Although it didn't really start out that way, May 2006 ended on a warm note with the last few days producing high temperatures and humid weather. Month-end totals revealed GDD's to be 411 Units (only slightly above normal) and precipitation levels at 12.41" (again slightly above normal for this time of the year).
Since our last issue, a number of rust diseases have been noted on junipers including quince rust, hawthorn rust and, of course, cedar apple rust. Powdery mildew can currently be observed on susceptible ornamental plantings, although the need for treatment is generally uncommon. Reports of Sycamore Anthracnose have been coming in from around the region: the small/shriveled/browning leaves are evident - even from a distance.
As one can imagine for this time of the year, a wide number of insects have been noted in the landscape as the growing season has moved into high gear. The adults of both the Boxwood leafminer and Boxwood psyllid are currently being noted on boxwood. Lacebug (Stephanitis spp.) nymphs are easily observable in a clustered formation on the underside of Andromeda leaves. A number of mites including Rust mites (and other types of Eriophyiid mites) and Spruce spider mites are currently active on a number of landscape ornamentals. Bagworms have recently hatched and the small early-instar larvae can be noted moving around, feeding and beginning the process of making their bag. Hemlock wooley adelgid crawlers are present on hemlock trees and Whitefly nymphs continue to persist and develop on hollies. A number of scale insect eggs have been laid including Cottony Taxus Scale, Oyster Shell Scale, and White Prunicola Scale - so be on the lookout for the soon-to-emerge crawlers. Euonymous scale crawlers have been observed. Remember, treatment for scale insects is generally recommended at the time of crawler emergence, so monitoring during this time of the year is especially important!
Written by Rick Harper, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County
Upcoming Training for Mile-a Minute Vine Control
There is a
non-native invasive vine called mile-a-minute (polygonum perfoliatum)
that has recently made its way north to the lower Hudson Valley. This
annual vine is extremely aggressive. It has been called the kudzu of
the northeast because of its rapid growth up to 6 inches a day and because
it climbs up and over surrounding vegetation blocking out the sun and
essential choking the plants around it.
An ad hoc working group has been meeting in order to put in place an
early detection and rapid response system for this invasive. This includes
surveying to find new infestations, controlling these through hand-pulling,
and monitoring controlled sites for signs of recurrence. We need volunteers
to do all of this as they are the most imperative part of this early
detection and rapid response system.
We will be holding a volunteer training meeting on June 10th from 9am-1pm
at the Cliffhouse at Bear Mountain. We are looking for group leaders
or individuals who are interested in either taking some hikes to look
for new infestations, help us with scheduled weed pulls, or monitor
those sites. Attendees will be taught about the vine: threats, habitats,
identification and map reading and GPS skills to locate and infestations.
After this training you will be able ready to join our volunteer team
and either look for new infestations or join us in hand-pulling control
efforts. You will also be able to sign up to survey specific areas or
help us hand-pull some already known infestations.
So far this year we have pulls at these places:
•June 24th Blauvelt State Park
•June 22nd and July 8th Ward Pound Ridge
•Wingdale in Dutchess County date to be determined
More pulls will be held as we find out about new infestations.
We would love to have anyone interested come and join us on the 10th.
We will start inside and then move over to Iona Island to see an infestation
and pull some of the plants
.
To register for this meeting please follow this link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=377302110103
Submitted by Teresa Rusinek, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster
County
"Windshield
Survey"
Defective Tree Assessment for Municipal Employees, Landscapers
and Tree Care Professionals
Wednesday,
June 28, 2006, 8:30AM to 3:00PM
Cornell Cooperative Extension, Farm & Home Center
2715 Route 44, Millbrook
4 NYSDEC Pesticide Recertification Credits Category 3A, 10, 25, 2.
5 ISA CEU's Pending Approval
.
Program
Municipalities and other public agencies that manage trees are required
by law to maintain public property and right of ways in a reasonably
safe condition. They are required to rectify dangerous conditions caused
by trees on public property as well as limbs from privately owned trees
that hang over public right of way property. Court decisions have found
municipalities liable when the municipality lacks a tree inspection
program and injury is caused by a tree that would have been deemed dangerous
by even a brief glance and the condition was easily identified. Every
tree may pose a risk depending on size, age, location and other factors.
Assessment of defective trees is an intricate process requiring a high
level of expertise. Landscapers and municipal employees should have
a basic knowledge of this process to (at least) recommend a proper course
of action such as pruning or removal to mitigate potential hazards.
