May 31, 2015 by Terence Bradshaw After last night’s rains, I would say that every orchard in the region experienced an infection period last night that will likely continue through Tuesday. Because it has been so dry this spring, few opportunities have been available to release of apple scab ascospores, so a large amount of …
Monthly Archives: May 2015
Apple scab, plum curculio, thinning
May 28, 2015 by Terence Bradshaw I was a bit absent earlier this week when some of this information may have been relevant, but here’s my take on the situation in Vermont orchards: Apple scab: Although there has been little moisture this season, infection periods have occurred, and I saw my first primary scab lesion …
Prebloom disease management and frost prevention (?)
May 28, 2015 by Terence Bradshaw Grapes in the Champlain Valley will soon be approaching the ‘immediate prebloom’ stage which is a critical time for management of multiple disease, including black rot, downy mildew, powdery mildew, phomopsis, and anthracnose. Spray applications may be made any time now to help prevent these diseases. Remember, you cannot …
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Marginal yellowing on apple leaves
May 22, 2015 by Terence Bradshaw This is just a quick note to help explain a condition you may be seeing on your orchards this year. Yesterday, while passing through the orchard quickly, I noticed marginal yellowing on many leaves, similar to the picture below. My first thought was to go back and diagnose a …
May 2015 Northern Grapes Project Newsletter
The May issue of Northern Grapes News is now available at: http://tinyurl.com/May2015NGPNews In this Issue: -When Species Matters: All Is Not Equal in the World of Wine Tannins. -Impact of Spring Frost Damage on Marquette in Michigan. -NGP Team Profile: Anna Katharine Mansfield. -NGP Team Profile: Chris Gerling. -Results from the Northern Grapes Project Baseline …
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Petal fall: scab, insects, and thinning
May 19, 2015 by Terence Bradshaw Most orchards in the ‘traditional’ growing regions in Vermont are at or near petal fall, although the cool weather may be extending bloom a bit. This is a critical time for orchard management, so be ready. Apple scab: Ascospore maturity is high and with few wetting periods lately many …
Fire blight risk
May 15, 2015 by Terence Bradshaw With all credit to Dan Cooley from UMASS, I am sending along a comment of his for Massachusetts growers that is equally pertinent to Vermont: “Fire Blight update May 15 – it’s not done quite yet With the refreshingly cool weather, the tendency is to think fire blight is …
Organic options for disease management in Vermont vineyards
May 15, 2015 by Terence Bradshaw I have received several requests for information on organic disease management in Vermont vineyards. I must say from the beginning that organically-certified options for managing some diseases are very limited. For some diseases, primarily powdery mildew and to some degree downy mildew, organic options are available to manage the …
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Early season disease management in Vermont vineyards
May 13, 2015 by Terence Bradshaw With bud burst in cooler sites and grape shoots ranging from 1-3″ in the Champlain Valley is the time begin thinking about disease management. I’ll put it simply: the next four fungicide applications, combined with good vineyard sanitation, will ‘set the stage’ for your vineyard in 2015 as far …
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IMPORTANT: Conservation Compliance and Crop Insurance Subsidies
Further clarification on the Conservation compliance requirement for receipt of crop insurance subsidies (referenced in my 5/12/2015 message), from Bob Parsons at UVM Extension: “Producers with crop insurance must have Form 1026 on file with their FSA office by 1026 to qualify for subsidized crop insurance rates. The form certifies they are in compliance with …
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