What's HOT in Pear Production and
Research
(Updated 17 July
2008)
2008 Fruit Schools
- The annual
Virginia fruit schools for 2008 will be held on the following
dates. Hold your calendar, and watch for programs to be posted!
Patrick-Carroll: Monday, February 18
Botetourt-Roanoke: Tuesday, February 19
Nelson-Albemarle: Wednesday, February 20
Madison-Rappahannock: Thursday, February 21
Winchester-Frederick: Friday, February 22
New! A
new active ingredient has been labeled on fruit crops. See
rynaxypyr, or Altacor, listed below under pesticide registrations
New!
The
College of Agriculture and Life Science at Virginia Tech has
established a new on-line Master's in Agriculture
and Life Sciences. This curriculum has been
approved by the State Council of Higher Education and is now accepting
applications for Fall semester 2007. In this program, you can
earn
a
master's degree in agriculture while working in your current job -
emphasis is on education for place-bound learners, and all courses are
taken on-line. In addition to a core area, there are courses
offered in five areas of concentration: (1) Biosecurity,
Bioregulations and Public Health, (2) Education, (3) Environmental
Science, (4) Food Safety, and (5) Plant Science and Pest
Management. In addition to course work, the student completes a
project decided upon in consultation with your major advisor.
Lists
of courses within each concentration may be found in the web site
linked above. This program was recently the subject of an interview
by Jeff Ishee with Virginia Public Televsion's Virginia
Farming. For
more information, contact Doug Pfeiffer (dgpfeiff at vt.edu) or Sharon Proffitt (sproffit at vt.edu) (see
2008-2009 Extended Campus tuition
rates).
2008 Orchard
Meetings
Madison-Rappahannock:
March 19 Madison. Apple tree
grafting workshop. War Memorial Bldg. 10 AM til noon. April 9 Fauquier. Stribling Orchard, Robert
Stribling, Markham
VA.
From Flint
Hill: 522 N, turn right on 635, turn N/left
on 688, located near the intersection of Rt. 688 and Rt.55 in Markham VA .
April 23 Rappahannock.
Lee's Orchard, Bryant Lee. Located near the intersection of Rt. 522 and
Rt. 211 at Massie's Corner, new packing shed on west bound lane at Rt.
211/522. May 7 Rappahannock. Michael
Cline, Mgr., Sunnyside Orchard, Sunnyside Farms is
located in "Harris
Hollow," From Washington VA, west on Rt. 622 for ~ 1.5 miles, then turn
right onto Rt. 624 for 1.12 mile.
May 21 Williams
Orchard, Tommy and Eddie Williams, Flint Hill. Rt. 211 E. to Ben
Venue.
At the crossroads, turn N on to Rt. 729 and go approximately 2
½
miles. Orchard is on the left. June 4 Rappahannock. Jenkins Orchard, James Jenkins, Woodville VA
From Rt. 231, turn
right on to Rt. 621, go about 2
miles. The orchard is on the left by the
packing shed. June 25
Madison. TBA. Aug
20 Madison.
Graves
Mountain
Farm, Jimmy Graves, Syria.
Rt. 231 to Rt. 670, meet at picnic shelter on left just past Syria.
Nelson-Albemarle
Apr 1 (Albemarle) Crown
Orchard, Covesville.
11:00 AM. Highway Highway 29 towards Covesville, One mile south of the
Crown Orchard packing facility, turn onto Old Faber Road (ROUTE 632),
Look
for sign immediately on your left and cross over
wooden N&S Railroad bridge into orchard.
Apr
15
(Nelson) Seaman
Orchard - Roseland.
Apr 29 (Nelson) Turpin Orchard,
Lovingston. May
13 Drumheller Orchard (Nelson),
Lovingston. May 27 Bruguiere Orchard (Massies
Mill).
Importation
of
Chinese ya pears:
The Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ)
section of APHIS has approved imports
of Chinese ya pears after shipments were barred in 2003 following
detection of postharvest disease.
