Electricians, teachers, mechanics - almost every profession sets their standards with a formal certifica tion program. In today's competitive market, being certified is the edge you need to set you apart. Dis tinguish yourself as a professional landscape techni cian by obtaining your certification today!

The N.C. Certified Plant Professional program was developed by the North Carolina Association of Nurs erymen to enhance the knowledge level of nursery personnel. The knowledge required to become a certified plant professional is directed towards making the answering of questions, especially at the retail trade level, easier and more accurate. The questions on the exam are taken from the N.C. Certified Plant Professional Manual.

The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service will be offering a 12-week training course for land scape professionals. This course will more than pre pare you to pass the NCAN plant professional exam. The 12-week course will be held on Thursday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon beginning Thursday, April 20, 2000 to July 13, 2000. Cost is $60.00 which includes manuals, handouts and transportation. The first class will be held at the Agricultural Center, 3309 Burlington Road, Greensboro, NC. The remaining classes will be held at: 1) The Greensboro Ar boretum, 2) Local Nurseries and 3) J.C. Raulston Arboretum. Class size is limited to the first 20 pre-registered applicants.

Registration form on back page. For course information contact Garry Bradley at 336-375- 5876.

TEST DATES:
 June 9 -     Wilmington, NC

 August 18 -  Charlotte, NC

 October      Greenville, NC (TBA)

For further testing information call North Carolina Nurseryman Association (NCNA) at 919.266.3322.

From the Desk of....
Garry J. Bradley

Ethylene Sources/How to Detect

Ethylene (C2H4) is an odorless, colorless gas which acts as a plant hormone. Thus it can be a growth regulator or a harmful pollutant of horticultural crops. Major losses caused by the "death hormone" can occur with high value crops such as greenhouse-grown potted plants and cut flowers, and fresh fruit and vegetables. Ethylene is a simple organic substance which is highly active at low concentrations. Normally, as the concentration of the gas increases, so does the degree of damage. Ethylene can originate from several sources. Living sources include plant materials (vegetative and reproduc tive tissue and fruit) that are ripening or rotting. The major nonliving sources of ethylene include: improperly adjusted or cleaned greenhouse heating units, leaky gas lines, and exhausts from combustion engine. Economic losses to greenhouse growers from ethylene pollution are reported each year and many more probably occur, but are not correctly diagnosed.

Ethylene Damage Symptoms - The effects of ethylene on greenhouse-grown crops can range from none to severe. No other air pollutant causes a greater range of damage symptoms than ethylene gas (Rodgers, 1980). Symptoms include malformed leaves and flowers, thickened stems and leaves, lack of growth (stunting), abortion of flowers and leaves, bud and leaf abscission, epinasty (drooping and curling of leaves.)

Determining Ethylene Levels - The North Carolina State University (NCSU) Plant Disease and Insect Clinic offers a service for testing ethylene. The sampling procedures and fee charges for submitting ethylene pollution samples to the NCSU Plant Disease and Insect Clinic are described below. This service is designed to test ethylene levels in greenhouses and is available to any greenhouse grower.

A sampling kit is required to collect a sample for analysis with a gas chromatograph (GC).

Steps to follow:

1. Request a sampling kit from the NCSU Plant Disease and Insect Clinic (919.515.3619) or email tom_creswell@ncsu.edu. This kit contains small glass bottles and rubber stoppers. One bottle will have a stopper on it to show you how to place them on after collecting a sample.
   
2. Label the bottle with a meaningful designation (eg. east greenhouse).
   
3. To ensure that NCSU has an adequate sample, fill a 3- bottle set from each location to be tested.
   
4. Collect a good air sample. One way to do it is to fill the bottle with clean water (which expels the air in the bottle), then pour out the water when you set the bottle in the desired location. Another way is to actively "fan" the bottle to make sure the air you want to sample is in the bottle. Note: Do not blow into the bottle to ex change the air. This is particularly important if the bottles were in a smoky office, garage, or other settings with odors in the air. (Ethylene can be part of other air pollutants.) Note: If a faulty heater is sus pected, one should collect the sample when the furnace is running extensively, eg. first thing in the morning before venting the greenhouse.
   
5. Seal the glass bottle with the stopper.
   
6. Pack glass bottles in a box so they do not break in transit.
   
7. Fill out the sample form, indicating that ethylene testing is requested.
   
8. Send the bottles to the NCSU Plant Disease and Insect Clinic with an overnight delivery service. The quicker we can analyze the samples, the better. Samples are run Monday through Friday, except on holidays. A phone call to 919.515.3619 or email tom_creswell@ncsu.edu notifying them that the samples have been mailed would be ap preciated and helpful.

Fees for North Carolina Growers (for out-of-state rates, please call 919.515.3619 or email tom_creswell @ncsu.edu for information)

1 or 2 samples (of a 3 bottle set): $25 each 3 to 9 samples (of a 3 bottle set): $15 each 10 or more samples (of a 3 bottle set): $10 each Please make the check payable to: NCSU AND MAIL TO NC STATE UNIVERSITY PLANT DISEASE AND INSECT CLINIC, 1104 WILLIAMS HALL, BOX 7211, RALEIGH, NC 27695-7211 (Fax: 919.515.5217)

Asian Ambrosia Beetle Found

Ellen Reeves (Ag technician in the ornamentals plant pest program at NCSU) recovered the first Asian am brosia beetles of the season in the ethyl alcohol baited traps in Johnston County. The Asian Ambrosia Beetle Xylosandrus
crassiusculus (Mot.), Coleoptera, Scolytidae

This tiny beetle is a pest of woody ornamental, fruit and nut trees throughout North Carolina and can cause significant damage in nursery and orchard settings. Asian ambrosia beetles have many reported hosts. Among the most common are styrax, ornamental cherry, pecan, peach, plum, cherry, persimmon, Japa nese maple, golden rain tree, dogwood, sweet gum, Shumard oak, Chinese elm, magnolia, fig, and azalea. Mexican buckeye and sweet potato are also susceptible to attack.

