Evaluation of Hosta Cultivarsfor Resistance to Petiole Rot

Petiole rot of hosta, caused by the soilborne fungi Sclerotium rolfsii and S. rolfsii var. delphinii, appeared first in the southern United States. The rapid spread of petiole rot in the Midwest U.S. during the past decade has caused increasing concern among wholesale producers, retailers, and buyers

Assessing New Methods of Integrated Pest Management for Apple Orchards in the Midwest

Producing apples in the Midwest requires intensive, chemically based pest management systems to bring high-quality, fresh market apples to consumers. A combination of rising costs, pest resistance, and new legislation has caused existing systems of apple pest management to become ineffective or to fall out of favor with growers. Because of this, new methods of pest control were developed to combat the ever present problems in apple production. These new methods must meet a number of criteria: sufficient pest control must be achieved, the innovative tactics must be safer for applicators, the environment, and consumers, and must also be economically feasible or they are not likely to be adopted by growers

National Elm Trial Update for Iowa, 2007

The graceful American elm that once dominated urban forests across the United States has essentially disappeared from urban landscapes after the introduction of Dutch elm disease. This tragedy illustrates why it is essential to maximize genetic diversity within the nation’s urban forests. Exotic pathogens and insects continue to threaten the health of our shade trees. Dutch elm disease-resistant elm cultivars could enhance the diversity as well as the beauty of urban forests. Although many Dutch elm disease-resistant elm cultivars are available in the nursery trade, much of the public is hesitant to purchase and plant any elm tree. In order to promote interest in planting these trees, scientific data on growth, form, and pest resistance for existing Dutch elm disease resistant elm cultivars are essential

Controlling Bacterial Wilt in Muskmelon with Perimeter Trap Cropping

Perimeter trap cropping (PTC) involves planting one or more rows of a cucurbit crop that is highly attractive to cucumber beetles around the border of a main cucurbit cash crop that is less attractive to the beetles. Cucumber beetles attempting to migrate into the field are concentrated in the relatively more attractive border crop, where they can be controlled by insecticides

Floral Provisioning for Wild Bee Pollinators in Winter Squash and Muskmelon

When we talk about pollination, the image that comes to mind most frequently is the honeybee. Honeybees do provide the majority of pollination services in our current agricultural system. However, there are wild bees pollinating flowering crops at the same time and these bees are capable of providing a significant portion of the pollination services required of many crops. In fact, in some instances, wild bees may be better pollinators than managed honeybees

Organic Practices for the Production of Muskmelon

Cucurbit crops, especially muskmelon and cucumber, attract cucumber beetles, which vector Erwinia tracheiphila, the causal agent of bacterial wilt. High numbers of overwintering beetles, which often lead to high bacterial wilt incidence, usually occur during the first stages of plant establishment. Growers of organic muskmelon need effective ways to manage the cucumber beetle/bacterial wilt complex, particularly during the highestrisk period early in the season

Evaluating the Impact of Spray Volume and Pruning on Effectiveness of the Sooty Blotch/flyspeck Warning System

A sooty blotch flyspeck (SBFS) warning system, developed in North Carolina and modified in Kentucky, extends the period between first-cover and second-cover fungicide sprays until a total of 175 hours of wetness has been measured in the orchard canopy. After the second cover, sprays are made at 2-week intervals until harvest

Putting a Sooty Blotch-Flyspeck Warning System into Practice

A sooty blotch flyspeck (SBFS) warning system, developed in North Carolina and modified in Kentucky, extends the period between first-cover and second-cover fungicide sprays until a total of 175 hours of wetness has been measured in the orchard canopy. After second cover,sprays are made at 2-week intervals until harvest. In our replicated field experiments, the warning system was consistently as effective as calendar based spray timing in suppressing SBFS and other summer diseases (secondary scab and fruit rots). But in our demonstration trials in commercial orchards, the warning system resulted in commercially unacceptable levels of SBFS in 12 of 28 site-years

National Elm Trial for Iowa

Although many Dutch elm disease-resistant elm cultivars are available in the nursery trade, much of the public is hesitant to purchase and plant any elm tree. In order to promote interest in planting these trees, scientific data on growth, form, and pest resistance for existing Dutch elm disease resistant elm cultivars are essential