Good Fruit Grower

February 15th

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Diseases & Disorders Life without ANTIBIOTICS Fireblight can be controlled without antibiotics, plant pathologist Ken Johnson believes. by Geraldine Warner approach. To develop an effective strategy, he has focused on answering several key questions: When is the fireblight pathogen active in orchards? The pathogen overwinters in old cankers and then gets into blossoms in the spring. P The fireblight pathogen overwinters in old cankers. A test is being developed that will tell growers if the pathogen is in their orchards around bloom time so they can decide whether to spray or not. Sy s s t em- C AL™ The Perfect PGR Partner Apple growers need to do many things early season at the same time to ensure quality fruit at harvest. Four of the most important early seasons tasks are 1) maximizing calcium uptake into the developing fruit, 2) improving fruit size 3) managing terminal growth and 4) managing tree fruit load. Sysstem Cal from Agro-K can improve the performance of the most important PGR tools used for sizing, thinning and managing terminal growth that are critical to maximizing fruit quality and grower profitability. Untreated Control Carbaryl 1 lb/100 gal + NAA 7.5 ppm Carbaryl 1 lb/100 gal + NAA 7.5 ppm + Sysstem- CAL 2 qts/100 gal Control Carbaryl 1 lb/100 gal + MaxCel 100 ppm Carbaryl 1 lb/100 gal + MaxCel 100 ppm + Sysstem- CAL 2 qts/100 gal Trial conducted by Duane Greene, University of Massachusetts - 2010 Large, firm apples, free from bitter pit generate the highest per acre return. Private and university research shows Sysstem-Cal's positive effects on size. Dr. Duane Greene, UMass stated, "clearly Sysstem-CAL when combined with MaxCel® had a profound effect on increasing fruit size." Not only does Sysstem-CAL aid in maximizing fruit size, but it also supplies needed calcium at the same time for better firmness and storage life. 255 a 156 c 191 b Carbaryl 24 oz + Sysstem-Cal 2qts Carbaryl 24 oz + Maxcel 2qts + Sysstem-Cal 2qts Carbaryl 24 oz Carbaryl 24 oz + Maxcel 2qts 46.0 39.0 Trial Conducted by Reality Research, Wayne Cty, NY - 2010 41.0 37.0 13.0 24.0 Apples need early season calcium for best quality. Growers want early applications of Apogee® to manage terminal growth, but calcium can be antagonistic to Apogee®. University research from WSU, Penn State and UMass as well as private researchers have documented that Sysstem-CAL™ does not interfere with Apogee®, allowing it to control terminal growth and help growers manage fire blight more effectively. Sysstem-CAL Effect on Apogee and Shoot Growth 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 wk Check Apogee Apogee + Sysstem-CAL 1 wk 3 wk 5 wk 7 wk Trial conducted by Dr. J. Schupp, Penn State - 2009 9 wk 11 wk The CougarBlight model focuses on the growth of the pathogen in the flower, but not on when it moves out of cankers to the blossoms. To pinpoint when the bacteria move into flowers, Johnson has been surveying orchards and collecting blossoms at three timings: midbloom, full bloom, and petal fall. He then analyzes the flowers using a LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) assay, a new DNA test that is simple, cheap, and sensitive, and can detect the fireblight lant pathologists are developing new approaches to controlling fireblight in view of the National Organic Program's proposed phaseout of antibiotics from the approved materials list for apples and pears. Dr. Ken Johnson, plant pathologist at Oregon State University in Corvallis, believes that the disease can be controlled without antibiotics, using a systems The unique formulation of Sysstem-CAL links calcium to a highly systemic phosphite. This patent-pending technology provides rapid calcium penetration and translocation into the fruit where calcium is most needed. Sysstem-Cal maximizes calcium and cell wall development, resulting in reduced bitter pit and improved pack-out while maximizing storage and shelf life. Call 800-328-2418 or visit . Science-Driven NutritionSM © 2012 Agro-K Corporation. Sysstem-Cal is a trademark of Agro-K Corporation. Sevin, MaxCel, and Fruitone are registered trademarks of Bayer, Valent, and AMVAC, respectively. Apogee is a registered trademark of BASF. Use of Sysstem-Cal as a spray adjuvant with PGRs is not registered in California. 18 FEBRUARY 15, 2012 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com geraldine warner mean shoot lenght (cm)

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