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Iowa Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association

2 months ago

Iowa Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association
This week's Small Farm Sustainability's Podcast episode features the upcoming Iowa Specialty Producers Conference! Check it out below! 🎙 ... See MoreSee Less

smallfarmsustainability's podcast: 2021 Iowa Specialty Producers Conference

smallfarmsustainability.libsyn.com

In this episode, I interview Kendra Meyer, executive secretary for the Iowa Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association, to talk about the upcoming Iowa Specialty Producers Conference.
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Iowa Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association

2 months ago

Iowa Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association
Mark your calendar for January 19-20, 2021, for the Iowa Specialty Producers Conference! Join the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and the Iowa Wine Growers Association for two days of learning, networking, and fun. Funded by IDALS. Registration is now open at www.iowaspecialtyproducers.com/registration-page. ... See MoreSee Less

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Iowa Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association

2 months ago

Iowa Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association
Mark your calendar for January 19-20, 2021, for the Iowa Specialty Producers Conference! Join the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and the Iowa Wine Growers Association for two days of learning, networking, and fun. Funded by IDALS. Registration is now open at www.iowaspecialtyproducers.com/registration-page. ... See MoreSee Less

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Apples with Blemishes

Posted on September 27, 2019 by Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers AssociationOctober 1, 2019

Richard Jauron
Extension Horticulturist
515-294-3108
rjauron@iastate.edu

Apple trees are a treat in a home garden, but they are susceptible to a variety of diseases. One of the most common problems of apples in Iowa begins to show up about this time of year – sooty blotch and flyspeck fungi. Horticulturists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach identify several causes of apple blemishes and how to reduce their presence. To have more questions answered, contact Hortline at hortline@iastate.edu or call 515-294-3108.

What are the black spots and blotches on my apples?

Close up of woman’s hand holding apples and a basket of fresh apples by tloventures/stock.adobe.com

The problem may be sooty blotch and flyspeck. Sooty blotch and flyspeck are regarded as a complex of several different fungi that often occur together on apples. Sooty blotch appears as dull black, blotches or smudges on the surface of the apple. Flyspeck produces clusters of shiny, round, black dots. Individual dots are about the size of a pinhead. Environmental conditions that favor disease development are moderate temperatures and an extended wet period in late summer or early fall.  

Sooty blotch and flyspeck live on the surface of the fruit. The damage is mainly cosmetic. The apples are still safe to eat. They are just not very attractive.  

Cultural practices and fungicides can reduce the incidence and severity of sooty blotch and flyspeck. Proper pruning of apples trees and thinning of fruit promote drying and create environmental conditions less favorable for disease development. Protective fungicide sprays are also helpful.  

If control measures fail, sooty blotch and flyspeck can be removed with vigorous rubbing.  

There are brown streaks in my apples. What produced them and how can they be prevented?  

The brown streaks in the apples are probably due to the apple maggot. The apple maggot is the most serious insect pest of apples in home gardens. Apple maggot damage appears as knobby, misshapen fruit with small pits or blemishes on the fruit surface. In addition, brownish streaks run through the flesh of the apple. The apple maggot is sometimes referred to as the “railroad worm” because of the slender brown streaks or tracks in the apple’s flesh.  

The apple maggot is a type of fruit fly. Female apple maggot flies insert eggs beneath the skin of fruit from about mid-June until shortly before harvest. The punctures produce small holes that later appear as blemishes on the fruit. Upon egg hatch, the larvae tunnel through the flesh of the apple producing the distinctive brown streaks.  

Control of apple maggots in home gardens is difficult. Picking up and destroying apple maggot infested apples that have fallen to the ground helps to a limited degree. Placing apple maggot traps (red spheres coated with a sticky substance) in apple trees may provide satisfactory levels of control. Insecticides are the most commonly used method of controlling apple maggots in commercial and home orchards. The effectiveness of insecticide sprays in home orchards is often limited due to poor spraying techniques, rainy weather and other factors. Substantial damage may still occur despite spraying.  

–Iowa State University Extension & Outreach

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