Over The Fence Newsletter Bucks County Cooperative Extension

Penn State Ag Sciences…More Than You Think!
By Scott Guiser, Extension Educator/Horticulture

Penn State...what comes to your mind? Football perhaps. Maybe you saw the news that two Penn State scientists were part of the group that recently received the Nobel Prize (shared with Al Gore) for quantifying the effects of global climate change. Maybe you are one of the many alumni, (there are more than 260,000 in PA and 453,000 in the nation.) If you are an alumnus, you conjure up all kinds of memories of college life and the impact the University has had on your life.

It’s the world of horticulture, and its related subjects, that we’re interested in here. I recently returned from Penn State and I thought I’d share some of the very interesting things I learned.

If you grew tomatoes this year you probably encountered the disease called early blight. It causes lower leaves and stems to turn yellow, then brown. By late August many plants are completely defoliated. Fruits rot. Fungicides work well but many folks are looking for a non-chemical answer. Dr. Majid Foolad in the Department of Horticulture has bred tomatoes (the old-fashioned way) with very high levels of resistance to early blight…and late blight, a potentially more devastating disease. It will be a few years, but you can expect to see this outstanding accomplishment become a reality for your garden soon. Imagine what it will do for commercial tomato growers.

You probably know that our state tree the Canadian hemlock, Tsuga canadensis is being wiped out by an insect called hemlock woolly adelgid. For the past five years, Penn State researchers have been evaluating other hemlock species to see if there may be an alternative to the Canadian hemlock. It looks like Tsuga chinensis is highly resistant to this pest. From here the possibilities are endless. You might not like Chinese hemlock as much as our beloved Canadian, but perhaps a plant breeder like Dr. Foolad will bring the best qualities of the two species together. (P.S. The research also pretty much ruled out the other species tested for various reasons.)

Honeybees have been in the news lately. Perhaps you’ve read about “Colony Collapse Disorder”. This is the name being given to a disease that has devastated the operations of many commercial beekeepers. Tens of thousands of honey bee colonies collapsed within months last fall. Penn State got involved early because the commercial beekeeper who brought the condition to the attention of researchers is from Pennsylvania. Within one year a coalition of scientists, with leadership from Penn State’s Dr. Diana Cox-Foster, professor in the Department of Entomology, have identified a virus that is common to all of the affected honey bee colonies that were studied. Some fancy genetic work from sister universities was crucial to solving the mystery. You may recall that everything from cell phones to genetically modified organisms was proposed as the cause of the bees’ problem. A lot more needs to be learned but a lot more is known now than a year ago.

It’s not all good news. In June 2007, a highly destructive insect called Emerald Ash Borer was detected in western Pennsylvania. It had been making its way east from Michigan since at least 2002. This insect has killed more than 25 million ash trees and there is no reason to think that Pennsylvania’s ash will be spared. All ash species, (Fraxinus) are affected.

Greg Hoover, Penn State entomologist, has been on the case since 2002 and has prepared an excellent publication that will tell you what we’re up against. You can look it over at http://www.paemeraldashborer.psu.edu/EABFAQs.html or call our office for a copy. Estimates vary about when we’ll see this insect but we will feel the effects sooner or later.

Finally, I learned that the enrollment in the College of Ag Sciences is on the rise. Recently, a campaign called ‘Think Outside the Barn” has been convincing kids that agriculture is not all cows and corn. Check it out at http://thinkagain.psu.edu/.

I may be a bit biased because I work for Penn State but one thing is for sure…Penn State Ag Sciences is…more than you think!

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Stink Bugs Invade Bucks County Homes….

Maybe that’s news to you, maybe not. One thing is for sure, the brown marmorated stink bug is being found more frequently than ever. At this time of year they seek over-wintering quarters and that means homes, garages and other buildings. Excluding the bugs by sealing up windows, door, utility pipes and other entry points is the best solution. Although exterior applications of insecticides are somewhat effective, they don’t last long. Once inside, insecticides don’t make sense. You can vacuum the bugs faster than you can spray them. Bugs may continue to emerge from hiding over long periods of time but they do not reproduce inside. They don’t do any harm inside the home either, except to irritate folks who don’t like bugs. For the complete story go to: http://www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/brownMarmoratedstinkbug.htm

Master Gardener Corner

It may seem far away, but we are already planning for the May 3, 2008 Master Gardener Annual Plant Sale. As always, we will have a great selection of annuals, perennials, and woodies for your garden. We will be increasing our stock of culinary herbs and vegetables and offering great plants and tips specifically for container gardens. So put May 3 on your schedule.

You may wonder what happens with the funds generated from this sale. All proceeds from the sale go to support the Master Gardener program. Funds are used for a variety of program needs, including a computer and reference books for the horticultural hotline, children’s garden programming, equipment for our Speakers Bureau and Q&A Booths, plants and supplies for our demonstration gardens and trees for the Almshouse Arboretum.

Horticultural Happenings

Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA has spectacular holiday plant displays in the conservatory and lighting throughout the gardens beginning the day after Thanksgiving. A new indoor children’s garden opened in October. Go to http://longwoodgardens.org/ or call 610-388-1000 for more information.

Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve (http://silverlakenaturecenter.org/ or call 215-862-2924) and the three county nature centers continue to have programming for adults and children throughout the year. Check it out.

Churchville Nature Center—http://churchvillenaturecenter.org/ or call 215-357-4005
Peace Valley Nature Center, Doylestown—http://peacevalleynaturecenter.org/ or call 215-345-7860
Silver Lake Nature Center, Bristol—http://silverlakenaturecenter.org/ or call 215-785-1177

Honey bees in the news.

Maybe you caught the story of Colony Collapse Disorder on CBS or PBS on October 28. Penn State is playing a leading role in helping to sort out what is going on with honey bees. You may have heard that last year beekeepers experienced devastating loss of colonies…and no one knows why. It appears that a virus is implicated in the problem but there is more to the story. Check it out at Penn State’s website: http://www.ento.psu.edu/MAAREC/index.html.

Interested in becoming a beekeeper? There is lots of information here to get you started.

November/December 2007