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Many growers now rely on annual foliar applications of B. 

 The usual practice is to add Solubor to the first 2 cover sprays. 

 Fertilizer grades of borax may contain grit and should not be 

 used in a sprayer. Mature trees should receive 4 pounds of Solubor 

 per acre each year. Consequently, the goal is to apply about 2 

 pounds per acre in each of the 2 applications. For young orchards, 

 the addition of 1/2 pound of Solubor per 100 gallons (dilute basis) 

 to the first 2 cover sprays meets the B requirement of these trees. 

 Reports of New York State indicate that sprays can be concentrated 

 up to 8X with satisfactory results. 



Leaf samples from orchards treated with Solubor have indicated 

 adequate leaf boron levels but the fruit was deficient in this 

 elementT Whether or not B applied as a fertilizer more adequately 

 meets the B requirement of apples than foliar-applied B is not 

 known by us. 



Manganese (Mn) : Apple leaves from trees showing Mn deficiency 

 in 1978 had 12 to 15 ppm of this element which is much below the 

 desired levels of 30 to 60 ppm. Mn deficiency symptoms are charact- 

 erized by interveinal fading of chlorophyll with the veins remaining 

 green. For those who are unfamilar with the symptoms of Mn deficien- 

 cy, we refer you to the photograph that appeared in the May-June 

 1978 issue of Fruit Notes . 



Mn deficiency should be corrected on trees showing considerable 

 foliage damage. Although we have no definite proof, Mn deficiency 

 appeared to be associated with excessive fruit drop on a few trees 

 in one orchard in 1977. Mn deficiency can be corrected by foliar 

 applications of manganese sulfate or of a fungicide containing Mn. 

 Apply manganese sulfate at about first cover at the rate of 3 lbs. 

 per 100 gallons of water. If using a Mn-containing fungicide, 2 

 or 3 applications are necessary with timings about petal fall, first 

 and second cover. 



Zinc (Zn ) : Based on optimum levels of Zn established by Maine, 

 some of our orchards continue to be low in this element. Dr. 

 Warren Stiles, University of Maine suggests a dilute spray of Zn 

 chelate (EDTA) at the rate of 1 to 2 lbs. per 100 gallons of water 

 at tight cluster or first cover in orchards low in this element. 

 He considers 25 to 50 ppm to be the optimum range for zinc in 

 apple tree foliage. 



AAA************** 



POMOLOGICAL PARAGRAPH 



Deeper planting may reduce suckering from the rootstock on inter - 

 stem trees . Dr. James Cummins, New York State Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station, Geneva, N.Y. is examining the interaction of interstem 

 length and planting depth. The interstems vary from 10 to 25 cm 

 (1 inch = 2.54 cm) in length and planting depths vary from 1 cm of 

 the interstem being exposed above ground, to the entire interstem 