An inspection program can assess potential dangerous conditions resulting
from trees and limbs. This workshop will provide training on tree risk
assessment and will also be of benefit to those in the landscape industry
who want to increase their expertise in this area of tree care.
Instructors:
Andy Pleninger, Vice President, Urban Forestry LLC
Stephanie Mallozzi, Horticulture Team Coordinator, CCE Dutchess County
Topics for the day include:
Legal Issues
Basic Tree Biology
Tree Risk Assessment Methodology
Insects & Diseases of Common Street Trees
Hands-on Outdoor Tree Risk Assessment Exercises
Fee: $85.00 per person Pre-Registration by June 20, 2006. Registration received after June 20th will be $110.00 per person. No walk-in registrations allowed. Class size is limited, so don't delay register today! The fee includes continental breakfast, lunch and handouts. No refunds, but substitutions allowed. Cash, check, money order, PO, VISA/ MasterCard accepted.
For more information: Contact Stephanie Mallozzi at 845.677.8223 ext. 104 or email: sdm10@cornell.edu.
Careful with that bug! It's helping deliver $57 billion a year to the U.S., new Cornell study reports
What's the
dollar value of insects providing wildlife nutrition to recreationally
important animals? $50 billion, reports Cornell entomologist John Losey
in the April issue of BioScience.
"Think twice before you so blithely swat, stomp, curse or ignore
insects," says Cornell University entomologist John Losey. "Most
insects are tirelessly performing functions that improve our environment
and live in ways that scientists are only beginning to understand."
There's another reason for not swatting. Insects are good for the economy.
According to a new study co-authored by Losey, the dollar value of some
insect services is more than $57 billion a year in the United States.
"Don't let insects' small stature fool you -- these minute marvels
provide valuable services," he says
.
The study found that native insects are food for the wildlife supporting
a $50 billion recreation industry and provide more than $4.5 billion
worth in pest control. They also provide crop pollination valued at
$3 billion and clean up grazing lands, saving ranchers some $380 million
a year.
And these are "very conservative" estimates that probably
represent only a fraction of the true value, reports Losey, associate
professor of entomology at Cornell, in the April issue of BioScience.
This analysis of the economic value of these insect services is the
first of its type, said Losey, who co-authored the study with Mace Vaughan,
Cornell M.S. '99, conservation director of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate
Conservation in Portland, Ore., which works to protect native insect
habitats through education and research
.
By Susan Lang, April 2006, Cornell University Chronicle Online.
To read more, visit: http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/March06/insect_value.ssl.html
Submitted by Rick Harper, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester
County
To Bag a Bad Beetle, Researchers Tap Forensic Science
Tracking the
elusive Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) could soon get a whole lot easier
- and weirder. Agricultural Research Service scientists have developed
a novel "fingerprinting" tool that relies on analyzing, of
all things, the invasive beetle's droppings to help give it away.
According to ARS insect geneticist Wayne Hunter, what's so telling about
the insect's "frass," is that it has a genetic signature that's
totally unique to the beetle. Hunter works in the agency's Subtropical
Insects Research Unit at Fort Pierce, Fla. So Hunter, with help from
ARS insect behaviorist Michael T. Smith, developed genetic markers that
can be used to screen frass found on trees known to attract ALB. If
a sample matches the insect's established genetic profile, beetle hunters
will know they've got a potential infestation on their hands.
Two things make the ALB one of the country's most "wanted"
invasives. First, its ravenous appetite for hardwoods - like maple,
elm and birch - threatens forests and tree-lined neighborhoods across
the East. Second, a quiet killer, the beetle inflicts its greatest damage
while hidden deep inside trees. Immature ALBs create elaborate tunnels
while feeding there, weakening trees until they finally snap in half
or must be cut down.
Adding to the ALB control arsenal, Smith has also developed a method
for controlling the alien insect. Smith, who works in the ARS Beneficial
Insects Introduction Research Unit at Newark, Del., has recently discovered
that an insecticide, already in use against other insect pests, is practically
100 percent effective against ALB.
Smith's findings show that the chemical - a pyrethroid called Demand
- can knock down adult beetles in just minutes. Using the insecticide
as a fast-acting detector, beetle-hunting crews could simply spray trees
suspected of harboring the insects and wait for the bugs to fall. Now,
crews must climb trees one by one and scrutinize bark for the faintest
signs of ALB activity
.
