Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 12, 1990                   TAG: 9007110269
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV4   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY  
SOURCE: Philip K. Blevins
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

PREVENTION IS ONLY ANSWER TO DEADLY PINE TREE FUNGUS

The disease, formerly called white pine root disease, is caused by a fungus and is spread from infected to healthy trees by bark weevils.

Because the fungus grows in the wood under the bark, available fungicides are ineffective in controlling it. Control must be aimed at the weevils.

The disease already has caused heavy losses to some area growers. It is not confined to large plantings but can be found in forests and home landscape plantings.

There are several species of pine susceptible to procerum including eastern white pine, Scotch, Austrian, red Virginia and the southern yellow pines. The fungus has also been isolated from Douglas fir and Fraser fir.

Outlined are the symptoms of the disease and the current recommendations for control:

\ Symptoms

\ 1. Delayed budbreak and or reduced candle elongation.

\ 2. Resin soaking at tree base.

\ 3. Black crust at tree base.

\ 4. Tiny insect holes in bark below duff layer at tree base.

\ 5. Uniform discoloration of foliage, and in long-needle pines, wilting of needles.

\ Control:

\ 1. Wet stumps and 1 to 2 feet around the stumps of trees cut the previous fall with Mindane 20 EC, 0.5 pt. in 2.5 gallons water.

\ 2. Remove and burn infected trees.

\ 3. Spray the first 3 feet of healthy trees to run off and 1 to 2 feet around the base of the tree with the Lindane solution. Spray before mid-March or sooner, if the weather is warm, and again in December.

Follow all the label directions on the Lindane bottle. Once the trees get the disease they die, so prevention is a must.

\ Pleasure horses are certainly popular in the New River Valley. Many people have one or two, which they ride occasionally, but never really work the horse very hard. These same people often lack the land resources to produce the feed needed for their horses, so they have to buy it. If you fit this category consider the following.

Obviously, every horse shouldn't be fed the same. Young growing horses, horses in training and hard-working horses, for example, have higher nutrient requirements than the mature horse you ride a few times a year. In a lot of cases the latter probably is overfed. Most of these horses when idle could be well-fed on a daily ration of one to two pounds per 100 pounds of body weight of a high-quality grass legume hay such as timothy/clover or orchardgrass/clover hay. Depending on how often you ride them, they may make it year round on the hay alone if vitamin and mineral needs are met. Pay attention to your horse. If he loses too much condition or tires too easily but is otherwise healthy, supplemental grain may be needed. Determine your horse's needs and feed accordingly.

If you do have to buy hay, buy high-quality grass/legume hay (it doesn't have to be alfalfa), avoid fescue especially with brood mares, buy locally if possible, have a forage analysis to determine nutritive value and pay no more than fair market value. We have hay supply information available, so give us a call.