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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STRAVfBERRY COi^irERENCE AT NORFOLK, VIRGBIIA 



A group of growers, morsoryraen, and scientists gathered at the Virginia Truck 

 Crops Station at Norfolk, Virginia, on May 17, 1956, to look over the strawberry 

 experiments and to talk over mutual problems . This was to have been a two-day 

 conference v;ith the second day spent at the U. S, D, A, - Ivlaryland Experiment 

 Station at Salisbury,' IM, A severe frost on April 2U on the Eastern Shore of 

 Maryland practically eliminated the crop. Therefore, the second day of the con- 

 ference was cancelled. In spite of this, the attendance was good v/ith participants 

 coming from as far away as Florida and Michigan, 



The Virginia Truck Crops Station is working on a wide variety of strawberry 

 problems, i'lany have a wide application; others are peculiar to their situation, 

 A few of those of general interest will be discussed briefly. 



Black-root rot is a serious trouble in many strawberry sections. It is a 

 soil-borne disease thought to be caused by nematodes or a combination of nema- 

 todes and fungi, and possibly bacteria. Soil fumigation appears promising for 

 its control, A considerable number of both nev/ and old soil fumigants were under 

 test. Some of these are nematocides and scrae are both nematocides and fungicides. 

 The plants in most of the plots treated with soil fumigants vrere larger and looked 

 healthier than those in untreated plots. The best looking plants were in the plots 

 treated with methyl bromide, I'ethyl bromide is a good neraatocide and is effective 

 in destroying some, but not all, soil fungi. 



Some very interesting experiments were under way to find a good method to 

 control summer growth and plant spacing « The results obtained from using the 

 "hormone" type materials is not alv:ays predictable. Therefore, an attempt is 

 being made to do the thinning vdth a dinibro type spray, 'Vhile progress is being 

 made with this method, much remains to be done before it becomes practical, 



Yihat is the best mulch for strav/berries? This is becoming an increasingly 

 serious problem in many areas where mulching material is becoming scarce and 

 expensive. At the Virginia Truck Crops Station pine needles, peanut hulls, grain 

 straw (chopped into short lengths with an ensilage cutter), chopped corn cobs, 

 sawdust and shavings v/ere under trial. Of these, they liked pine needles and 

 peanut hulls best. Sawdust and shavings v^rere liked the least because they require 

 the use of more nitrogen and blow avray too easily, 



ViTith their warmer vdnters winter vreeds are a very serious problem, especially 

 knotweed, chick7,-eed, and henbit. They have fotmd that under Virginia conditions 

 a combination of one pound of Chloro IPC and two pounds of SES per acre applied 

 twice, once in November and once in February, gives very good control. Combining 

 this spray vrlth the mulch application has proved very satisfactory. It was applied 

 to the soil just before mulching, to the mulch before spreading, or on the mulch 

 after spreading, with equally good results. The combination of Chloro IPC and SES 

 used as a preplanting treatment killed the strawberry plants. When adsorbed on 

 vermiculite it acted as if it were twice as strong and injured severely or killed 

 the plants. 



