bers. This was as we expected, since the first year 

 of reducing fungicide is unhkely to produce a dra- 

 matic effect on the mite population. 



Discussion 



In general both the New York and North Caro- 

 lina methods of timing fungicide applications 

 seemed to work very well, under unusually chal- 

 lenging conditions for this region. It is clear, 

 though, that extending the number of wetness- 

 hours beyond the 250 recommended by the North 



Carolina model poses an unacceptable risk to the 

 crop. The economic savings from reduced sprays 

 overall were less than $10 per acre, but even this 

 amount could be significant, given the slim profit 

 margins in apple-growing at this time. The major 

 benefit of adopting a reduced summer fungicide 

 program, however, is more likely to be increased 

 flexibility in time management and the ability to 

 incorporate summer oils into the spray program 

 without risking phytotoxicity from fungicide/oil in- 

 teractions. In addition, it is possible that this prac- 

 tice might be helpful for beneficial organisms in 

 the orchard. 



^L ^U ^L •^L ^L 



16 



Fruit Notes, Volume 63 (Number 4), Fall, 1998 



