C-FAR Connection - Summer 2009

              IN THIS ISSUE:
Disease-Resistant Apple Varieties ..............................................1
Wagenecht: The Value of Volunteer Leadership ....................2
Research Focus Areas ..................................................................4
C-FAR Funding Leveraged ..........................................................5
Bioenergy Study for Southern Illinois ......................................6
Get to Know a C-FAR Leader ..................................................7
Websites to Watch .......................................................................7
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research • Vol. 11, No. 2, Summer 2009
Apple is the most important fruit crop grown in Illinois. The U.S. Apple
Association estimates Illinois apple production in 2008 at 52 million pounds
(1.24 million bushels) with a value to growers of about $15 million (USDA;
based on 2007 prices). About 80% of apples produced in Illinois are con-sumed
fresh, with the remainder processed into cider, sauce, pies, and apple
butter.
Apple production requires intensive agricultural practices, including the
control of fungal and bacterial diseases, insects, mites, and weeds. C-FAR-funded
researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are
developing a low-input production system for the Illinois apple industry that
minimizes pesticide use. This production system is coupled with economic
and marketing strategies for increasing profi t and diversifying income. Because
production costs, ground water contamination, and chemical residue in food
products are important issues in Illinois agriculture, developing and implementing a low-input apple production system
would reduce input of pesticides and revitalize the apple industry by promoting its growth and diversity. The development
of diversifi ed apple varieties is also important in meeting the needs of consumers.
Apple scab, one of the most serious apple diseases, is of major concern and economic importance in Illinois. If not
controlled, this disease can cause extensive losses (70 percent or greater). “Apple scab is the number one disease that
growers have to spray for, 15 to 20 times per season,” said Schuyler Korban, a University of Illinois plant geneticist and
principal investigator of the C-FAR initiative. “Not having to spray for apple scab would lower grower costs and protect
the environment,” said Korban.
C-FAR
CONNECTION
DISEASE-RESISTANT APPLE VARIETIES BENEFIT ILLINOIS
PRODUCERS AND CONSUMERS
A newly developed apple named WineCrisp
shows a resistance to apple scab disease.