Good Fruit Grower

October 2012

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QUICK BITES Read more Quick Bites at www.goodfruit.com Expect ballots in December for second vote to fund research at Washington State University. In the fall of 2011, Washington tree fruit growers were asked to support an additional assessment, equivalent to W what they now pay. Apple and pear growers said yes and began to pay $1 a ton this year. But only 44 per- cent of cherry growers said yes to their $4 a ton assessment, and it failed to pass. So did the proposed assessment of $1 per ton on peach, plum, nectarine, and apricot growers. The Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission's board voted unanimously in April to try again, and now the process has been set in motion. The Research Commission, which would collect the assessments, made its decision based on a recommendation from the Washington State Fruit Commission. Fruit Commission board members attributed the lack of cherry grower support to an incomplete mailing list and a lack of information about why the funds were necessary. It asked that an educational campaign be conducted to explain to growers how the funds would be used. Jake Gutzwiler, quality control supervisor at Stemilt and chair of the tree fruit campaign committee, said the stone fruit industry is being asked to raise $5 million over about eight years. That would fill out the original $32 million funding package. The plan is to endow six research chairs at Washington State University with $12 million, six new extension positions with $12 million, and create an $8 million endowment for research orchard operations. More details will be published in Good Fruit Grower in November. 185,000 tons, an increase of more than 30 percent over last year's volume. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's August forecast indicates a total W Controls Voles & Protects Your Orchard - Rozol paraffi nized pellets are ideal for wet conditions. - For use after Fall harvest, and before new Spring growth. - Perfect for use during snow melt-offs. Voles gnaw on tree trunks and roots (girdling) causing U.S. grape crop of 7.3 million tons, compared with almost 7.4 million in 2011. In California, which produces the bulk of the nation's grapes, the 2012 crop is estimated at 6.6 million tons, the same as last year. That num- ber comprises 3.7 million tons of wine grapes, 1.9 million tons of raisins, and 1.0 million tons of table grapes. Washington is expected to produce 415,000 tons of grapes, up from 316,000 last year. The wine grape crop is estimated at a record 185,000 tons, and the juice grape crop at 230,000 tons. The increase is attributed to a mild winter and warm, dry spring. Eastern and Midwest growing regions expect to har- vest smaller crops this year because of spring freezes. The forecast for New York, the nation's second-largest grape growing region, is 115,000 tons, down from 188,000 last year. Michigan's crop is forecast at 30,000 tons, down from 94,400 last year, while Pennsylvania's crop is forecast at 54,000 tons, down from 91,000 a year ago. Arthropod management been published. Arthropod Management in Vineyards: A BAIT EARLY SAVE BIG Meadow vole. Outstanding Control 38 OCTOBER 2012 GOOD FRUIT GROWER Pests, Approaches, and Future Directions provides a global overview of insects and mites, including invasive pests, affecting vines and the novel strategies being used or being developed to prevent economic losses. Written by experts from major grape-growing regions on five continents, the book reviews the theoretical basis of integrated pest management, and covers biological control, modes of action of pesticides, and the current status of chemical control. In addition, it reviews the major insect and mite pests affecting grape production and how they are being managed in different regions. Published by Springer, the book was co-edited by two researchers with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Quebec, Noubar Bostanian and Charles Vincent, and by Michigan State University entomologist Rufus Isaacs. A hard copy can be ordered online at www.springer .com/life+sciences/agriculture/book/978-94-007-4031-0 for $239. It can also be purchased as an e-book. Parts of chapters can be viewed online in PDF format. www.goodfruit.com new book about management of insects and mites in vineyards has ashington State cherry and stone fruit growers are slated to receive ballots in December so they may vote a second time on a special assessment Cherry residue study I n response to industry concerns about complying with maximum residue levels for pesticides in export markets, the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission has been conducting trials to look at the potential residues of insecticides and fungicides remaining on fruit after harvest. The goal is to help Washington growers make more informed choices about their spray programs. The commission's scientists recently completed a trial in a cherry orchard that focused on products used to target spotted wing drosophila and powdery mildew. The study also looked at how residues were affected by applications of a wax-based product commonly used to prevent rain cracking. The results of the study, as well as reports from similar projects con- ducted last year on apple and cherry, are available on the commission's Web site at www.treefruitresearch.com. Also on the Web site are results of a cherry insecticide residue study conducted by David Haviland with the University of California Cooperative Extension. Record grape crop in Washington hile the nation's 2012 grape crop is expected to be similar to a year ago, Washington State expects to harvest a record wine grape crop of

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