WATCH FOR:
By Lee Townsend

• MITE buildup on crops and ornamentals
• 2nd generation EUROPEAN CORN BORER
• 2nd generation of COLORADO POTATO BEETLE
• MIMOSA WEBWORMS on mimosa and honeylocust.

BLUE MOLD REPORTED IN PENNSYLVANIA AND TENNESSEE
By Kenny Seebold

It's been said that misery loves company. In the case of blue mold, our initial outbreak in Cecilia is now joined by reports of the disease near Lancaster, PA and Rickman, TN (about 120 miles SE of Cecilia). Blue mold was confirmed on plants in an outdoor float bed in PA, while the TN outbreak occurred in a field of TN 97. In both situations, a large number of actively sporulating lesions were found; however, the site in TN appeared to have been infected for a number of weeks, while the PA outbreak was relatively recent. It is very likely that other cases of blue mold will be reported in the coming weeks. The presence of the disease to the south of Kentucky production areas means that our growers should scout their fields regularly for signs and symptoms of blue mold. Hurricane Dennis will likely bring rain and cloudy conditions into the Commonwealth during the week of July 11.

We have scouted for blue mold in counties surrounding the Cecilia site and have yet to find additional cases. At this time, Hardin County remains under a blue mold warning (because of the presence of active disease) and the remainder of Kentucky has been placed under a blue mold watch. A warning means that viable spores are known to be in an area (blue mold has been confirmed) and conditions are projected to be favorable for development and spread of blue mold. A watch indicates that spores may be present and conditions are projected to be favorable for disease development and spread. Growers in areas under a blue mold warning should be following a recommended fungicide program, while those in areas under a watch should begin fungicide applications before blue mold is found if possible. The fungicides registered for use against blue mold of tobacco perform best if applied before disease appears.

For the latest blue mold status and other tobacco disease information, check the KY Blue Mold Warning System online.
http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/kpn/kyblue/kyblue.htm

TARGET SPOT AND FROGEYE OBSERVED
By Kenny Seebold

During recent trips to Barren, Breckinridge, Hart, and Simpson Counties, we have noted low levels of target spot and frogeye leaf spot in certain fields of tobacco. Should rainy conditions set in, growers may consider applying Quadris, which recently received an exemption from the current label under Section 18 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide act (FIFRA). A copy of the Section 18 can be found on the KY Blue Mold Warning System page.

For more information about tobacco pests, visit "Insect Management Recommendations".

GRAPE ROOT BORER MOTHS ACTIVE
By Ric Bessin

Grape root borer (GRB) moths are active in central Kentucky. The moths mimic the appearance and flight of paper wasps and are active during the day, which is unusual for many moth species. Grape root borer is one pest of grapes that is often ignored until it becomes a serious problem affecting the vineyard.

Some of the older vineyards in Kentucky have experienced serious vine loss due to this insect. Many of the newer vineyards may have problems in the future if they don't manage GRB effectively. Symptoms of GRB attack include poor vine growth and fruit set, even loss of some vines. The larvae spend 22 months feeding in the roots and crown of grape vines before emerging as adult moths. Generally the moths are active from July through September and lay eggs on grape leaves or weeds. The eggs hatch and the larvae drop to the ground and burrow down to the roots.

Good weed management assists with control of GRB. Eliminating weeds around the base of vines reduces the sites for egg laying and improves spray coverage for GRB control. In small plantings, plastic mulch works as an effective barrier around the base of vines not allowing the GRB larvae from becoming established. In terms of chemical control, Lorsban is the only insecticide labeled for control of GRB. This treatment is applied directly to the ground under the grape trellis at least 35 days prior to harvest. Do not allow this spray to contact the fruit or foliage. We recommend treatments for GRB if more than 5 percent of the vines are found to have GRB pupal cases emerging from the soil.

MITES ACTIVE ON APPLE TREES
By Ric Bessin

High temperatures early this summer have favored the rapid development of European red mite in commercial apple orchards. Last week, there were several reports of economic infestations, or near threshold numbers, of mites in apples. With those growers that I spoke to the mite problems were worse in some apple varieties than others. Red delicious was the most commonly infested variety.

There are different strategies for management of mites in apple orchards, but there is one tactic that is common to each strategy. Regardless of mites are controlled, growers must take care to avoid harming natural enemies that help to slow the buildup of mites. When conserved, these mites predators keep mites from building to damaging levels. When controlling other insects and diseases, pesticides must be selected that have the least damage to predator mites. In particular, some pyrethroid insecticides used early in the season have been shown to flare mite problems.

