Frosty night threatens early-budding fruit crops [Associate Press 3/27/2012] – “This is absolutely the earliest we’ve seen,” Cornell University horticulture professor Susan Brown (right) said of the combination of freezing weather and plants that have come alive early. Most threatened overnight are apricots, which are already in full bloom. “They’re going to be toast,” she said.
Cold Snap Threatens N.Y. Apples Tonight After Record Warmth [Bloomberg News 3/26/2012] – “The apple industry is holding their breath,” David Wolfe, a plant and soil scientist at Cornell University in Ithaca, said in an e-mail. “They’re expecting some damage tonight. The question is how much.”
Berry growers cautioned about new insect pest [Cornell Chronicle 3/27/2012] – An Asian native, Drosophila suzukii first appeared in California in 2008 and subsequently became established in the Southeast. Hurricane Irene is credited with helping it expand northward last year to the Hudson Valley, Finger Lakes and Long Island.