MICHIGAN PEACH SPONSOR NEWS

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1 LATE FALL 2009 Editor: Bill Shane Inside this issue: Speakers at Ag Expo in December Upcoming meetings Plum pox virus quarantine update Growing peaches in Virginia UPCOMING MEETINGS WITH PEACH CON- TENT Great Lakes Fruit and Vegetable Expo, DeVos Place Convention Center, Grand Rapids, MI, December 8-10, 2009 Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable Convention, Hershey, PA, February 2-4, Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention, St. Catherines, Ontario, February 24-25, 2010 Michigan Spring Peach Update Session, SW Michigan Research and Extension Center, Benton Harbor, MI, March 10, 2010 MICHIGAN PEACH SPONSOR NEWS Produced by the Michigan Peach Sponsors-a non-profit organization for research and promotion of peaches P.O. Box 1035, Coloma, MI 48038, (269) (Ed Czuba). web address: Michigan Peach Sponsor Board President - Matt Moser, Secretary/Treasurer - Ed Czuba Directors - Annette Bjorge, Kurt Weber, Fred Koenigshoff, Randy Willmeng, Roger Umlor Advisor - Bill Shane (269) ext (205) Speakers from South Carolina and New Jersey Featured at Ag Expo Wednesday Afternoon Stone Fruit Session Virology expert Dr. Simon Scott will be a featured speaker in the cherry and stone fruit sessions on Wednesday at the Great Lakes Fruit and Vegetable Expo in Grand Rapids, December 8 to 10, Dr. Scott is a professor at Clemson University where he conducts research on virus diseases of perennial plants. Dr. Scott served on the USDA Science Panel for Plum Pox Virus. Dr. Scott will address practical approaches to managing prune dwarf, necrotic ring spot, and tomato ring spot viruses which are common and often mis-diagnosed problems in Michigan tree fruit orchards Peach variety expert Jerry Frecon will discuss new peach, plum, and pluot varieties in the Wednesday afternoon stone fruit session at the Grand Rapids Expo. Jerry Simon Scott Frecon is agricultural agent and full professor at Rutgers University and the foremost peach and nectarine variety expert in the north east United States. Jerry Frecon has played a key role in the discovery and patenting of many important peach and apple varieties used extensively in the US industry. Discoveries by him include Encore, Laurol, and Saturn peaches. He has been an important catalyst to the New Jersey fruit industry. He was the first to recognize plum pox virus in the United States. Jerry Frecon will share his extensive 30+ years experience with peach, nectarine, and pluot varieties. Jerry Frecon

2 Late Fall 2009 Michigan Peach Sponsor Newsletter Page 2 Plum Pox Virus Quarantine Cancelled in Michigan and Pennsylvania but Persists in New York and Ontario Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Don Koivisto announced September 14, 2009 the successful eradication of Plum Pox Virus (PPV) in Michigan. Effective immediately, MDA also lifted the PPV quarantine, which has been in effect since June The quarantine was implemented after MDA inspectors detected PPV in Berrien County during routine disease survey activities. PPV is an exotic disease of stone fruit, which up until July 2006, was previously unknown in Michigan. This disease poses no human or animal health or food safety threat. Encore peach with plum pox virus symptoms This is a tremendous success story where MDA s early detection and rapid response mitigated tremendous economic losses for producers and the state and prevented widespread losses throughout the stone fruit industry assuring continued production of these valuable crops, said Koivisto. In cooperation with Michigan s fruit producers, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Michigan State University (MSU), MDA conducted comprehensive sampling to ensure the virus had been eradicated from the state. Over 340,000 leaf samples were collected to test for PPV. Approximately 23 acres of peach, nectarine, plum and apricot trees were removed to insure the virus was completely eradicated marks the year that peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots will return to the SW Michigan Research and Extension Center now that the plum pox quarantine has been lifted in SW Michigan. Projects that will resume include the Michigan State University peach breeding program, peach, nectarine and plum varieties evaluation program, and a peach systems project. The MSU peach breeding program has been using the MSU Trevor Nichols Research Station in Fennville while the quarantine in Berrien County was in place. MDA technician samples leaves for plum pox virus Elsewhere, plum pox virus continues to be detected in the 2009 surveys in Ontario where the disease was widely distributed before detection in In 2009 Ontario tested a total of 7284 orchard blocks, of which 108 tested positive for PPV. 816,000 orchard leaf samples were collected, of which 141 samples were positive. Survey personnel visited 5,684 residential properties, collected 11,597 residential samples, of which 4 were positive. Pennsylvania also detected a wide spread the disease in 1999 but has pursued a more aggressive eradication program and has tested free of the disease in 2007, 2008, and Pennsylvania has formally lifted their quarantine in late fall PPV was first detected in New York in 2006, the same year as Michigan. A total of 156,217 samples were collected in 2009 from Long Island and Hudson Valley areas and from Wayne, Monroe, Niagara and Orleans counties. There were 15 confirmed PPV positive samples found, 2 of which are from new locations outside of quarantine areas established in The positive samples were found in Wayne, Niagara, and Orleans counties and were from processing peaches and plums. Most of the new findings have been attributed to movement of infected plant material rather than from spread by aphids feeding on diseased trees.