To control mite problems in midseason, growers have several alternatives. One alternative is to use a summer oils to smother mites. There are several summer oils to choose from, but combinations with some other pesticides must be avoided. In particular pesticides containing sulfur such as Captan and Sevin. The summer oil labels vary considerable, but may require as much as 60 days between the application of the oil and some other pesticides in order to avoid burn to leaves and fruit. Other miticides are listed in ID-92, Commercial Tree Fruit Spray Guide.

DRY WEATHER IS AFFECTING LANDSCAPE PLANTS
By John Hartman

The weather during this late spring and early summer period of 2005 has been abnormally warm and dry. Last week, the hydrological moisture status for much of Kentucky was placed in the category of Moderate Drought. Rain is expected to be associated with Hurricane Dennis in some parts of Kentucky this week. Nevertheless, some effects of dry weather on woody landscape plants are already being seen by landscape managers and homeowners.

The 2003 and 2004 growing seasons were abnormally wet in Kentucky. During the past two years of plentiful soil moisture, some landscape plants could have survived on less than a full root system. Good soil moisture supplies may have helped plants to survive recent transplanting, or a planting site with shallow soil, or may have encouraged relatively shallow root systems, or even to survive root rot disease in overly moist soils.

When dry weather comes along, plants lacking a full, healthy, deep root system are the first to suffer, and this is what is being observed now. Most of the drought-related cases being observed in the plant disease diagnostic laboratory this summer involve recent transplants, plants in poor sites or with shallow, or poorly developed roots.

Landscape plant response to drought. There are both short-term and long-term effects of drought.

• Short term: When plants do not get enough water, leaves wilt and scorch. First, leaf tips and margins begin to brown; then this condition spreads into areas between veins. After that, oldest leaves on weak branches turn brown and begin to fall. Species most susceptible to leaf scorch caused by drought are flowering dogwood, maple, horse chestnut, ash, elm, and beech.
• Long term: Plants show increased susceptibility to diseases and insects. Typical examples of pest problems on vulnerable plants include Botryosphaeria cankers and Phomopsis cankers on redbud and Rhododendron; white pine decline; Armillaria root rot on many plants; Verticillium wilt on maples; Endothia canker on pin oaks; pine wilt nematode; and borers on birches, oaks, dogwoods, chestnuts, and hornbeams.
• Long term: Plants show increased susceptibility to winter injury. Cold injury may occur as black heart in stems of trees and shrubs; sun scald and frost splitting of tree trunks; winter burn of conifer foliage; or dieback of overwintering broad-leaved plants.

• Some woody plants in deep soils have extensive root systems that absorb water from a large volume of soil. As long as some of their roots are in moist soil, they can survive. Many common landscape plants are of this type including black walnut, London plane, and mulberry.
• Some plants evade drought by shedding leaves or even twigs and branches. Current plant disease diagnostic laboratory inquiries include tulip poplars with leaves turning yellow and dropping during the current dry spell. Birches also employ this strategy. Kentucky bluegrass evades drought by turning brown and going dormant during dry weather.
• Some plants naturally conserve water and reduce water loss. Their leaves may be small, gray-colored, leathery, or arranged to reduce the amount of sunlight that strikes them. Their stomata may be structured to conserve moisture. Many plants from desert and Mediterranean climates are of this type, with the Russian olive as a typical example.

How to keep woody landscape plants alive during extended droughts:

• If rain is lacking for three weeks or more, plants need supplemental water. If the tree or shrub has been transplanted last fall or this spring, water every five to 10 days.
• For most plants on good soils, a thorough watering once every two weeks will usually keep them alive. If the soil is shallow or structurally poor, water more often. Water more often when day temperatures are in the 90s and night temperatures above 70F.
• Try to put a minimum of 3/4 to 1 inch of water on at a time. Be sure not to overwater. One good irrigation is better than the same amount of water applied more frequently in smaller doses.
• Remove cover crops around trees and shrubs and put organic mulch around the base 2 inches deep, not against the trunk, but all the way to the drip line if possible.
• Do not prune plants in extremely hot, dry weather.
• On new construction sites, give special consideration to places where topsoil has been removed, soil fill has been added, soil has been compacted, construction materials have been buried, or pavement has been put in.
• Loosen soil before watering, if necessary.
• Avoid using anti-transpirants during very hot weather.
• Do not plant new trees and shrubs during summer.

Plants with good survival records during drought. Pitch pine, Virginia pine, pignut hickory, American hazelnut, white oak, scarlet oak, southern red oak, shingle oak, bur oak, black jack oak, chestnut oak, post oak, dwarf hackberry, black gum, black tupelo, fringe tree.

