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Content:
 
2007 Short Course
Rain, Rain,….and More Rain!!
Late Season Diseases
Late Season Insects
Growing Degree Days
Upcoming Events
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2007 Short course -- Mark Your Calendar

The 2007 Ohio Grape-Wine Short Course will be held on 12-13 February at the Shisler Conference Center at OARDC in Wooster, OH. Please mark your calendar. More information later.


Rain, Rain,….and More Rain!! Observations in Northeast Ohio Vineyards
by Greg Johns, AARS Manager and Imed Dami, HCS-OARDC

So far, the growing season has been full of surprises and we still have three months to go before harvest in many regions… After disastrous spring frost events in NE Ohio, spring was relatively dry but not anymore in the summer. Almost, across the state, July has been wetter and hotter than normal (see Table below). At AARS in Kingsville, July was exceptionally wet with 8.74” of rain compared to the normal 2.94”!! A table summary (attached) and observations in NE Ohio provided by Greg Johns tell the story:
 

 

-         Greater amounts of rainfall reported at locations other than AARS… Harpersfield Madison and Perry area
-         Erosion (sheet, rill and gully) have been observed in some hillside vineyards
-         Area vineyards have exhibited chlorosis possibly due to high soil moisture
-         Excessive vine growth has caused growers to hedge 2-3 weeks earlier than normal
-         Excessive lateral growth and fruit shading
-         Numerous reports of greater than normal incidence and severity of Downy Mildew throughout the Lake Erie Region
-         Summer spray intervals have been shortened from 10-14 days to 7-10 days
-         Due to disease pressure, more expensive materials have been required for disease control
-         Numerous reports of Phomopsis Cane and Leaf Spot throughout the Lake Erie Region as a result of cool spring temps
-         Despite freeze and frost damage reported in area vineyards, most hybrid and vinifera crop levels appear normal
-         Some hard-hit Concord vineyards will not be harvested due to low crop levels
-         Weed growth has been extremely rank in many area vineyards
 
Preliminary Monthly Climatologic Data for Selected Ohio Locations - July 2006
This data is from several sources including OARDC, NOAA, and local records. Temperature is Fahrenheit and precipitation is in inches.

                                     July                   Average Temperatures
                           Precip. Normal          High    Low     Monthly    Normal
Akron-Canton      6.29    4.02            82.4    64.2    73.3            71.8
Cincinnati             4.03    3.75            86.7    67.0    76.9            76.3
Cleveland             4.46    3.52            82.7    65.6    74.2            71.9
Columbus             5.77    4.62            85.7    67.4    76.5            75.1
Dayton                 5.32    3.75            84.5    66.6    75.6            74.3
Kingsville             8.74    2.94            82.1    63.3    72.7            71.1
Mansfield             6.39    4.22            82.3    63.4    72.9            71.0
Miami Univ.         4.24    3.65            87.8    67.9    77.6            73.8
Piketon                 1.51    4.01            87.3    64.4    75.3            75.9
Toledo                  9.19    6.39            84.9    64.6    74.8            73.0
Wooster               6.48    4.10             84.5    63.3    73.2            71.5
Youngstown          7.06    4.10            82.1    62.7    72.4            69.9
 

Control of Late Season Diseases (downy Mildew, powdery mildew, and Botrytis Bunch Rot)
By Dr. Mike Ellis, Plant Pathology, OARDC-OSU

This is turning out to be one of the wettest years we have ever had , and you all know what that means in relation to disease control on grapes. This is not a year to drop your guard in your  disease control program. Late season disease control is very important . By now ( August 1), we should have controlled Phomopsis and black rot and they should not be an issue. We should also have  control of powdery and downy mildew infections on the fruit because we controlled them in the critical period for fruit infection ( Immediate Prebloom Through 3 to 4 weeks after Bloom). I hope we all remember this critical period. If you have downy or powdery in your clusters, there is not any thing you can do about it now. Remember that fruit become resistant to black rot , powdery and Downy mildew by about 4 weeks after bloom.