By Erin Peabody, USDA-ARS. To learn more, visit:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/may06/beetle0506.htm
Submitted by Rick Harper, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester
County
According to
this week's Short CUTT, dollar spot is picking up; Joanne Gruttadario
is finding grey leaf mold in the Hudson Valley and Rutgers actually
found pink snow mold, all connected to the rainy weather. Frank Rossi's
general reminder for turfgrass managers: "mower blades can never
be too sharp," and wet weather makes it especially important.
Submitted by Diane Olsen, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Dutchess
Cornell Research Identifies Plants to
Reduce Herbicide Use
Dr Andy Senesac
from Cornell is evaluating 70 ornamental species for their weed-suppressive
qualities and their potential for roadside plantings. Experts hope that
the species identified from this research will help to reduce herbicide
application by suppressing weed species. Some plants with potential
include Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low,' Liriope spicata
'Majestic,' Phlox subulata 'Emerald Blue,' Solidago sphacelata
'Golden Fleece,' Heuchera americana 'Chocolate Veil,'
Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' and Carex glauca.
Submitted by Anna Snider, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester
County
Selenium and Insect Immunity Research
Scientists
Kent Shelby and Holly Popham from the U.S. Department of Agricultures
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have found that moderate dietary
levels of selenium may strengthen insect immunity. Two pest moths were
used in their research, the cabbage looper and the tobacco budworm.
The moths were raised on artificial diets that contained higher than
average levels of selenium. While high levels of selenium are toxic
to both pests and beneficial insects, their research indicated that
moderate levels of selenium may actually boost immunity and the pestsresistance
to a group of viruses (baculoviruses) that are introduced to control
and reduce their populations.
Applications of selenium are sometimes used as a control agent in various
pest-management practices. Now, as a result of this research, the two
scientists are raising the possibility that an insufficient dose of
selenium may actually be benefiting pest insects instead of offering
a control. Further research into seleniums effect on insects could improve
future pest-management recommendations for crop growers. For the complete
article go to http://
www.ars.usda.gov?News/docs.htm?docid=1261
Summarized
by Tolly Beck, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rockland County
Return to Index
Marketing Planning Assistance
for New York Horticultural Businesses
- From the NY Ag Innovation Center at Cornell University
Contacts:
Bob Weybright, Extension Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension -
Dutchess County, at 845-677-8223, ext 122, e-mail: RW74@cornell.edu.
Wen-fei Uva, Senior Extension Associate, Dept. of Applied Economics
and Management, Cornell University at 607-255-3688, e-mail: WL32@CORNELL.EDU
Supported by a grant from the New York Farm Viability Institute (NYFVI),
this project is designed to provide free marketing planning assistance
to New York horticultural businesses. The technical support and consultation
services provided by this project include marketing planning, feasibility
and profit potential analysis, and strategic implementation. If you
are a New York horticultural business owner looking to explore value-added
marketing opportunities to improve business viability, you may be eligible
to receive assistance for conducting an economic analysis, or assistance
in developing marketing plans to add value and expand your business.
Adding value to a business is more than processing. Value-added projects
could include adding new crops, developing new products (through processing,
packaging, branding, etc.), building new marketing channels, adopting
new marketing formats, providing special services, and establishing
strategic alliances.
Taking on new value-added projects often means additional investment
and added risks to the business. The ability to develop a comprehensive
marketing plan and economic analysis for the project is critical for
the success of the project and the farms overall viability. However,
growers are faced with limited resources of labor, time, and money.
During 2004-05, the Value-Added Horticultural Business Marketing Planning
Program in the NY Ag Innovation Center was contacted by about 150 horticultural
businesses for marketing assistance and has provided in-depth marketing
planning consultation to more than 20 New York horticultural businesses.
To Apply for Marketing Planning Assistance
You should:
- Be a horticultural business in New York State;
- Be involved in or considering a value-added project;
- Demonstrate a desire and ability to launch specific business activities
in two years.
The Cornell Horticultural Business Management and Marketing Program:
http://hortmgt.aem.cornell.edu/.
The NY Ag Innovation Center: http://www.nyfarmviability.org/aic/,
or http://www.nyaic.org.
Submitted by Rose Baglia, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange County
Return
to Index
Cornell Greenhouse Business
Summary Program
- A Business Profitability and Financial Benchmark Analysis Designed
Specifically for Greenhouse Operations
Contacts:
Wen-fei Uva, Senior Extension Associate, Department of Applied Economic
and Management, Cornell University at 607-255-3688 or e-mail: WL32@CORNELL.EDU.