For more detailed information on this topic, consult U.K. Cooperative Extension publication ID-89 "How Dry Seasons Affect Landscape Plants."

CONTROLLING ADULT JAPANESE BEETLES
By Lee Townsend

Japanese beetle adults are flying now and feeding on many different landscape plants. Last year's relatively wet summer may have resulted in greater egg hatch and grub survival. This appears to have led to some resurgence of the insect in areas where populations had declined.

Attempts to keep plants beetle-free or to prevent any feeding damage at all generally lead to frustration if many beetles are in the neighborhood. There are very effective insecticides to use against the pest but they produce less than satisfactory results if beetles are abundant and continually re-infesting the landscape.

Here are some points to keep in mind -

• Japanese beetle flight is greatest on clear days with temperatures between 84 and 95 F and winds less than 12 miles per hour. This can bring new beetles into your landscape to challenge any control program that you may have. When these conditions exist, check plants frequently to see if beetles are starting to feed again.
• A few beetles on plants, or some moderate damage, will bring in more. Japanese beetles apparently produce aggregation pheromones that will attract more males and females to feed and find potential mates. In addition, volatile odors from damaged plants may attract more beetles. These conditions also can keep beetle numbers high. Keeping numbers and damage low can mean fewer new arrivals.
• Japanese beetles begin to feed at the tops of plants and move down as defoliation occurs. This makes damage obvious, in terms of brown leaves and esthetic damage, but also can pose coverage problems on large trees. Hose end sprayers may allow applications to reach the target but spray drift and applicator exposure are potential problems.
• Some of the effective insecticides for Japanese beetle control, such as carbaryl (Sevin) and the pyrethroids (permethrin and others) can contribute to build-ups of mites or aphids. Watch closely for signs of these pests and use acephate or malathion if needed. While these insecticides have a shorter residual life, they may help to reduce problems with secondary pests.

Japanese beetle traps are good tools for detecting new infestations and may reduce small, isolated populations under favorable circumstances but single traps or small scale multiple trap arrangements did not reduce damage to landscape plants in UK research experiments.

Some species of Tiphia wasps and a tachinid fly have become established in some beetle-infested areas. They can cause local reductions in beetle numbers but they no not provide reliable control for specific sites.

HERD OF BARKLICE?
By Lee Townsend

"Herds" of barklice can be found on tree trunks during the summer. These soft-bodied insects have long antennae and a banded body. Members of this group (Order Psocoptera) have chewing mouthparts that are used to feed on fungi, algae, dead plant tissue, and other debris. One species can cover tree branches with a light layer of silk. They are a curiosity but cause no harm and can provide some entertainment, if you have tendencies toward wranglin'. Barklice occur in groups on the bark of ornamentals. They tend to stay in a cohesive unit but will disperse if you move a finger toward them. When you take it away they will move back together. Thanks to David Hull (Gallatin Co) for the picture.

DIAGNOSTIC LAB - HIGHLIGHTS
By Julie Beale and Paul Bachi

During the past week, we have diagnosed deficiencies of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc on corn; thrips injury, potassium and manganese deficiency, Rhizoctonia root rot and frogeye leaf spot on soybean; black shank, tomato spotted wilt virus, alfalfa mosaic virus, tobacco ringspot virus, Fusarium wilt and lightning injury on tobacco.

On fruit and vegetable samples, we have diagnosed black rot and Phomopsis cane blight and spot on grape; bacterial soft rot on potato and rhubarb; bacterial wilt on cucumber and cantaloupe; bacterial spot on pepper; black dot disease (Colletotrichum) on potato; and southern blight, blossom end rot, bacterial canker and bacterial speck on tomato.

On ornamentals and turf, we saw powdery mildew and spot anthracnose on dogwood; Phytophthora crown rot on azalea; Volutella canker on boxwood; transplant shock and drought stress on many species of woody plants; anthracnose on bentgrass; brown patch on fescue; and southern blight on mixed turfgrass species.

By Patty Lucas, University of Kentucky Research Center

View Princeton trap counts for the entire 2005 season at - http://www.uky.edu/Ag/IPMPrinceton/Counts/2005trapsfp.htm

Fulton County trap counts are available at -http://ces.ca.uky.edu/fulton/anr/Insect%20Counts.htm

For information on trap counts in southern Illinois visit the Hines Report at - http://www.ipm.uiuc.edu/pubs/hines_report/comments.html The Hines Report is posted weekly by Ron Hines, Senior Research Specialist, at the University of Illinois Dixon Springs Agricultural Center.

NOTE: Trade names are used to simplify the information presented in this newsletter. No endorsement by the Cooperative Extension Service is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products that are not named.

Lee Townsend
Extension Entomologist

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