Now ( late season) we need to be concerned with controlling leaf and rachis infects by downy and powdery mildew. Both diseases need to be controlled simultaneously. This often means using fungicide combinations In a wet year like this, Late season downy can result in severe defoliation of the vines, resulting in reduced fruit quality and increased winter injury to the vine. Powdery can build up on leaves and dry up the rachis resulting in poor fruit ripen and quality.

Hopefully you have a good crop on the vines and now is not the time to drop your guard in disease control. Especially if it stays wet like it has been, you will need to maintain a good disease  control program through harvest and even after harvest on early harvested grapes that are harvested several weeks before the first killing frost.

I am attaching two documents to this message. One describes the current fungicides that are available for control of powdery and downy mildew and Botrytis Bunch rot. These are the main diseases we need to be concerned about this time of year. A second document is my Spray schedule " Developing an Effective  Fungicide  Spray Program for  Wine Grapes in Ohio". Most Ohio growers should have a copy of this. On this program , please review pages 4 through 7. It pretty much has my recommendations for late season disease control.

A Few Other Notes:

Fungicide resistance to the strobilurins ( Abound, Flint, and Sovran ) has been reported in powdery mildew. You should not use these materials alone for control of powdery mildew. If you use them for other diseases mix them with a material with good efficacy against Powdery mildew. Pristine is a mixture of a strobilurin and Boscalid ( a powdery mildew material ) so it should do well against powdery.

Unfortunately, there are reports from Virginia of reduced sensitivity ( resistance) in downy mildew to Pristine. Pristine was the only fungicide that would control virtually all our major grape diseases, but you should be careful using it alone for control of downy mildew until we get a better understanding of what the resistance situation is in Ohio. Pristine is an excellent material for late season disease control, but it may be wise to mix it with a Phosphorous acid fungicide to insure good control of Downy mildew.

What Fungicides are available?
The materials I have attached to this message describe all the fungicides that are options at this time of year, and my spray guide gives fungicide combinations I recommend for controlling both powdery and downy simultaneously. I think growers should be aware of and try using Phosphorous acid Fungicides for downy mildew control late in the season when Mancozeb can no longer be used. They are relatively inexpensive ( at least they were ) and they work. They can be used up to the day of harvest if necessary (0-day PHI) and I have not heard of any reports on negative effects on wine quality. These materials are good for downy, but do not control powdery so they need to mixed with a powdery mildew fungicide. See my spray guide for available options.

For Organic grape growers, the only material I am aware of that will provide good ( reliable ) control of downy and powdery mildew simultaneously is a copper fungicide. Especially if it stays wet and you have a long fairly long time till harvest, you may want to consider a spray or two of copper. You should be careful not to spray copper too close to harvest on wine grapes or fermentation problems ( copper in the wine ) can result.

Lastly, let's all hope for nice dry weather. That is probably the best thing that could help us in this potentially dangerous year for grape diseases.

Please feel free to contact me any time if you Have questions about your disease control program.
Phone: 330-263-3849     
Email :   ellis.7@osu.edu

OARDC
Department of Plant Pathology
1680 Madison Avenue
Wooster , Ohio 44691
Phone: 330-263-3849
Fax:      330-2633849
E-Mail < ellis.7@osu.edu
http://plantpath.osu.edu/faculty/ellis.php
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/fruitpathology/


Late Summer Insects and Management
Dr. Roger Williams and Dan Fickle, Entomology/OARDC/OSU
 
Veraison is rapidly approaching so it’s time to think about insect pests that may affect the quality of your grape crop at harvest.  At this point in the season, the pests that you should be scouting for are grape berry moth, Japanese beetle, leafhoppers, foliar phylloxera, yellow jackets, hornets, and the multicolored Asian lady beetle (MALB).  Scouting for these pests should be conducted every 10 to 14 days from now to harvest.
 