3 Late Fall 2009 Michigan Peach Sponsor Newsletter Page 3 SW Michigan Stone Fruit Virus Survey Bill Shane, SW Michigan Research and Extension Center Virus diseases are difficult to diagnose but can have a major effect on the health of stone fruit trees. Two of the most prominent virus diseases of stone fruit are Prunus necrotic ring spot virus (PNRSV) and prune dwarf virus (PDV). Both viruses can be spread by planting infected trees and by contaminated pollen and seed. A survey was conducted in in summer of 2009 to determine general prevalence of the two pathogens in 16 stone fruit orchards in Berrien County, Michigan. 10 trees were sampled per orchard block, 8 leaves per tree. Each tree was processed and tested using Elisa tests provided by AgDia Corporation of Elkart, IN. Table 1. Survey of stone fruit for two virus pathogens in Berrien County, MI, June 3, Orchard Type PDV* PNRSV 1 Peach Peach Peach Peach Tart cherry Tart cherry Tart cherry Tart cherry Tart cherry Tart cherry Tart cherry 2 3 Tart cherry leaves with irregular leaf margins due to PNRSV infection 12 Sweet cherry Plum Plum Plum Plum 0 0 Total positive in 160 trees tested *PDV = prune dwarf virus, PNRSV = prunus necrotic ring spot virus, Sweet cherry with mottled leaf pattern due to PDV infection Of the 160 trees sampled, 10 tested positive for PDV and 23 positive for PNRSV. Conspicuous irregular leaf margins were associated with tart cherries with high concentrations of PNRSV. Mottled leaves were evident in sweet cherries with high concentrations of PDV. No obvious leaf symptoms were seen on peaches with high concentrations of PDV or PNRSV. Peach stunt disease is caused by a combination of PDV and NRSV has been reported as a problem in California. The effect of the two viruses is retarded shoot growth, small tree size and greatly reduced (Continued on page 4)

4 Late Fall 2009 Michigan Peach Sponsor Newsletter Page 4 (Continued from page 3) yield. One report attributed a 55% loss in fruit yield in Garnet Beauty and a 9-fold increase in the number of watersprouts. There is no practical cure for trees infected by virus diseases PDV and NRSV. Tree removal is the only method of control. The decision whether to pull out individual trees or a whole block is complicated. First is the problem of determining whether or not an orchard has a problem. Sampling orchards for virus infestation is not routinely done. Current costs for testing10 trees for 2 viruses is approximately $15 per tree (source: AgDia web site), not including sample collection and shipping. Yield impact by single virus infections is not always obvious, especially for peaches. Another consideration is contamination of a younger orchard by a nearby older orchard. Since these two viruses are pollen-transmitted, movement of infection by bees is a common occurrence. Peaches in Virginia by Bennett Saunders Note: Bennett Saunders spoke at the 2009 Michigan Spring Peach Conference at the SW Michigan Research and Extension Center, Benton Harbor, MI. Bennett, three brothers, father, and their families own and operate Saunder Bros, Inc, a fruit and ornamental production, wholesale and retail operation at Piney River, Virginia. The following are an excerpt of his talk as recorded by MSU Extension educator Bill Shane: I have been in the peach business since I was an infant. We grow our fruit on topography all the way from 500 to 1500 feet above sea level. We have more problems with April spring frosts when the temperatures reach 25 F, than with mid winter freezes. We used to ice down (frost protect with irrigation) our fruit plants but we have gotten away from this, but still do it with Deterioration of peach tree trunk due to peach stunt disorder caused by PDV & PNRS viruses credit Simon Scott, Clemson University. Bennett Saunders, Piney River, Virginia our ornamental plants. Wind machines have been a fairly reliable help, providing a couple of degrees benefit on a still night. As my father said about 40 years ago, a successful peach operation depends on a good site with elevation, good soil, and good air draining, and on varieties with mid to late season blooming, with later blooming better. Virginia is somewhat of a no mans land in terms of varieties. We have varieties from California, Michigan, New Jersey, Georgia. We try to pull together the best from these areas. We use Jerry Frecon from New Jersey as a resource for variety recommendations, but again we always focus

