

several orchards in 1948, One sample was placed imnediately in connrion storaf^e 

 at room temperature, and the other sample was exposed to a 24-hour cold storage 

 treatment at 40°?. before being placed at room temperature. The incidence of 

 brovvn rot development was recorded daily over a 6-day period following harvest. 

 In samples obtained from commercially sprayed orchards, cold storage treatment 

 greatly reduced the sub?equent development of brov.m rot in common storage, 

 BroiTO rot losses were reduced from 41.8/^ four days after harvest to 0,0/^ in 

 one commercial sample. Similar effects of cold storage were obtained with 

 fruit sprayed \vith Phygon (£,5-dichloro-l,4-naphthoquinone). This evidence 

 is opposed to the view commonly held by growers and fruit handlers that brown 

 rot development is accelerated v;hen fruit is removed from cold storage to 

 room temperatures," 



Midsummer Gil Spray Causes Storage ocald of Apples . Although summer oils 

 are not generally used in apple orchards in Massachusetts, the following 

 report (Phytopath, Abstract 39.: 1: 24, 1949) implies that fruit scald may result 

 from such applications: "The application of spray oils at ovicidal concen- 

 trations during July and August has resulted in an unusual type of storage 

 scald of apples in West Virginia, This relationship was suspected in 1944-45 

 and was confirmed by experiments in 1945 and 1946, The "oil scald" appears 

 in storage as small, sharply delimited, circular spots. They are centered 

 around lenticles and are small, usually tvTO or three, or rarely as large as 

 five, millimeters in diameter. Larger lesions are the result of coalescence 

 of smaller single layers of hypoderm v,rhich are plasmolyzed and discolored. 

 The light brown color of the dead cells is modified by the color of the fruit: 

 the color Of the lesions varies widely dependent on v/hether the spots are on 

 red, green, or yellow portions of the apple. The severity of the "oil scald" 

 increases during the late storage period; but it is abundant long before normal 

 breakdown of the fruit occurs," 



Nematode Root Disease of Peach Trees in Hew England . The meadow nematode 

 gi^oup, Pratylenchus species , injures the roots of a number of crops in the  

 southern states. In recent years, this pest is definitely assigned as the 

 cause of the brown root-rot disease of tobacco in states farther south, and it 

 is strongly suspected as the primary cause or starter of brov-m root-rot in 

 Connecticut Valley tobacco. Its choice host plants are cereals, i.e., grasses, 

 small grains, corn, etc. Nov/ comes a report from Extension Fruit Specialist 

 Frank D, Johanson of Connecticut that the meadov: nematode is suspected to be 

 at least one prominent reason for the decline in the life span of peach trees 

 in that state. It is well known that the roots of peach trees throughout the 

 southern states are highly susceptible to the root-knot nematode, but there 

 has been little evidence that the meadow nematodes are potential invaders of 

 peach roots. Professor Johanson 's release is based upon a report from the 

 U3DA Hematology Division on a diagnosis of diseased peach roots submitted bj 

 i'-r. Johanson. Incidentally, the meadow nematodes enjoy a much A'uder and 

 farther-north range of distribution than the root-knot nematode, 



— 0. C, Boyd 



