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PROCURE®50WS FUNGICIDE GROWER COMPARISON
This trial was conducted on two separate blocks of a commercial orchard, on two different cultivars.
Located at Best's Fruit Farm in Independence Township, Warren County, New Jersey, one

demonstration block consisted of 20 year old Hilltop MacSpur
®on MM 106. The other block was 20

year old Starkrimson
®Red Delicious on seedling rootstock. Treatment areas were 1 acre in size for
both blocks, and applications were made to treatments in single replication, demonstration style solid

rows, with an untreated buffer row between each treatment. In both trials Nova
®40W was the alternate

sterol inhibitor fungicide with which Procure
®50WS was being evaluated against. Both treatments

contained Polyram
®80DF as the EBDC protectant fungicide. Treatments were applied with a 400-
gallon diesel powered FMC airblast sprayer calibrated to 117 gallons per acre. Based on tree row
volume calculations this block of trees computed at 300 gallon per acre. However the grower always
reduces his dilute volume to 117 GPA with historical success. Because of his excellent pruning
techniques combined with good air drainage due to site location, relatively low disease pressure was
present. As a result the standard spray schedule followed for the growing season by our grower
cooperator had reduced application rates by nearly two fold. There was no significant difference at any

grade between the two treatments when evaluated for packout on the MacSpur's
®. Due to
miscommunication between our grower cooperator and the harvest crew, treatment fruit were not

harvested and stored for evaluation from the Starkrimson
®block. Visual observations during the
growing season were made. The foliage on the Procure
®50WS treated trees appeared larger and
healthier. Growers' statement "I thought foliage was better on all Procure treated trees", was consistent
with our observations.
W. COWGILL, J. COMPTON, R. BEST, G. DONATO, M. MALETTA, M. PETERS


1999 NE PGR THINNING PROTOCOL ON MACOUN APPLE
The Northeast Plant Growth Regulator (NE PGR) Group focuses their efforts on the use of PGR's in
fruit production, and their manner of use that will provide the greatest benefits to growers. Annually, a
protocol is developed to evaluate effective thinning strategies. The 1999 study was set up to contain
four treatments and a check. The off farm study was established Mountain Top Orchards in Glen
Gardener, Hunterdon County, NJ on 20 year old Macoun apples on MM 106. The experiment was
conducted in a randomized complete block design with single tree treatments and four replications.
W. COWGILL, J. COMPTON, G. DONATO, D. ADICKES


ENDOTHALL MULTI-VARIETY EFFICACY DEMONSTATION
Our purpose was to conduct a demonstration style, multi-variety screening of fruit size responses to
Thinrite (Endothall) as a blossom thinner. Our goal was to evaluate Thinrite's efficacy for increasing
final fruit size due to it's thinning properties as compared to an industry standard and an untreated
control. A 20-year-old block of trees containing various cultivars was provided for the screening at
established Mountain Top Orchards in Glen Gardener, Hunterdon County. Cultivars utilized for this
screening consisted of SunGold Golden Delicious on MM 111, Jonathan on M 111, and Penn
Stayman on MM111. This screening was set up in a demonstration style, commercial orchard format
with no replications and three tree treatments. On all varieties, the application of Endothall during the
bloom stage proved advantageous. It increased final fruit size on all cultivars when compared to the
Untreated Control, and produced fruit similar in size to those treated with a standard NAD application.
W. COWGILL, J. COMPTON, G. DONATO, D. ADICKES


1999 North Jersey Tree Fruit Annual Report

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