5 Late Fall 2009 Michigan Peach Sponsor Newsletter Page 5 in on bloom date as an important factor. Soil management is very important. We have acquired the tractor horsepower needed to subsoil to reduce the hardpan present on sites used to grow annual crops for many years. We feel it is very important for peach production. Our native soils are around a ph of 5, so liming is used routinely to bring it up to 6.5 or so. Picking straight into wooden crates at Saunder Bros White Flesh Peach and Nectarine Harvest List from Saunders Bros Orchards, Piney River, VA Window Variety Harvest 20 Jun Spring Snow 20 Jun 25 Jun Scarlet Pearl 28 Jun 1 July Sugar May 1 Jul 5 Jul Southern Pearl 8 Jul 15 Jul White Lady 18 Jul 15 Jul Saturn (flat peach) 18 July 5 Aug Sugar Giant 6 Aug 20 Aug Snow Giant 26 Aug We have done a little fumigation over the years. Now we spend a lot more time on broadleaf week management. The University folks from Pennsylvania have been telling us that is where we need to devote our attention and that we can double the life of an orchard just by keeping out the dandelions and the other broadleaf weeds. I heard a talk about 20 years ago by Ron Perry about raised beds for peaches. We use it for our peaches and ornamentals because we have heavy soil in Virginia For many years we have used a traditional planting and training systems for peaches with a 22 x14 spacing at about 140 trees per acre. We have also used 16 X 5 to 6 spacing in a perpendicular Y about 550 trees per acre. This resulted in early production compared to the traditional planting. We took accurate records in one year and found that we could pick 10 to 15% more fruit in these blocks compared to the traditional open center plantings, especially in the early years of the planting. We ended up using a 10 foot step ladder in these perpendicular Y plantings. We kept accurate records and found that we could harvest 50% more fruit per hour in a pedestrian orchard all picked from the ground compared to the orchards where we used the ladders. So because of labor costs and slopes in our orchards we are back to mainly pedestrian orchards. We do use a 6 foot ladder in these for some of our activities because many of our workers are not too tall. We have used a lot of overhead irrigation in the past for our fruit and ornamentals. This is not very efficient and have been in the process of transitioning to trickle irrigation. Perpendicular Y peach trees We know that we should be spending more effort on marketing. Our farms are in a rural, lower traffic area close to Lynchburg. People do find their way to our farm market. In the 80s we tried pick-your-own and we did okay with it. We have evolved to a system where we pick directly into ½ bushel wooden boxes that are held with picking straps on the worker. The boxes actually hold closer to 3/8 bushel. We put 18 wooden boxes per bin, two bins per trailer. We move the

6 Late Fall 2009 Michigan Peach Sponsor Newsletter Page 6 bins into our coolers with a fork lift, and later palletize the boxes when we are filling an order. We sell the peaches to other retailers in the area and through our own retail market. Some are sent directly to grocery. We have had a consistent price at our stands, in this Yellow Flesh Peach and Nectarine Harvest List from Saunders Bros Orchards year $15 per half bushel box. One time we were long on Window Variety Harvest peaches and dumped 200 boxes of peaches, but we did 15 Jun Rich May 15 Jun not drop our prices. We grade our peaches in the orchard we have two grades they either go on the 20 Jun Desiree 20 Jun ground or in the box. Earlistar 23 Jun Loring is still one of our best peaches for our farm market. Twenty years ago we did not want any more Loring because it does not color well. But it is a good eating peach so the retail customers love it. In the early 90s we started growing white peaches, primarily the Zaiger varieties. Now about 1/3 of our production are the low acid white peaches. Our prices are now about $17 per half bushel of peaches. We have now about 41 different peach and nectarine varieties. I want at least one good peach variety in every harvest window. We have peaches for 90 day season. Our marketing strategy is that we want to sell where we have some control on the price. We do not want to sell into a commodity market pricing such as exists for yellow delicious or red delicious apples. We grow about 12 varieties of apples and some Asian pears. There is a significant buy local movement in Virginia and elsewhere in the United States. Our retail sales are up even Peaches on display at Saunder Bros, Inc farm market in Piney River, VA without us really pushing it. 25 Jun Harrow Diamond 26 Jun Crimson Lady Thoughts on future We are in a rapidly changing environment, the most I have ever seen. With change comes opportunity. First step is to develop humility. Don t ever think it can t happen to you. Who would have ever thought that the stock market would do what it has done. Do what you do best. Example we can t grow a good red delicious in the Virginia climate, but pink lady seems to be a better fit. We are trying to find the niche varieties that work for our climate and our markets. Diversify your business. We have done it by growing ornamentals, peaches, apples, Asian pears, annual plants. Have the foresight, willingness and the ability to change. 27 Jun 1 Jul Sentry 5 Jul 5 Jul Glenglo 6 Jul Gala 7 Jul 10 Jul Sweet Scarlet 4 Jul Honey Blaze Nect. Redhaven 4 Jul 14 Jul 15 Jul PF11 Nectarine 17 Jul Summer Beaut Nect. John Boy 18 Jul 19 Jul 20 Jul Salem 22 Jul PF17 John Boy II 23 Jul 23 Jul 25 Jul PF Jul Bounty 30 Jul 1 Aug Loring 2 Aug 5 Aug PF 23 8 Aug 10 Aug PF Aug 15 Aug Blake 15 Aug 20 Aug PF27A 17 Aug 25 Aug Encore 26 Aug Flame Prince Laurol 30 Aug 30 Aug