Walt Nelson, Horticulture Extension Specialist, South Central New York,
Cornell Cooperative Extension, at 607-734-4453 or e-mail: wnn1@cornell.edu.
Cornell University is again offering business analysis services for
greenhouse operations The Greenhouse Business Summary Program. The purpose
of this program is to help greenhouse operators evaluate financial performance
of a business in relation to industry standards and use this information
to improve bottom-line and make management decisions (pricing, investment,
business changes, etc.).
Supported by a grant from the New York Farm Viability Institute (NYFVI),
this program will be FREE to New York greenhouse growers in 2006 and
2007. A Cornell greenhouse business specialist will work with the greenhouse
operator to conduct a profitability analysis for the business. The business
will receive a customized financial analysis report and a performance
comparison with others in the industry.
All information about the individual business will be kept confidential.
To participate in the Greenhouse Business Summary Program you
will need:
- Record of receipts & expenses
- Asset inventory
- General business Info (labor, production area
etc.)
- Average 2 hours of interview time
For more information or to participate, Contact
Wen-fei Uva,
Senior Extension Associate, Department of Applied Economic and Management,
Cornell University at 607-255-3688 or e-mail: WL32@CORNELL.EDU.
Walt Nelson, Horticulture Extension Specialist, South Central New York,
Cornell Cooperative Extension, at 607-734-4453 or e-mail: wnn1@cornell.edu.
You can find more information on the Cornell Greenhouse Summary Program
at
http://hortmgt.aem.cornell.edu/programs/hortbusiness.htm.
Submitted by Teresa Rusinek, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County
Programs
Of Interest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hudson
Valley Cornell Cooperative Extension
Commercial Horticulture Education Program
2006 Horticulture Programs for Professionals
A printable version of the Hudson Valley 2006 Regional Horticulture
Program Calendar is available online at the following link:
http://www.cce.cornell.edu/ulster/Ag/AGEVENTS.htm
Christmas Tree Production Update
Tuesday, July 18th
Hudson Valley Growers Twilight Meeting
Shearing and Pest Update with Paul Shealer of Penn State & Rayanne
Lehman of the PA Department of Agriculture
Location TBA
Return to Index
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Tri-County
Nursery/Landscape Association ~
In Conjunction With
~Cornell Cooperative Extension ~ Present The 2006 Calendar of Events
June 13
Dig Safe
Mark Masseo (845) 658-9148, Anthony Monaco (845) 343-9772
July 11
*Turf Field Day
Rose Baglia (845) 344-1234, Kevin Shuback (845) 651-4074
September 12
Golf Outing At Winding Hills
Jim Presutti (845) 567-1611, Anthony Monaco (845) 343-9772
October 10
*Deer and Nuisance Wildlife Controls
Rose Baglia (845) 344-1234, Jim Presutti (845) 567-1611
November 14
*DOT Program Update
Kevin Shuback (845) 651-4074, Mark Masseo (845) 658-9148
December 2
Holiday Party
Jan Jansen (845) 651-4106, Gene Vidal (845) 255-1249
All Dates Subject to Change
* = Pesticide Recertification Credits pending DEC approval
If you're not
already a member, please consider joining the Tri-County Nurseryman/Landscape
Association, Region 7 of the New York State Nursery/Landscape Association.
It's a great way to network, learn and meet other people within our
industry.
For more information contact: Kevin Shuback (845) 651-4074.
Return to Index
Other
Programs of Interest:
NYS
ReLeaf Conference
July 13-15, 2006
Long Island, NY
For more information contact:
Mary Kramarchyk at 518-402-9412 or email: mckramar@gw.dec.state.ny.us
Join fellow urban and community foresters, municipal officials, community
organizations, arborists, and affiliated industry professionals for
a conference that offers workshops and tours on urban and community
forestry issues.
Certified Landscape Technician Training
Contact: New York State Turf and Landscape Association,
(914) 961-2535, Website: www.nystla.com
An optional national testing program to recognize proficiency of qualified
landscape professionals.
Certified Nursery Professional Training Program
Dutchess, Putnam & Westchester: Scott Olivieri, (914) 682-4224
Orange, Rockland & Ulster: Mark Masseo (845) 658-9148
By passing this exam you can earn the title Certified Nursery Professional
(CNP). Contact your New York State Nursery and Landscape Association
listed above for more details.
