New Technology, A Rising Pest Are All Part Of Lake Ontario Summer Fruit Tour

Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Lake Ontario Fruit Program is hosting its annual summer fruit tour. The tour takes place July 24, and begins at Kast Farms in Albion, NY.

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First Stop
Kast Farms is a large diversified operation of fruits, vegetables, and grain crops. David Kast, his sons, John and Brett, and Gary Davy, manager, are actively planting new orchards including NY-1, NY-2, Gala, Honeycrisp in the tall spindle system. They use GPS planting to lay out orchards.

At the site:

  • Alison De Mareee, production economics and business management specialist for Cornell CCE and Brett Kast will discuss the investment made in a deer fence for the orchard.
  • Deborah Breth, IPM team leader for Cornell CCE will present results of the Applied Research and Development Program Area funded project to evaluate the critical timing for weed control in new plantings, and report on weed control results in other field trials.
  • Kerik Cox, an assistant professor of plant pathology at Cornell University, will review the practices critical to protecting new apple plantings from disaster.
  • Terence Robinson, professor in the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University, will lead the discussion on management of NY1 and NY2.
  • Mario Miranda Sazo, specialist in cultural practices for Cornell CCE and Gary Davy will show additional results of de-fruiting techniques — manual and chemical — used for NY1 this season.

Second Stop
Pettit Farms in Medina, NY, is the second stop, where the owners been actively planting new apples adopting tall spindle. While at Pettit Farms, Breth and Cornell’s summer intern, Hanna Rae Warren, will discuss the symptoms of infestation of a new pest — the black stem borer. They will also advise growers on how to locate the pest and some control tactics. Robinson will discuss the pros and cons of pushing soil against the rootstock to get the graft union closer to the soil line with a common custom-built farm disc to address low vigor in NY1 and Honeycrisp.

Third Stop
The third stop on the tour will be at Ledge Rock Farms, LLC, also in Medina, NY, operated by Charlene and Jeffrey Smith, and Guinevere and Alan Panek. At this site, growers will see the first 100 NY1 and NY2 trees on M.9 and Nic29 rootstock planted in 2011 and compare them with NY1 on G.30 and NY2 on G.41 planted last year. The second planting of NY1 and NY2 incorporated the use of trickle irrigation, a mounted platform for trellis construction, and the execution of more timely and precise horticultural practices for maximum and safe tree growth. Robinson and Miranda Sazo will lead a discussion on precision chemical thinning.

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Fourth Stop
Vizcarra Vineyards At Becker Farms in Gasport, NY, is the fourth stop for lunch and presentations. Oscar and Mindy Vizcarra will discuss the history of their farm, market, and winery. Juliet Carroll, senior Extension associate with CCE and Cathy Heidenreich, research support specialist and plant pathologist with Cornell University will update growers on how to identify and control Spotted Wing Drosophila in berry and tree fruit.

Final Stop
New Royal Orchards in Gasport, NY, is the final stop on the tour. Alan, Tim, and Dennis Buhr are brothers operating this family farm. At this stop, Cox will discuss the research trials on new SDHI fungicides for scab and mildew. A demo of eight rows each sprayed with Merivon (BASF), Fontelis (DuPont), and Luna Tranquility (Bayer) will be shown.

Cox and Breth will replicate research in Geneva on small plot tests using different combinations of fungicides, with and without Captan (Arysta LifeScience), with or without Regulaid (KALO), with or without Sevin (Bayer), with or without urea. Cox will share the results of the research his Geneva plots.

Greg Lang, a professor of tree fruit Physiology at Michigan State University, as well as Robinson and Miranda Sazo will speak about protecting sweet cherries from the rain using the Voen System and other canopies. The Buhrs installed a Voen canopy system for a sweet cherry planting at 7-feet-by-16-feet. At this orchard planted in 2011, cherry cultivars such as Benton, Regina, Black Pearl, Burgundy Pearl, Ebony, and Attica are planted on Gisela 6. Greg Lang will lead a discussion on the pros and cons of the Voen canopy system and modern sweet cherry production techniques.

Following the tour will be a retirement celebration and dinner for Stephen A. Hoying, and Alison De Marree at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, in Medina. Pre-registration for the dinner is necessary.

Click here for more information about the tour and to register.

Source: Cornell Cooperative Extension Lake Ontario Fruit Program news release

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