7 Michigan Peach Sponsor Gold Members for 2009 PETERSON FARMS, INC 3104 Baseline Rd, Shelby, MI GREENSTONE FARM CREDIT SERVICES 8302 Edgewood Road, Berrien Springs, MI CZUBA FRUIT FARMS 6910 Angling Rd, Coloma, MI UNITED PHOSPHORUS, INC 9359 Riverside Drive, Grand Ledge, MI SUMMIT SALES th Ave, Lawrence, MI FRUIT ACRE FARMS 2559 Friday Rd, Coloma, MI HERMAN FARMS 6659 N Branch Rd, Benton Harbor, MI CAMERON NURSERY, L.L.C Ringold Rd, Box 300, Eltopia, WA , sales: (Paul Tvergyak) RASCH FAMILY FARMS DENNIS UMLOR DUTCHMAN ORCHARDS SCHULTZ S FRUITRIDGE FARMS WATERVLIET FRUIT EX- CHANGE GOWAN COMPANY ED BAUSHKE DALE NYE FARMS Moser Fruit Tree Sales, Inc Defield Road, Coloma, MI , , fax , mattmoser@forfruittrees.com Michigan Peach Sponsor Silver Members for 2009 DOW AGRISCIENCE ROGER & PATTY MOLTER MAMMOTH FRUIT FARMS K & K FARMS TREE-MENDUS FRUIT GREG ORCHARDS PRODUCE, INC CULBY FRUIT BROKERS VAN WELL NURSERY WINDY RIDGE ORCHARD WILLMENG FARMS 7515 N. Branch Rd, Watervliet, MI THE NURSERY CONNECTION P.O. Box 874, Coloma, MI A. W. OVERHISER ORCHARDS th Ave, South Haven, MI C & O NURSERY 1700 N Wenatchee Ave, Wenatchee, WA STARK BROS NURSERIES Highway NN, Louisiana, MO ADAMS COUNTY NURSERY 26 Nursery Rd, P.O. Box 108, Aspers, PA GRANDVIEW ORCHARDS 7901 Territorial Rd, Watervliet, MI Michigan Peach Sponsor Bronze Members for 2008 Michigan Peach Sponsor Platinum Member BIXBY ORCHARDS HILLSIDE ORCHARDS WILBUR-ELLIS DALY ORCHARDS CO WEBER ORCHARDS RADOM FARM SUPPLY GOLD COAST FARMS MACRO PLASTICS PAUL FRIDAY C & J Stein Fruit Farms, Dave Babbitt, Harold Gunderson, Walter Skibbe, Flavorland Farms, James Bittner, S & S Ag Supply, Umlor Orchards, Jerry Ellis, Bru-ne Farms, Robinette Orchards, Hilltop Fruit Trees, Trickl-Eez, Noffke Family Farms

8 Michigan Peach Sponsors is a non-profit corporation under the provisions of Michigan Act No. 327 of the Public Acts of The purpose of this association is to promote better cultural and marketing practices in the Michigan peach industry; to promote the appreciation for and the consumption of Michigan peaches; to represent the Michigan peach industry in legislative matters and policy formation on local, state and national levels; to promote the general good will, understanding and harmony in the Michigan peach industry in the common interest of the growers, marketing agencies and consumers