Purdue Ag News Roundup
Purdue Ag News RoundupMarch 6, 1998
According to Richard Latin, a Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service plant pathologist, Midwestern sweet corn will be threatened by Stewart's Wilt. The disease causes wilting and collapse of young leaves of the corn plant around April or May, and results in reduced yields and low-quality ears.
"The warmer the weather, the more severe the disease will be. It looks as though there's a fairly severe Stewart's Wilt threat for 1998," Latin said.
The spread of this disease depends on the survival of corn flea beetles, which act as a carrier, Latin said.
"The pathogen is a bacterium that survives in corn flea beetles. If the weather is very cold, then very few beetles will survive," he said. "With the mild winter this year, there will be more beetles with the potential of harming the corn plants."
Farmers can prepare for Stewart's Wilt before planting season begins, Latin said.
"There are numerous sweetcorn varieties that have resistance to Stewart's Wilt. You can select varieties for a year like this. Farmers still have time to select the appropriate variety and avoid serious losses due to disease," he said.
Latin also noted that the mild weather may reduce the chance of some other diseases by helping soil microorganisms decompose disease-harboring crop residue.
Rick Foster, Purdue Extension entomologist, said he expects to see more corn flea beetles among young crops. The beetles feed on the leaves of the young corn plants, removing green tissue and giving the leaves a frosted look.
"When the corn comes up, growers should be on the lookout for the flea beetles," he said. "There's usually enough that survive to cause problems if conditions are right during the spring or summer."
For most insects, though, winter weather doesn't matter. Foster said that insects have such a high reproductive rate that given favorable conditions in the spring and summer, populations could explode.
If the El Nino brings a hot summer, farmers can expect increased numbers of European corn borers, a caterpillar pest that feeds on the leaves and the kernels and bores into the corn stalk.
"With adequate moisture, that's one insect we know will do well in a hot year," Foster said.
CONTACTS: Latin (765) 494-4639; e-mail, latin@btny.purdue.edu, and Foster (765) 494-9572; e-mail, rick_foster@entm.purdue.edu
"Beekeepers have a real interest in bee biology and behavior," said Greg Hunt, Purdue Cooperative Extension Service honey bee specialist. "They mainly keep hives for pollination purposes or as a hobby."
The workshop is designed for both the beginning and advanced beekeeper. The biology session will start at 9:30 a.m. in Room 202 of Stewart Center. Other morning topics are how to treat diseases and mites, an update on mite research across the country, and an introduction to queen rearing. In the afternoon, the workshop will move to the Purdue bee lab for hands-on demonstrations of opening hives, grafting larva into queen cups, construction of equipment and honey extraction. The workshop fee is $10 at the door, with proceeds going to the Indiana State Beekeepers Association. Free beekeeping books will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Assisting Hunt with the demonstrations at the Purdue bee lab will be Dave Russell, Purdue agricultural scientist and beekeeper; Kathleen Prough, Indiana state bee inspector; and Randy Richards and J.P. Jones from the Indiana State Beekeepers Association.
The parasitic varroa mites, discovered in the United States in 1987, have virtually eliminated wild bees and bees kept in untreated hives, according to Hunt. "Since the mites were discovered, the number of managed bee hives in the state has declined by half," Hunt said. "This is mainly due to the mites."
Previously, bee hives pretty much took care of themselves, Hunt said. Now, treating for mites is a necessity. With only one licensed product to treat varroa mites, experimental work is being done with natural products such as peppermint and rosemary oils and breeding for mite-resistant bees.
The workshop also will discuss how to recognize signs that a hive is preparing to swarm and ways to prevent swarming.
CONTACT: Hunt, (765) 494-4605;e-mail, ghunt@purdue.edu
The "Barn Again in Indiana" workshop sessions on Saturday, March 28, will teach farmers how to transform an unused barn into a practical and economically viable part of a modern farm, said Marsh Davis, director of community services of the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. The foundation, along with the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, is organizing the workshop.
"The purpose of the workshops is to show farmers that old barns play a part in modern farms and that they also lend themselves to other uses. We do emphasize the ongoing agriculture use for barns in a way that is economically feasible," Davis said.
According to Davis, old barns have been fixed up to serve many purposes, from traditional storage facilities or hog confinement buildings to antique and herb stores.
"There's a tremendous amount of interest in old barns. People recognize that these barns are important. There's far too many barns in the process of being lost," he said. "With a little bit of work, you'll see many old barns that are not obsolete, but economically viable, practical buildings. Saving an old barn and adapting it for new uses is much less expensive than building a new barn."
Farmers attending the Barn Again workshop will learn a little of the history of barns in the Midwest and will visit examples of restored barns.
Barn contractors Mike Woodford, from Woodford Brothers Inc. in Apulia Station, N.Y., and Amos Schwartz from Schwartz Construction in Geneva, Ind., will share the basics of how to restore a barn.
The Barn Again workshop will be from 9 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. Saturday, March 28, at the Fulton County Historical Society in Rochester, Ind. A fee of $25 per person includes the workshops, an information packet and lunch. Registration is due by March 23. For more information, contact Suzanne Stanis, Historic Landmarks Association, (800) 450-4534.
Compiled by Chris Sigurdson, (765) 494-8415; E-mail, sig@ecn.purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
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