Ascospore release by Venturia inaequalis during periods of extended daylight and low temperature at Nordic latitudes

Darkness suppresses ascospore release in Venturia inaequalis, but the impact of light levels during the extended twilight and dusk that typify Nordic spring conditions is poorly understood. Volumetric spore traps were operated at two different locations in Norway over several years. During the season of asocspore release (approximately 1 April to 30 June), on 25 occasions when rain started during night (after 23:00h and before 04:00h) and leaves remained wet until at least midnight the following day, the cumulative percentage of spores trapped at sunrise did not exceed 1%, irrespective of temperature. Three hours after sunrise, cumulative ascospore release reached 0.8%, 3.0%, and 8.1% at temperatures of 0 to 5°C, 5 to 10°C, and >10°C, respectively, and 50% release occurred at 11, 9, and 8h after sunrise. Additional field and laboratory studies indicated that the protracted dawn and dusk of Nordic latitudes, either alone or in combination with low temperatures, does not substantially alter previously reported patterns of ascospore releas

DMI Fungicides on Apples: Survival of the Apple Scab Pathogen in Sprayed Leaves, Late-Season Scab, and Sustainability of DMI Use in IPM Programs

NYS IPM Type: Project ReportDMI fungicides such as Rubigan and Nova represent a class of widely used and highly effective pest management tools in New York's apple IPM programs. Our recent research has indicated some potentially serious problems attending the continued use of DMI fungicides

Influence of socioeconomic deprivation on interventions and outcomes for patients admitted with COVID-19 to critical care units in Scotland: a national cohort study

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to significant respiratory failure with between 14% and 18% of hospitalised patients requiring critical care admission. This study describes the impact of socioeconomic deprivation on 30-day survival following critical care admission for COVID-19, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on critical care capacity in Scotland. Methods: This cohort study used linked national hospital records including ICU, virology testing and national death records to identify and describe patients with COVID-19 admitted to critical care units in Scotland. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the impact of deprivation on 30-day mortality. Critical care capacity was described by reporting the percentage of baseline ICU bed utilisation required. Findings: There were 735 patients with COVID-19 admitted to critical care units across Scotland from 1/3/2020 to 20/6/2020. There was a higher proportion of patients from more deprived areas, with 183 admissions (24.9%) from the most deprived quintile and 100 (13.6%) from the least deprived quintile. Overall, 30-day mortality was 34.8%. After adjusting for age, sex and ethnicity, mortality was significantly higher in patients from the most deprived quintile (OR 1.97, 95%CI 1.13, 3.41, p=0.016). ICUs serving populations with higher levels of deprivation spent a greater amount of time over their baseline ICU bed capacity. Interpretation: Patients with COVID-19 living in areas with greatest socioeconomic deprivation had a higher frequency of critical care admission and a higher adjusted 30-day mortality. ICUs in health boards with higher levels of socioeconomic deprivation had both higher peak occupancy and longer duration of occupancy over normal maximum capacity. Funding: None

Tomato Late Blight Forecasts: True Forecasting with Adaptation to Disease Management Practices

NYS IPM Type: Project ReportAs a result of the growing concern about exotic genotypes of the late blight fungus and recent availability of 48-hr weather forecasts linked to a revised BLITECAST, we proposed to evaluate tomato late blight management for fresh market tomatoes. A new algorithm for late blight was developed and adapted for use with E-Weather, a weather forecasting product from SkyBit, Inc. We evaluated this product at four locations in western New York in conjunction with another NYS IPM project on TOMCAST, a tomato early blight forecast system. The 1998 project was limited to the comparison of forecast periods of late blight infection and actual disease observations

Q& A: Past successes, future prospects and hurdles

Question and answer sessio

Forecasts of Grape Downy Mildew for New York and Pennsylvania Regional IPM Programs

NYS IPM Type: Project ReportGrape downy mildew is a destructive disease of both wine and processing grapes in New York and Pennsylvania. Its occurrence is sporadic, and seemingly unpredictable. We developed a computer model (DMCAST) which forecasts both initial infection, and cycles of secondary disease development. Our objectives were (1) to simplify the original DMCAST (which was a model designed for research) for practical use in regional IPM programs, and (2) to evaluate the utility of model forecasts of downy mildew in a management program for multiple diseases

Biological Control of Grape Powdery Mildew Using Tydeid Mites

NYS IPM Type: Project ReportUncinula necator, the causal agent of grape powdery mildew, is the most destructive pathogen of grapes worldwide, and is a particularly serious pest in the Northeastern US. There has been considerable interest, but limited success, in finding biological approaches to managing grape powdery mildew. Recently, we have discovered a mycophagous mite (Orthotydeus lambi) that is able to effectively suppress the development of powdery mildew on wild riverbank grape (Vitis riparia)

Parafoveal processing of repeated words during reading

In an eye tracking experiment during reading, we examined the Repetition Effect whereby words that are repeated in the same paragraph receive shorter fixation durations. Target words that were either high- or low-frequency words and of which the parafoveal preview was either correct or with all letters replaced were embedded three times in the same paragraph. Shorter fixation times and higher skipping rates were observed for high-frequency compared to low- frequency words, words for which the parafoveal preview was correct versus incorrect and as the word was being repeated more often. An interaction between frequency and repetition indicated that the reduction in fixation times due to repetition was more pronounced for low- frequency words. We also observed influences of word repetition on parafoveal processing as repeated words were skipped more often. An interaction between parafoveal preview and repetition indicated an absent repetition effect when the preview was incorrect but this effect was short-lived as it was restricted to the first fixation duration on the target word

Variable Eastern Weather Influences Powdery Mildew Severity

Heat accumulation during August-September—affecting the amount of overwintering cleistothecia that mature and survive—and water pan evaporation from two weeks pre-bloom to fruit set, are key predictors of powdery mildew severity in New York