By Tracy Turner
Grape growers and small fruit farmers can learn updated pesticide application tips from nationally known viticulture and horticulture experts, including those with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University, in a new publication designed to offer growers tips on small fruit management.
The 2015 Midwest Small Fruit and Grape Spray Guide is now available for $9.50 and can be purchased at Ohio State University Extension’s eStore, estore.osu-extension.org.
The guide is key for growers who plan to use restricted pesticides and must be certified as private applicators.
The publication includes information from Gary Gao, an OSU Extension specialist and associate professor of small fruit crops at Ohio State’s South Centers in Piketon; Imed Dami, an associate professor and state viticulturist; Brad Bergefurd, an OSU Extension horticulture specialist; Doug Doohan, a weed management expert with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and OSU Extension; and Celeste Welty, an entomologist with OARDC and OSU Extension
OSU Extension and OARDC are the outreach and research arms, respectively, of the college. The South Centers are also a part of the college.
The spray guide covers the following topics:
* Management tips for safety
* Pesticide use and the law
* Pesticide use in greenhouses and high tunnels
* Determining spray volume and rate
* Calibrating single nozzle and boom sprayers
* Calibrating air-blast sprayers
* Insecticide resistance management
* Conversion factors for weight and measures
The 89-page book also includes a sample records sheet for recording restricted-use pesticides.
It may be ordered through OSU Extension county offices or online for $9.50 plus tax and shipping through OSU Extension’s eStore at estore.osu-extension.org/productdetails.cfm?sku=506B2.