As promised, the apple season has begun today, April 1 with….cold and snow. No, we are not at green tip yet, but I have seen tiny bits of green tissue poking out from some early cultivars and received a report from an orchard in the southern part of the state the other day that they were just around the corner.
I won’t belabor the things that growers need to think about, as a more timely message will be sent once buds start to break. But this is a reminder to start checking your trees regularly and to record bud stages- these are needed for many models in the NEWA system. You also should be tuning up your sprayers, as any day now we’ll be making the call to apply copper to reduce overwintering fire blight and prevent early season apple scab infections.
I would like to take this moment to share the UMASS March Message, which is both linked and attached. This summary coordinated by Dr. Jaime Pinero and the UMASS Fruit Team carries on the tradition of the late Ron Prokopy, who summarized the latest IPM research topics for growers just as the season was beginning.
Finally, anyone who missed the New England Winter Fruit Webinars, which included discussion on sprayer calibration, apple insect pest management, and updates to the NEWA system, can view them here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUL3FZJYGp3n04GfGTlQgoXoKBk7R2Xx7
-Terry
From: Jaime Pinero
We are pleased to bring you the 29th edition of the March Message!
See PDF attached – the table of contents is interactive; clicking on a section takes you to that respective page.
Google docs version:
Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied. Always read the label before using any pesticide. The label is the legal document for the product use. Disregard any information in this message if it is in conflict with the label.
The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, UVM Extension, USDA NIFA E-IPM Program, and USDA Risk Management Agency.
UVM Extension helps individuals and communities put research-based knowledge to work. University of Vermont Extension, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status.