[MassChestnutOrchards] ma-tacf chestnut question from Meiklejohn

Mon Jun 22 10:35:54 EDT 2009

John,

In PA, we tried treating graft unions with a 
copper-based fungicide, but it didn't really help 
keep blight out.  I have my doubts as to its 
utility as a solution.  I think Fred elaborated on all that pretty well.

This is a little off-topic from your original 
questions, but thought some folks might be 
interested in it, if they haven't heard.

I'm not sure how much you know about Agrifos, but 
Greg Miller of our OH Chapter is getting pretty 
excited about a product called Agrifos.  This is 
all mostly just FYI, in case you haven't 
heard.  The use of Agrifos hasn't been proven, 
and it's a bit expensive, but Greg has been using 
it for 3 years now and keeps thinking the results 
are great.  Here's some info from Paul Sisco that 
he posted to the TACF Growers list last year;::

"""At the 2007 TACF meeting in Burlington, VT, 
Greg Miller of Empire Chestnut Company reported 
on the use of Agrifos and Pentrabark to treat 
chestnut blight.  David Morris of Alabama 
e-mailed Greg after the meeting, and below are more details from Greg.

Agrifos is phosphorous acid, and it is marketed 
under other trade names, such as 
Aliette.  Pentrabark is a surfactant to help move 
the acid through the bark into the vascular 
tissue of the tree so that it can be transported systemically.

The combination of Agrifos and Pentrabark is also 
being used to treat Phytophthora ramorum in California.

A discussion of phosphorous acid and the various 
trade names under which it is marketed is at:

<http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/grapeweb/OGEN/06032005/PhosphorousAcidFungicide_Ellis.pdf>http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/grapeweb/OGEN/06032005/PhosphorousAcidFungicide_Ellis.pdf

One source of the combined Agrifos and Pentrabark 
is: 
<http://www.amazon.com/Agrifos-Pentrabark-Immune-System-Booster/dp/B000J2A02M>http://www.amazon.com/Agrifos-Pentrabark-Immune-System-Booster/dp/B000J2A02M"""

Sara

At 09:49 AM 6/15/2009, Fred Hebard wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>Copper is not systemic in plants at high enough concentrations to be
>fungitoxic, so is ineffective against established blight cankers.  It
>is used as a protectant for various leaf spots and twig blights,
>preventing spores deposited on the leaf or twig from germinating and
>infecting.  Germination and infection have already occurred with an
>established blight canker.  The most famous example of the use of
>copper in a fungicide is "Bordeaux mixture," originally formulated
>around 1880, with sulphur and lime, to prevent downy mildew of grape,
>but efficacious against a wide variety of plant pathogens.  Copper-
>based fungicides have been superseded by ones based on organic
>chemicals, in most cases, outside "organic" agriculture.
>
>The "active ingredient" in mud packs is biological, as indicated by
>pasteurization destroying the efficacy of the mud.  There are
>probably numerous microorganism responsible for the efficacy of
>mudpacks; B. subtilis is one that has been isolated and may be
>efficacious independent of the mud.
>
>Fred
>
>Frederick V. Hebard, PhD
>Staff Pathologist, Meadowview Research Farms
>American Chestnut Foundation
>14005 Glenbrook Ave.
>Meadowview, VA 24361
>
>Email: Fred at acf.org
>Web: http://www.acffarms.org
>Phone: (276) 944-4631
>Fax: (276) 944-0934
>
>
>On Jun 14, 2009, at 10:53 PM, johnviolin7 at aol.com wrote:
>
> > John,
> >
> > Various copper formulations have been used as fungicide on plants for
> > some time. Ditto sulpher. There is currently a "Liquid Copper"one in
> > Johnny's seed catalogue advertised as being in an "organically
> > approved
> > formulation".
> >
> > Was the white powder kaolin, a fine clay (actually the basis for
> > Kaopectate) which we were using to improve the water retention and
> > stickiness of mudpacks? -and the secret ingredient in magic mud-  Or
> > was it B subtilis?   J Emery
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: John Meiklejohn <j.johnmeiklejohn at comcast.net>
> > To: CBZampini at aol.com
> > Cc: masschestnutorchards at masschestnut.org
> > Sent: Sun, Jun 14, 2009 6:36 pm
> > Subject: [MassChestnutOrchards] ma-tacf chestnut question from
> > Meiklejohn
> >
> >
> >
> > Hi Charlotte,
> >
> >
> >
> > I have several questions.  Yesterday, I visited a chestnut [~5"dhb] on
> > the property of Dr. Wayne Fowles, a veterinarian in Westfield.  I had
> > visited it for the first time last year when it was in good
> > health.  He
> > had me come back because he thought it was beginning to show signs of
> > the blight.  The tree is still very healthy to a casual glance but,
> > indeed, the trunk about 8' up was starting to crack dramatically and
> > showed some concave signs but no discoloration on the bark.  As a
> > treatment we did two things:  wiped the area thoroughly with a Clorox
> > wet wipe, at his suggestion, and then I used your method of the mud
> > pack mixed with the white powd
> > er you gave me wrapping the mud pack in
> > saran wrap and then with duct tape, top and bottom.
> >
> >
> >
> > This process got me thinking about several blight treatment issues.
> > Here are my questions:
> >
> >     1.  What is the "mystery" white powder that I was applying in the
> > mud pack?  Over the winter it had become moisture-laden.  Should I get
> > a fresh supply from you to apply to the diseased trees in my orchard
> > this season?  I still have more of the old supply.
> >
> >
> >
> >     2.  Since bleach, i.e. Clorox, kills fungi is there any purpose to
> > wiping or spraying the infected area of a  tree with a bleach solution
> > independent of or before applying the mudpack?  My layman's thought is
> > that a spray will penetrate the bark and cracks more readily than a
> > mudpack and might enhance the effect of a mudpack if applied first.
> >
> >
> >
> >     3.  Dr. Fowles indicated that copper sulphate is used to treat a
> > fungal disease in horses [thrush].  He indicated it might be useful in
> > treating fungal diseases across species including in trees.  He
> > wondered, and so do I, if anyone has tried using copper sulphate to
> > weaken or slow chestnut blight.  Any thoughts on this?  Would you
> > advise trying this on diseased trees in my orchard?  I'm game to try
> > anything that seems reasonable or that hasn't already been ruled
> > out as
> > useless.
> >   Dr. Fowles said he could obtain some copper sulphate solution
> > for me.
> >
> >
> >
> > Look forward to hearing from you.  Hope the innoculations are going
> > apace and that you are getting plenty of help.
> >
> >
> >
> > John Meiklejohn
> >
> >
> >
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> >
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>
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Sara Fern Fitzsimmons
Northern Appalachian Regional Science Coordinator
The American Chestnut Foundation®
The Pennsylvania State University
206 Forest Resources Lab
University Park, PA 16802

e-mail: sara at acf.org
phone (office): 814-863-7192
phone (cell): 814-404-6013
fax: 814-863-3600

http://chestnut.cas.psu.edu
http://www.acf.org
http://www.patacf.org
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