Dr. Pecknold's continuing
education program involves leadership in the area of Indiana fruit and
ornamental disease problems. Extension activities are directed toward
commercial/homeowner fruit growers and professionals in the ornamental
industry (Nurserymen/Arborists/Landscape Management Professionals).
The primary outreach components of the fruit pathology program are orchard
twilight meetings, contributions to the newsletter, ‘Facts for
Fancy Fruit’, demonstration field plots, publications of commercial
fruit spray schedules for tree fruits and small fruits, and timely television,
radio, and newspaper releases. The ornamental pathology program includes
publications in the BP mimeo series, a variety of county agent, grower
and homeowner meetings, certification meetings for commercial pesticide
applicators in Category 3a, participation in the Plant/Pest Diagnostic
Clinic, and timely television, radio, and newspaper releases. The fruit
pathology research program focuses on solving disease related problems
for the Indiana apple and strawberry industry and utilizes new technologies
for information delivery. Current research is aimed at determining the
most effective and economical spray program for sooty blotch and flyspeck,
the major limiting summer diseases for Indiana apple growers. Previous
fruit research has included the testing of rootstocks for susceptibility
to fire blight and collar rot and disease management programs for scab-resistant
apple cultivars. The ornamental pathology research program is aimed
at developing a three-by-three (3X3) spray program for crabapples that
will give the best season long disease control with the fewest number
of sprays. We hope to ultimately expand the 3X3 program to include other
ornamental plants in an overall IPM program for most landscape ornamentals.
Faculty