TO ALL SOUTH CENTRAL VA POME FRUIT GROWING AREAS: There is a significant risk that today’s thunderstorm(s) will bring hail and 60 mph gusts at locations listed below. If in your or in neighboring orchard there was a recent history of fire blight be ready …

The apple scab infection predicted 31 March to 1 April was actually severe in Rustburg and Tyro, and we assume in near by locations as well as in whole south Virginia (e.g. in Bristol and others). The weather forecast did change from the time we …

The below outputs from the NEWA EIP model using NWS forecast show that we are expecting a series wetting events on 5th and 6th April, which will lead to fire blight infection on pome fruit in bloom, if the current weather forecast becomes reality on …

1. Apple scab could infect with the rains of 31 March into 1 April (Figures 1-4) but will it? Based on National Weather Service forecast for the next 48 h to 72 h, it appears that after these rain events leaf wetting will not continue, …

1. The key driver of your stone fruit spray program is brown rot. Fruit protection with alternating fungicides with different modes of action is essential to avoid fungicide resistance and have good quality fruit at harvest. The key period when fruit are susceptible to diseases …

1. Infections are possible tonight with rains 27 March in Bristol and in Southern Virginia locations on any pome fruit with open flowers (Fig. 1). No infections are predicted in Rustburg. If wetting occurs in and around Tyro today fire blight infections are possible. Use …

Most of central and southern Virginia farms I have communicated with today are at less then 1% bloom on Pink Lady, Hewe’s Crab, or other similar early cultivars. This is changing quickly as temperature rise, so keep looking a the EIP fire blight model in …

If the weather forecast for 23-25 March becomes a reality, and we do get rain events predicted, according to NEWA apple scab model we might get a weak to mild apple scab infection(s) on 23 March in Bristol, 25 March in Rustburg and Tyro, and …

If the weather forecast is to hold up and become true for the next 72 h, with warm rains we will get on 17 and 18 March a weak to mild apple scab infections in Southeastern, Eastern and Central Virginia, unless fungicides are applied. The …

Today, with the rains of 10 March predicting 0.23 inches in total, infections from apple scab fungus are possible in Bristol VA, and other locations in South-Eastern VA, on early apple cultivars susceptible to this disease. We are beyond the Green Tip (GT) in South-Eastern …