Fruit growers to meet in central Indiana

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Fruit growers in central Indiana will have the opportunity to learn myriad topics involving fruit production at a meeting in Morgan County.

The meeting, sponsored by the Hancock County and Morgan Country Purdue Extension offices, will be held March 15 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT at the Morgan County Purdue Extension Office, 180 S. Main St., Suite 229, Martinsville.

"New production practices and pest identification, prevention, control tools and techniques continue to emerge, and growers may be seeking ways to learn more about these," said Roy Ballard, agriculture and natural resource educator for Purdue Extension in Hancock County. "Knowledge, accompanied with a lot of care and hard work, can often be the best tool in producing a quality and profitable fruit crop."

The meeting will cover current production practices, pest diagnostics, pest control research, a look at the production year ahead and more topics.

There will be presentations by:

* John Phillips, of Crop Production Services, on weed control possibilities.

* Richard Weinzierl, a University of Illinois professor and Extension entomologist, on key recommendations for insect and mite management in apples.

* Khalil Jahed, a Purdue University graduate student, on pollination and fruit set of apples.

* Janna Beckerman, a Purdue botany and plant pathology professor, on fruit tree disease updates.

The meeting has been approved as a Pesticide Applicator Recertification Program. Those wishing to recertify should bring their PARP card to the meeting. Ballard will discuss a PARP recertification topic on pollinator protection.

The meeting is free to attend, and lunch will be provided. To register, contact Ballard at rballard@purdue.edu, 317-462-1113. 

Writer: Megan Tarter, 765-496-6734, metarter@purdue.edu 

Source: Roy Ballard, 317-462-1113, rballard@purdue.edu 

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Keith Robinson, robins89@purdue.edu
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