Importation of
Chinese
fragrant pears:
The Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ)
section of APHIS has proposed allowing importation of fragrant pears
from
China in the Federal
Register. Further information on the proposed program is presented
in a memo posted
by PPQ. Fragrant pears are a type of Pyrus ussuriensis,
and are grown only in a small part of northwestern China, the region
around Korla.
Importation
would be allowed only from certified production areas. APHIS
feels
this will pose no competition with domestic producers of pears, at
least
at initial levels. Potential phytosanitary
risk is currently being assessed. The program would entail
pre-
and postharvest fruit inspections. (i) If oriental fruit
fly
(Bactrocera dorsalis) is found, APHIS could prohibit importation
of Chinese fragrant pears until investigated and remedial action agreed
upon. (ii) If any of the following are found at a site,
pears
from that site could be prohibited (if found at more than one site,
Chinese
fragrant pears could be prohibited): peach fruit borer (Carposina
sasaki),
yellow peach moth (Conogethes punctiferalis), apple fruit moth (Cydia
inopinata), hawthorn spider mite (Tetranychus viennensis),
red
plum maggot (Cydia funebrana), brown rot (Munilinia fructigena)
(prob should be Monilinia), Asian pear scab (Venturia
nashicola),
pear trellis rust (Gymnosporangium fuscum), Asian pear black
spot
(Alternaria spp.). (iii) An individual lot or
consignment
can be rejected if any of the following are found (post harvest
inspection
only): large pear borer (Numonia pivivorella) (prob should be pirivorella),
pear curculio (Rhynchites fovepessin (prob should be foveipennis),
Japanese apple curculio (Rhynchites heros). These are
pests
that not only are of quarantine significance, but are most likely to
enter
the importation pathway. There is concern that insufficient
information is provided on inspection methods, and what
requirements
exist to become a certified production area.
This program was announced in the Federal
Register of Friday, May 23, 2003 (Fed. Reg. 68 (100): 28161-28166),
docket no. 02-049-1. The comment period expired July 22, 2003.
Mating disruption
and
Organic certification:
The National Organic Standards Board has
recently amended organic guidelines so that many pheromone dispensers
for
mating disruption will now be allowed in organically certified
orchards.
Most hand-placed dispensers are now considered to emit negligible
amounts
of inerts, and will be allowed. Sprayables and puffers will not
be
allowed. More information will be posted when available.
Diazinon uses
cancelled
by Syngenta, but...:
IRED
of July 31, 2002, proposed that
on most crops where use would be continued, applications would be
limited
to one per growing season. A single dormant use is also proposed for
cherry
and pear, limited to every other year (unless pest pressure required
annual
application). Use on apple would be limited to woolly apple
aphid,
once a year. Grape uses would be cancelled. REI in apple,
apricot,
cherry, nectarine, peach, pear, plums would be 4 days; caneberries,
blueberries
and strawberries would be 5 days. Diazinion is highly toxic to
birds.
Granular formulations, the source of most bird mortality, would be
cancelled.
These
proposed
changes have not been adopted into label changes; current labeling will
remain in effect at least until July 31, 2004. May 30, 2003Syngenta
requests cancellations of all uses, effective June 30, 2003.
Syngenta
may not distribute after August 31. Retail supplies may be sold
until
supplies exhausted. However, Makhteshim-Agan intends to
maintain
all allowable uses.
azinphosmethyl -
Bayer agrees to Guthion phase-outs: Bayer
has agreed to reducing fruit crops listed on the Guthion label.
There
are 3 categories of label changes: (1) phased-out registrations
(cancelled 8/31/05, not to be used after 12/31/05): nectarine, peach,
and
caneberries. (2) time-limited registrations (cancelled 12/31/05
unless new data justify continuation): apple, blueberry, cherry, and
pear;
(3) cancelled registrations: grape, plum, quince, and
strawberry
(not to be sold after 1 September 2002;
existing
stocks may be used).
Guthion
timeline
update:
Group 3 uses on track for
renewal (almonds, apples, blueberries,
Brussels sprouts, cherries, nursery stock, parsley, pears,
pistachios, and
walnuts). The Group 2 uses have been requested to be terminated
by Bayer (cotton,
cranberries, nectarines, peaches, potatoes, southern pine seed
orchards, and caneberries).
