Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/705612
www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower AUGUST 2016 37 into petri dishes, examined some and put others in petri dishes with bleach and ethanol and ground them up to see what was inside. They found no evidence of fire blight. What they did find were a number of fungi and two in large supply — A. grosmanniae and Nectria haematococca. "Both can be cultivated by BSB; they farm it and eat it," Cox said. According to information filed in the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute, N. haematococca is actually the reproductive stage of Fusarium solani, the fungus identified as the causal agent for a number of vegetable diseases as well as sudden death syndrome in soybeans. N. haematococca occurs in several forms, among them as a fungus that feeds on soil organic matter and as a plant pathogen. It has an extensive range of metabolic capabilities, including the ability to degrade lignin — the organic polymer that makes many plants rigid and woody — and pesticides. It is also tolerant to more than a few com- pounds that are toxic to other fungi, such as antibiotics, heavy metals and metabolic poisons. One of more curious symptoms not explained by the beetle or the fungi is bark blistering around the sites where the bugs tunnel. When researchers scraped the bark away, they found a white, chalky material, some- thing they later identified as callus cells that appear in injured wood. Curiously, however, they did not find any fungi usually associated with black stem borers in blistered bark samples they examined. Instead, they found lots of fluorescent Pseudomonas bacteria, which have been associated with symptoms like this in apples in Europe. "The overall wilting symptoms observed on infested apples trees are most likely the result of tunneling," Cox said. It also is likely to be weakening the wood and making it susceptible to things like blister bark. For this reason, Cox said, researchers have not yet ruled out a link between black stem borers and blister bark. • Photos by tJ MullinAx/GooD fruit Grower Art Agnello shows a handmade trap set to capture black stem borer next to an apple orchard near Huron, New York. Agnello, Cornell University Extension entomologist, set up traps with commercially available ethanol lures inside plastic containers, which hold soapy water in the bottom to capture beetles. Portable Wind Machines www.towandblowusa.com Frost Protection – protects up to 10 acres Evaporative Cooling – portable misting system cools plants, crops and livestock High Performance – 1.5 gallons of fuel per hour Versatility – can be set to oscillate at any degree or angle Service – lower boom to safely service the standard Honda engine Noise – makes half the noise of any other wind machine Mobile – easy to move with a tractor or truck and raise the arm for immediate use Affordable – low operation costs NEW Model – galvanized body, propane units available with auto start, choke and throttle WA, OR: Wenatchee Wind Machine 509.669.2511, bill@wenatcheewind.com Northern CA: Belkorp Ag 707.584.9111, ppigoni@belkorpag.com San Joaquin Valley, CA: A&P AG Structures 559.772.7690, nick@grapesystem.com Central Coast, CA: A&P, 805.296.3027, david@grapesystem.com TX: Southwest Ag Specialties 806.229.2100, southwestagspec@windstream.net Other US: Chamberlin Agriculture 206.437.8738, jsandnes @chamberlinag.com Contact your local dealer today! Growers & Fruit Industry Truck Buyers. . . Partner up with your GMC Business Elite Dealer Lee Peterson Motors Every dollar counts in the ag business, and you need hard working trucks from a reliable dealer you can trust, your GMC Business Elite Dealer. 410 S. First Street • Yakima • 509-575-6372 L P MOTORS .com www Click! Drive! Save! MON-FRI 8 AM - 6 PM SAT 8 AM - 5 PM SUN 11 AM - 4 PM 2016 GMC Sierra 1500 Regular Cab Standard Box Rich Ausink Fleet Manager Jim Peterson General Manager The right truck customized to your specific agricultural businees needs. rich@lpmotors.com jim@lpmotors.com