Illinois Fruit and Vegetable News

Address any questions or comments regarding this newsletter to the individual authors listed after each article or to its editors, Nathan Johanning, 618-939-3434, njohann@illinois.edu or Bronwyn Aly 618-695-6060, baly@illinois.edu. The Illinois Fruit and Vegetable News is available on the web at: http://ipm.illinois.edu/ifvn/. To receive or be removed from email notification of new postings of this newsletter, contact Nathan Johanning or Bronwyn Aly at the phone numbers or email addresses above.

In This Issue:

Upcoming Programs ((listings for beginning and established growers))

Regional Reports ((east central Illinois. St. Louis Metro East (including notes on Bitter rot in apple and powdery mildew in grape), southern Illinois, Dixon Springs))

Fruit and Vegetable Pest Management ((Modified Growing Degree Days from Jan 1 through July 2, New Grape Production Videos available.))

Less Seriously

University of Illinois Extension educators and specialists in fruit and vegetable production and pest management

Upcoming Programs

Check the Illinois SARE calendar for a full list of programs and links for registration.
http://illinoissare.org/ and http://illinoissare.org/calendar.php
Also see the University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Team’s website at:
http://web.extension.illinois.edu/smallfarm/ and the calendar of events at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/units/calendar.cfm?UnitID=629.

• 2019 Southern Illinois Summer Twilight Mileur Orchard, Monday, July 8, 2019 at 6 p.m. This orchard operation, established in 1961, has evolved to now grow over 30 varieties of peaches, 9 varieties of apples along with apriums, pluots, and plums.  The program will cover production and marketing along with the steps the Mileur’s took to set up their commercial kitchen for making baked goods to sell from their fruit. For more information or to register, please contact Nathan Johanning at njohann@illinois.edu; 618-687-1727 or Bronwyn Aly, baly@illinois.edu; 618-252-8391. 
• August 19, 2019 – Jackson County Extension Office to host final Southern Illinois Summer Twilight Meeting
• Meigs High Tunnel Field Day, Thursday, July 18, 2019 10:00 a.m., Purdue Meigs Farm, 9101 S 100E, Lafayette, IN 47909 Topics of the field day include Production of specialty melons in high tunnels; Early detection of bacterial wilt; Impact of crop rotation and rootstock on the resilience of high tunnel tomatoes. Lunch and refreshments are provided. Registration is free, but required. Register here https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0HXQwDluRiOnwAB  For questions please contact Lori Jolly-Brown at ljollybr@purdue.edu or (765) 494-1296

Regional Reports

From east central Illinois…Two weeks of warm temperatures and sunny days have made a real difference in the overall appearance and growth of the local vegetables and fruits. Raspberry production has been good. Farmers are dealing with pest and disease issues brought on by the warm, humid weather. Early sweet corn harvest is delayed from previous years and will not be available by July 4 holiday weekend.

Doug Gucker (217-877-6042; dgucker@illinois.edu)

From the St. Louis Metro East… It’s not over yet.  Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) has agreed to move its cutoff date for over-the-top dicamba applications from June 30 to July 15 -- but only for June-planted soybean fields.  Anyone who planted before June 1 will remain subject to the original planting date plus 45 days after dicamba application, while anyone who planted after the June 1 deadline will be required to adhere to the extended July 15 cutoff date.  All I can say is be ever vigilant in making your soybean growing neighbors aware of you.  Report suspected drift damage to IDOA immediately, which means you need to be out looking regularly.  For reference images, see the Missouri Extension research report “Evaluations of Dicamba and 2,4-D Injury on Fruiting Trees and Various Other Woody Species”  at: https://www.greatplainsgrowersconference.org/uploads/2/9/1/4/29140369/2018_gpgc_trees_evaluations_of_dicamba_and_24-d_injury.pdf.   If you believe your property has been damaged by pesticide misuse, call the IDOA's Bureau of Environmental Programs at 1-800-641-3934 (voice and TDD) or 217-785-2427 for a complaint form or online at:
https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/agr/Pesticides/Documents/pesticidemisusecomplaintform.pdf.  Complaints must be received by the IDOA within 30 days of the incident or within 30 days of when the damage was first noticed. Complaints filed after that will be kept on record, but no administrative action will be taken.

Early symptoms of bitter rot in apple (left) and advanced bitter rot (right).  Photo credit: E. Wahle

Bitter rot development in apples has hit its sweet spot, favoring high temperatures (80–90 degrees F) and high relative humidity (80–100%). The fungi is already potentially in your orchard, having survived the winter in dead wood or mummified fruit that were infected during the previous season.  I consulted with Dr. Babadoost and he is recommending growers consider [Merivon (5.5 fl oz/A) + captan (5 lb/A)] alternated with [Topsin-M (1 lb/A) + captan (5 lb/A)] at 10-day interval. Maximum per acre per season for Merivon, captan, and Topsin-M are 22 fl oz, 40 lbs, and 4 lbs, respectively.   Thorough coverage is essential, so plan on at least 100 gallons of water per acre.  Cull infected fruit and mummies as soon as possible, and destroy or bury.

Scout for early signs of powdery mildew development (inset), which can occur on any green tissue, including shoots, leaves, rachis and berries. Advanced powdery mildew infection covering large portions of the vine (above).  Photo credit: E. Wahle.

Integrated Pest Management at the University of Illinois
Department of Crop Sciences
Illinois Natural History Survey

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