The Asian ambrosia beetle was first detected in the U.S. in peach trees at Charleston, SC in 1974. Since then it has become widespread, but localized in many North Carolina counties and most of the southeastern, Gulf coast, and surrounding states. It has also been reported in coastal regions of some other states.

It spreads by natural distribution and shipment of contami nated plant material.

DAMAGE: Female beetles bore into the sapwood of stems and young trees. Though attracted to damaged, stressed, or transplanted trees, this beetle will also attack seemingly healthy, thin-barked hardwoods or branches from 1-2 inches in diameter. Visible symptoms include wilted foliage and strands of boring dust protruding from small holes.

Serious attacks may result in tree death which usually occurs during the leafing-out stage. Galleries into the sapwood may be observed by splitting a section of the trunk or branch.

DESCRIPTION: These tiny blackish brown beetles some what resemble the Southern Pine Beetle. Infestations can be identified by toothpick-like strands protruding up to 1.5 inches from the host plant. The strands of boring dust are produced by the female beetle as she excavates her gal lery. The strands are fragile and are easily broken off by wind or rain leaving only pencil-lead sized holes. Individual plants may contain from one to more than 50 individual beetles.

CONTROL: Heavily infested plants or plant parts should be removed and destroyed. It may be best for large grow ers to wait 3-4 weeks after trees are attacked before re moval so as to concentrate and destroy the greatest num ber of beetles, possible sparing some healthy trees. Once trees are infested, the beetle cannot be killed within the plant and fungicides are ineffective against the fungus. Protective sprays on trunks may be attempted on suscepti ble nearby plants. Recommended sprays of lindane and dursban have shown to be largely ineffective. At this time, there are few registered chemical alternatives.

For commercial growers, Astro is registered for use on tree trunks and may provide better protection. Tame+Orthene combination is another possibility. Multiple treatments may be needed during a season. (Note: Orthene has been phytotoxic to some crabapple varieties so it is best to confine spray to trunk and branches of crabapples.) Larger spacing in nurseries may help slow the spread from plant-to-plant. Homeowners may try Pyrellin or Pyrenone, but may have to treat weekly while beetles are active. Keep trees healthy and avoid any unnec essary tree stress (drought, injury, nutrition, etc.). Check trees frequently beginning early March and treat accordingly. Some growers find ethyl alcohol based traps helpful to monitor for adult beetles.

Have You Tried This?
You Ought To?

This presentation is intended to provide some new ideas for a few changes around the nursery. This presentation welcomes discussion and comments from the audience.

A small study was conducted at Taylors' Nursery, Raleigh, NC during the summer of 1999. We selected sixteen plants of red maple, southern magnolia, willow oak and flowering dogwood in 5 gallon containers for a study. Four plants of each species were placed in four areas with different growing conditions. One group of plants were placed in full sun and irrigated once a day. A second group were placed in 55% shade and irrigated once a day. A third group were placed in full sun, but irrigated once a day and misted for 30 sec onds every 30 minutes during daylight hours. The fourth group was placed in shade, irrigated once a day and then misted as with the third group throughout the day. What were the results? All four test plants in full sun and misted plants appeared to be larger. What else happened? Dogwoods irrigated once a day developed powdery mildew. Dogwoods misted during the day were larger and had shiny leaves without any mildew. The dogwood results should really not be a surprise. Powdery mildew, unlike many foliar dis eases, is most successful when environmental condi tions are warm (59-800F.) with high humidity, but without free water. Intermitent mist dogwood produc tion might be reasonable to try when it gets hot and dry after the cool spring season and infection of spot anthracnose is over.

Growing liners in beds is far from being a new idea. How ever, creating drainage and aeration similar to containers by adding liberal amounts of pine bark and frequent irriga tion to beds are an innovation worth considering. Irrigation can be provided by drip tubes for narrow beds as wide as tilling equipment, or overhead sprinklers could be used for wider beds. Liner beds could also be prepared like plasti- culture used for strawberry production. The advantage of bed production for liners is the incredible root development. Root growth may exceed growth in containers due to re duced root zone temperatures and ideal air and water characteristics.

Another idea passed on by Pat McCraken at Taylors' Nursery, Raleigh, is mixing seed with potting mix and propagation trays with the mixture. With wax myrtle, Pat mixes about two to three cups of seed per 15 gallon batch of propagation mix. This is done in the fall and seeds exposed to winter temperatures germi nate in the spring. The fastest growing seedlings germinate from the top few inches of propagation mix and shade other weaker growing seedlings out. This method saves the tedious task of placing a few seeds in each cell of propagation trays.

Ted Bilderback, NCSU

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REGISTRATION FORM CERTIFIED PLANT PROFESSIONAL



Name_____________________________Address_________________________



City_______________________________State____Zip__________________


Phone (    )___________________


Amount Enclosed:_____________ DEADLINE TO RECEIVE REGISTRATION: 
APRIL 14, 2000

 MAIL TO: Garry J. Bradley, 3309 Burlington Road,
Greensboro, NC 27405

USE OF TRADE NAMES DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT BY THE NORTH CAROLINA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE OF THE PRODUCTS NAMED NOR CRITICISM OF SIMILAR PRODUCTS NOT MENTIONED