The following is a more detailed timeline for these crops, as provided
by Bayer: “COMMERCIAL PIPELINE PROVISIONS: GUTHION manufactured after
March 31,
2005 cannot have Group 2 uses on the label unless EPA-approved prior to
that
date. GUTHION with Group 2 uses on the label can be sold within
commercial
channels
through August 31, 2005. GUTHION must not to be used
on the Group 2 crops after December 31,
2005, unless
the use
has been extended. On
7 Dec 2005,
EPA
announced the availability of its azinphosmethyl ecological
risk assessment and grower
impact assessment (posted
at http://www.regulations.gov; search on the docket
ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0061). Comments must be received on or
before 6
Feb 2006. Further information will be posted here when available.
carbaryl
- EPA announces
Interim
Reregistration Eligibility Decision (IRED -
this pdf exceeds 300p. See also 6-page fact
sheet)
for carbaryl on 10/27/04. On 30
March 2005, National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) requested
that EPA revoke
all tolerances for carbaryl. NRDC's letter
to EPA is posted (html).
EPA's
assessment of human health and environmental risks of carbaryl, and
finding on whether the tolerances for carbaryl comply with the safety
standard in FFDCA section 408, as amended by the FQPA, are contained in
the IRED document for carbaryl, which is available on EPA's website at http://www.epa.gov/edocket, under docket number
OPP-2003-0376. (More information on risk
assessment is available). The e-docket
for this issue has several items listed (NRDC letter, notice of EPA of
public comment period, public input, and an opportunity
to provide input. The public
comment period ended May 31, 2005.
spinetoram - A new active ingredient in the same
class as spinosad (SpinTor, Entrust) has been registered for fruit
crops. Delegate WG
is registered on pome and stone fruits, bushberries, caneberries and
grape. Radiant SC
is the formulation registered on strawberries
For some industry discussion on FQPA
changes
and issues, see Issues section of the CropLife America
web
site.
Mating disruption tools:
For several years, researchers at Virginia
Tech have been involved in developing mating disruption as a control
tactic for codling
moth and the leafroller complex, including tufted
apple bud moth, variegated
leafroller, and redbanded
leafrollers. Control of codling moth has been very good, even in
processing
blocks (where CM control is more critical). Several commercial sources
of codling moth mating disruption are now available. Several sources of
products for oriental fruit moth are also available, including a
sprayable
product. Mating disruption for leafrollers is available as a sprayable
formulation, but check the label carefully. At present it is only
available
for leafrollers using (Z-11-14:Ac as the primary component. Such
species include obliquebanded lefroller and redbanded leafroller. The
main
species in the mid-Atlantic region, tufted apple bud moth and
variegated
leafroller will not be affected.
2008 Revisions to Tree Fruit Spray
Guide:
An abridged electronic version of the Virginia-West
Virginia-Maryland Spray Bulletin for Commercial Tree Fruit Growers
is now available in the Virginia Fruit Web Page. The paper version is
also
now available at the Extension Distribution Center (540-231-1322), or
your
county office ($12.00). Tables on apple
pest efficacy and toxicity
to orchard predators are also updated in the recomendations for
2008.
2008 Revisions to Home Fruit Spray
Guide:
The revised Pest Management Guide for Home
Fruit is now available. (The
Pest Management
Guide is available
on-line
for free. Hard copies are also available at no cost, but must be
requested and picked through your county extension office (no funds are
available for mailing these publications). Recommendations for home
pear trees are also available in the web page, currently being
updated
to 2007.
2008 Fruit Schools:
The 2008 fruit schools will be held on: Patrick-Carroll
Feb 18; Botetourt-Roanoke
Feb 19; Central Virginia (Nelson-Albemarle)
Feb 20; Madison-Rappahannock
Feb 21, and Winchester on Feb 22.
Send comments by e-mail to: Douglas
G. Pfeiffer