Grape berry moth- Pheromone traps have not been a good indicator of the berry moth populations this season; therefore you should be conducting bunch surveys along the vineyard edges and transecting the vineyard.  At least 100 bunches at each location should be inspected for berry moth damage.  While berries are still green the point at which the larva enters the berry usually causes a reddish spot to appear. As berries ripen damage may appear as berries being webbed together and in some cases completely hollowed out. Cluster damage approaching 6% in processed grapes and 3% in those grown for the fresh market, would indicate a protective cover spray is needed.  Insecticides providing good control of berry moth are Danitol, Baythroid and Intrepid. The harvest restrictions for these products are; Danitol 21 days, Baythroid 3 days and Intrepid 30 days.  Baythroid has shown good efficacy toward the multicolored Asian lady beetle so this product may be a very useful tool for controlling late season pests.  
 
Leafhoppers- Adults and nymphs feed on leaves causing white blotches to appear on the leaf.  Leaves may turn yellow or brown and fall off.  Vines can tolerate up to 15 insects per leaf with little economic damage.  However, heavy leafhopper damage may result in premature leaf drop, lowered sugar content, increased acid and poor coloration of the fruit. Leafhoppers may build up to damaging levels in late August.  At this time of the year control methods are recommended if greater than 10 leafhoppers per leaf are encountered.  Pesticides providing good control of this pest are Sevin, and the neonicotinoids Provado, Assail and Venom. 
 
Japanese beetle- Moist soil conditions were conducive to a large emergence of adult Japanese beetles this summer so many vineyards have experienced large populations of beetles feeding on grape foliage. Vines can tolerate some defoliation by this pest but if it becomes excessive on thin leaved cultivars, a protective spray may be needed.  Too much defoliation will affect the ability of the vine to ripen its crop.  The insecticide Sevin is still a good choice for extended control of this pest.
 
Foliar phylloxera- If this pest was not controlled earlier in the season, late season infestations may be damaging to the crop due to excessive defoliation of the vine.  Late season control is difficult but cover sprays will help to protect new foliage and may reduce premature defoliation.   The insecticides Danitol, Capture, Baythroid, Porvado, and Assial have demonstrated good efficacy against this pest. If using any of these products late in the season, be sure to check the harvest restrictions. 
 
Multicolored Asian lady beetle- You should be on the look out for this pest from veraison to harvest. Remember it only takes as few as 12 beetles in a lug of grapes to cause contamination of the juice.  Inspect your clusters prior to harvest, at harvest and again prior to processing.  This will help to prevent these mobile pests from causing what could be a costly contamination problem at crush.  We have two newly labeled products this season which have demonstrated good efficacy against MALB for up to 4 days post treatment and both have minimal harvest restrictions. Venom may be applied up to 1 day prior to harvest and Baythroid 3 days prior to harvest. 
 
Yellow jackets and hornets- When sugar levels within ripening fruit approach harvest levels they become an attractive food source for yellow jackets and hornets.  These pests are capable of compromising the skin of otherwise sound berries.  Once the fruit has been damaged, bunch rots and fruit flies will follow.  The insecticides Malathion, Baythroid, Sevin and Provado have demonstrated good control of these pests.
 
Remember, proper scouting of your vineyard will alert you to possible problems before they get out of hand.  Much of the fruit flies and bunch rot problems you may experience at harvest can be controlled with proper insecticide and fungicide applications prior to harvest.
 
Contact Information:
 
Dr. Roger Williams
Dept. of Entomology
OARDC/OSU
ph. 330-263-3731
e-mail williams.14@osu.edu
 
Dan Fickle
Dept. of Entomology
OARDC/OSU
ph. 330-263-3623
e-mail fickle.1@osu.edu
 
 
Growing Degree Days Across Ohio
(Source: ICM Newsletter, Editor: Dr. Shawn Wright)

Data through July 31 from OSU Phenology Garden Network (not all locations)  OSU Phenology Garden Network
 
