller monitoring protocol for
commercial orchards in 2011 based on
investigative sampling in the NY Champlain
Region. Harvey will recap his work and cite the
protocols developed and include a pitch for
regional cooperators.
Enough of Pests! What of Friends? Cornell
Entomology graduate student, Mia Park will give
us the low-down on the ecology, population
numbers, and promise of New York's wild
pollinators, which are incredibly important
players for pollination in these uncertain times
of honeybee colony collapse disorder.
Shifting gears to Pathology, several
attempts have been made to use fixed-place
orchard sprinkler systems in place of
tractor-drawn applicators. Such projects have not
come into commercial practice in the US, but some
are being seen in Europe. Dr. Vincent Philion of
the Institut de Recherche et de Développement en
Agroenvironnement, will describe the technology
and provided a preliminary view of replication
efforts in Quebec.
Cornell Pathologist, Dr. Dave Rosenberger
tackles the yin and yang of new fungicides: how
they provide more choices but also how they
introduce more complications for early-season
disease control. A problem in 2010, Dave will
outline and underscore the need for Apple growers
to keep one eye on mildew even as they focus on
optimizing fungicide programs with new
chemistries to control their usual nemesis: apple
scab.
Now we go to horticulture. Dr. Joe Kovach
of Ohio State University is investigating the use
of polyculture and ecological principles with
multi-fruit integrated cropping on small urban
and periurban farms. The 1.3 acre experiment
involves 4 woody fruit crops (apples, peaches,
blueberries and raspberries) mixed with 4
herbaceous crops (strawberries and vegetables
such as tomatoes, beans, and cucurbits). Joe will
be discussing pest density, crop efficiency, and
the profitability of it all, possibilities of
keen interest to smaller growers near population
centers.
Speaking of Economics, how about efforts
to consistently produce higher-quality apples?
Steve Hoying and Dr. Terence Robinson of
Cornell's Department of Horticulture will each
handle a different aspect of this fundamental
management challenge. Steve, taking a macro
approach, will cover the use of growth regulators
to better "extend" the harvest window; Terence
will focus-in on a single regionally-important
variety - Honeycrisp - and the novel practice of
spur pruning, which is apparently taking hold in
Nova Scotia, as an expanded option for managing
Honeycrisp's biennial proclivity.
So there it is: Quite a day! If you are
growing apples in the North America's northern
northeast regions (or thinking about it) I think
you will find it well worth your while to attend!
Regards, Kevin Iungerman
--
Kevin Iungerman, Extension Associate
Cornell University Cooperative Extension's
Northeast NY Commercial Fruit Program
50 West High Street, Ballston Spa, NY 12020
Phone: (518) 885-8995
FAX: (518) 885-9078
email: [email protected]
website: Coming in 2010.
Providing Equal Opportunity Commercial Tree Fruit
and Grape Research, Education and Programming
with the Support of the Farmers and Cornell
Cooperative Extension Associations of Albany,
Clinton, Essex, Saratoga, and Washington
Counties, and Cornell University's College of
Agriculture and Life Science.
Serving NY's Upper Hudson and Champlain Region -
Home to Premium Cold Hardy Orchard and Vineyard
Fruit, Including: McIntosh, Honeycrisp, and
Sweetango Apples, and Marquette and LaCrescent
Grapes!
"Suggestions? Comments? Ideas? Possibilities
begin with people sharing ideas and working
together."_______________________________________________
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