A G N O S T 



UPDATE 



□ 



Hi 



APPY NEW YEAR! I hope the 

 .holidays were happy, relaxing 

 (ha!), and trouble-free for everyone. 

 Things have been very quiet since 

 the New Year. The PDL has been 

 quiet (that's good for all of you, as 

 well as for me), and once again, it's 

 raining. This certainly has been a 

 strange winter weather-wise. The 

 weather also puts some unique pres- 

 sure on greenhouse crop production 

 as well as our own psyches. 



The extensive cloudy weather, as 

 well as the warmer-than-normal tem- 

 peratures during much of December 

 caused some plants to be leggy and 

 more susceptible to problems with 

 botrytis and powdery mildew. When 

 dealing with this type of weather, 

 there are a few precautions. One, 

 remember the plants will not re- 

 quire as much water because the 

 rate of photosynthesis is less. Ex- 

 cessive wetness favors the develop- 

 ment of pythium and phytophthora 

 root rot and botrytis blight. The need 

 for nutrients will also be somewhat 

 reduced (although potassium require- 

 ments may actually increase under 

 low light conditions). If you are trying 

 to control leggy plant growth by low- 

 ering growing temperatures, be cau- 

 tious about soil temperatures. Some 

 nutrients, such as phosphorus and 

 iron, may be unavailable to plants at 

 lower soil temperatures. 



For woody ornamentals, the pri- 

 mary concern at this time is the ex- 

 tensive damage caused by the 

 storm in early December. The bro- 

 ken branches and other injury 

 should be pruned and trimmed to 

 provide a better surface for healing 

 when growth resumes in the spring. 



Problems on greenhouse crops 

 were relatively few during Novem- 

 ber and December. Omeda was al- 

 ready beginning to show up on ivy 

 geraniums in early November. There 

 were a couple of cases of Powdery 

 IVIILDEW on poinsettias. There was 

 an interesting exchange of com- 

 ments from plant pathologists in an 

 Internet listserv group regarding 



fungicide control of PoWDERY 

 MILDEW on points. There were 

 two reports of bract injury from 

 Phyton applications, one on the 

 cultivar Freedom Red. Strike also 

 caused some bract injury, particu- 

 larly when applied with a 

 spreader/sticker. 1 guess the gen- 

 eral message from this is to run a 

 test application on a few plants 

 whenever practical to avoid injury 

 to the entire crop. There wasn't 

 much else for disease pressure and 

 let's hope it remains that way. 



For those of you concerned 

 with turf: it's important to remem- 

 ber that Pink snow mold can be 

 active without snow cover. The 

 fungus simply requires cool tem- 

 peratures (below 50F) and wet 

 conditions. We certainly have no 

 shortage of moisture! Although 

 fungicide applications are most ef- 

 fective if applied while the turf is 

 still growing, contact fungicides 

 can be applied as a protectant. 



I will be attending a virus identi- 

 fication workshop in Florida at the 

 end of January. The workshop pro- 

 vides training for techniques to iden- 

 tify viruses as members of groups 

 or 'families' as well as for the iden- 

 tification of a few specific viruses. 

 Hopefully, this will allow some in- 

 house identification/confirmation of 

 suspected virus problems in the fu- 

 ture. Once again, don't forget the im- 

 portance of sanitiation. 



If you wish to submit plant material to the 

 UNH-PDL for diagnosis, send samples 

 [with a check for $12.00) to. The UNH 

 Plant Diagnostic Lab, C/O Dr. Cheryl 

 Smith, Plant Biology Department, 241 

 Spaulding Hall. UNH, Durham, NH 

 03824. Samples should be accompanied by 

 an identification form {available from your 

 county Cooperative Extension office). Cheryl 

 Smith is the UNH Cooperative Extension 

 Specialist in Plant Health, and can be 

 reached at Ph. (603) 862-3841, FAX: (603) 

 862-2717, e-Mail: cheryl.smith@unh.edu. 



Pioneer Pointers 



The Value of IRA's 



Don't overlook the beneflt of an IRA deduction. This Is a great opportu- 

 nity to delay paying taxes on a portion of your Income. Many 

 growers qualify for the maximum deduction for married couples. This 

 is $2,250 annually (given If only one spouse has earned income in ex- 

 cess of $2,000). 



Before you decide NOT to take advantage of this Important deduction, 

 consider the financial benefits of contributing to an IRA each year. The 

 Immediate benefit is a tax savings of at least $337.50 (15% of $2,250). 

 It's better that the savings stay in your pocket rather than Uncle Sam's. 

 These savings will increase if you live In a state with a state Income tax 

 and your state allows the federal IRA deduction. Long-term savings are 

 even more Impressive. A $2,250 annual investment with an average 

 10.2% return (average historical return from the stock market) over a 30- 

 year period will grow Into $409,372.71. Fortunately, you are allowed until 

 April 15, 1997, to contribute. So It's not too late — ^thls Is one tax-plan- 

 ning maneuver that can be done after year's end. 



Please note that the deductibility of contributing to an IRA may be limited by your 

 overall income For more information about IRAs and farm tax law. First Pioneer's tax staff 

 can help. Our staff can assist in meeting your tax needs regardless of how your business is 

 organized or the types of returns required. For more information, call the Bedford office at 

 1-800-825-3252. (S.W.) 



FEBRUARY «^ MARCH 1997 