OSU South Centers Piketon          2171
Wilmington                         2009
Chillicothe                        2008
Athens                             1985
Findlay                            1896
Toledo                             1875
Xenia                              1871
Marietta                           1844
Wooster                            1835
Washington Court House             1826
Canton                             1822
Norwalk                            1821
Shinrock                           1805
Mansfield                          1802
Stow                               1782
Canfield                           1770
Cortland                           1700
Willoughby                         1691
Kingsville                         1599
Mt. Sterling                       1555
Coshocton                          1240

Upcoming Events:
 
Aug. 2-13: Ohio State Fair, Columbus, Ohio. (888) 646-3976
 
Aug. 9-20: Indiana State Fair, Indianapolis. (317) 927-7500.
 
August 17-18, Apple Crop Outlook and Marketing Conference. Four Seasons Motel, Chicago, Ill. For more information www.usapple.org.
 
August 22-23, North American Strawberry Growers Association Summer Tour, Portland Maine.  For more information, http://www.nasga.org/
 
August 24, Organic Horticultural Crop Field Day, OARDC, Wooster, Ohio.  For more information phone (330) 263-3878.
 
August 24, 2006 Bramble Field Day, 3pm – 7pm at Nourse Farms, Whately MA. Co-sponsored by UMass Extension and Penn State University, this workshop will provide an opportunity to learn about practical methods for identifying common field and postharvest bramble diseases through formal and informal activities. Please pre-register for this meeting by contacting Sonia Schloemann at 413-545-4347 or sgs@umext.umass.edu.
 
Aug. 30-Sept.1 North American Fruit, Explorers (NAFEX) and SFF Annual Meeting, Holiday Inn North, Lexington, KY. Contact John Strang 859-257-5685; e-mail: jstrang@uky.edu
 
September 19-21, Farm Science Review, Molly Caren Agricultural Center, London.      http://fsr.osu.edu/
 
September 21, Grape and Pawpaw Field Day KSU Research Farm, Mills Lane, Frankfort, KY.  For more information contact Kirk Pomper at 502-597-5942
 
October 6-7, U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council Fall Meeting.  Regency, Bar Harbor, Maine , Regency, Bar Harbor, Maine. For more information  (207) 288-9723.
 
November 9-11, Southeast Strawberry Expo, Sunset Beach, NC (near Wilmington). Farm tour, intensive workshops on Strawberry Plasticulture ABCs and High Tunnel Production, tradeshow, many educational sessions on production and marketing. For more information, contact the NC Strawberry Association, 919-542-3687 or ncstrawberry@mindspring.com
 
December 5-7, Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market EXPO. DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, Mich., www.glexpo.com..
 
January 7-9, 2007, Wisconsin Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Conference, Olympia Resort and Conference Center, Oconomowoc, www.wisconsinfreshproduce.org
 
Jan. 8-9, 2007, Kentucky Fruit and Vegetable Conference and Trade Show, Holiday Inn North, Lexington, KY. Contact John Strang 859-257-5685; e-mail jstrang@uky.edu
 
January 25-28, 2007, Southern Sustainable Agriculture Conference. The Galt House Hotel and Suites, Louisville, Ky. For more information (678) 494-0696
 
January 30-February1, 2007, Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable Convention. Hershey Lodge &. Convention Center, Hershey PA
 
February 9-12, 2007, North American Strawberry Growers Association Strawberry Symposium. Ventura, California.  More program details (abstract deadlines, keynote speakers, etc.) and opportunities for industry, organization and agency sponsorship will be announced on the NASGA website http://www.nasga.org/.
 
February 12-13, 2007, Ohio Grape-Wine Short Course. Shisler Center OARDC, Wooster, OH. 

February 14-15, 2007, Empire State Fruit and Vegetable Expo  Syracuse, N.Y. For more information  www.nysaes.cornell.edu/hort/expo.
 
February 16-17, 2007,  North American Farmers' Direct Marketing Conference and Trade Show.  Hyatt Regency Hotel, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. For more information www.nafdma.com..