Mayhaws are about as East Texas as I can imagine. It’s a native fruit that produces a wonderful jelly that our friends in the rest of the state just simply do not know about. I’m such a fan of the jelly that I’ve been known to hide the delicious jelly in a back corner of the refrigerator.

The other week, a gentleman that lives off Crippen Road in Huntington was asking what the disease was on his Mayhaws that has left them barren for the past seven years. He too was planning on enjoying the fruit of this tree but they had been afflicted with a disease.

They have a common fungal problem of Mayhaws called “rust”. To be more specific there are two kinds of rust: Quince rust and Cedar Apple rust. Twigs, fruits, leaves and even the thorns of Mayhaws can be infected with this fungal rust. Fungal infection causes the tissue to swell and grow abnormally large.

As the infected site swells the diseased leaves curl and die. Infected fruit appear covered with white, tube-like projections about 2–3 millimeters long. Each white tube splits open lengthwise, revealing orange spores on the fruit surface. Infected tissue typically dies after spore production, resulting in twig dieback.

Rust fungi are fundamentally parasites, and they can only survive on a living plant. The quince rust fungus has a very complicated life cycle and needs to spend part of its life on a juniper or red cedar and part of its life on a plant in the rose family to complete its life cycle.

Some other plants in the rose family (Rosaceae) that are also infected include apples, chokeberry, Mountain ash, Pear, Quince, Serviceberry and, even the landscape favorite, Red Tip Photinia.

During wet or humid weather in midsummer to early fall, spores are released from mayhaws and other susceptible plants in the rose family and are carried by the wind to juniper leaves and green twigs, which may then become infected. In spring of the following year, slightly swollen, spindle-shaped areas called galls form on quince rust-infected juniper twigs and become covered in orange, cushion-like masses of spores.

Galls caused by the cedar apple rust fungus are round with orange spore tendrils poking out of them. Spores produced on the juniper galls are blown to mayhaws and other susceptible hosts in the rose family, where infection may occur during favorable conditions. Galls on junipers are often perennial and produce spores annually for many years, until the branch dies.

Occasionally, the fungus will grow into a year-old branch of mayhaws or rosaceous hosts, and a canker (an area of dead tissue) may form. The fungus can overwinter in cankers and produce spores again the following spring. More typically, the infected tissue on the rosaceous host dies after the first year, resulting in twig dieback.

The potential for rust exists wherever junipers and mayhaws grow near each other. Removing junipers from the area immediately surrounding a mayhaw planting can help reduce disease development.

However, the spores of the fungus can travel many miles on air currents, so attempting to remove the juniper host from the environment is not always a reasonable management strategy.

Unfortunately, there are no rust-proof mayhaws. For growers who wish to protect their mayhaw crop, the best fungicides contain the active ingredient myclobutanil.

I’ve known folks to cut down every juniper on their property to reduce the opportunity for the fungus to complete its cycle, but I wonder at the effectiveness as they can be carried on wind for a great distance. A much more judicious approach that would certainly save junipers would be to prune out any infected limbs or to apply the proper fungicides to protect the junipers.

I suppose enough the mayhaw fruit will develop for East Texans to enjoy. But if you are frustrated with poor production, try some the fungicide listed above. And be sure to give me a holler if you ever have more than enough mayhaw jelly.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals, East Texas Chapter (AFP ETX) will present Paul Vitale during the chapter meeting set for Tuesday, July 2, 2019 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Tyler’s Hollytree Country Club. The event is open to the public, and tickets are $10 for AFP members and $30 for non-members.

“We are so excited to bring Mr. Vitale to East Texas, and I want to encourage the community to take advantage of this opportunity to see one of America’s most sought-out speakers right here at home, at such a reasonable cost,” says AFP ETX Chapter President, Mrs. Whitney Patterson. “You are sure to leave feeling a renewed sense of confidence and focus, no matter what type of work you do.”

In his program titled, “It’s Your Life – Dominate it,” Mr. Vitale will utilize an exciting, multimedia presentation to encourage audience members to maximize their own potential by implementing specific, proven techniques, with emphasis on the following points:

· Choose Challenge Over Comfort

· Exemplify Confidence Not Arrogance

· Undoubtedly Be Yourself

· Dwell on What You Have, Not on What You Don’t

· Promote Hope Over Hatred

Well known for his enthusiasm and magnetic personality, Mr. Vitale, president of Matt Birk and Company, LLC, travels worldwide speaking to organizations about the importance of a positive attitude, a strong work ethic, and other vital concepts. His audiences benefit from the many seeds of heroism he has encountered during his travels and experiences with people from the corporate boardroom, to the classroom, and everywhere in between. During his high-energy presentation, Vitale will present ideas to captivate and inspire participants to thrive and excel in this constantly changing world.

Tickets may be purchased through Eventbrite, and more information may be found at https://community.afpnet.org/afptxeastchapter/home.

AFP ETX is committed to supporting development professionals throughout the greater East Texas area. Today, its membership includes nearly 80 active AFP members who serve as development directors, fundraising consultants, grant writers, volunteer fundraisers, nonprofit executives, and other individuals dedicated to fundraising and philanthropy. The chapter consists of professionals from all over East Texas, including Smith, Gregg, Henderson, Rains, Van Zandt, Upshur, Rusk, Nacogdoches, Anderson and Cherokee Counties.

Angelina County Youth Leadership Council members completed their community service project this past weekend. Members include Alex Sanchez, Diboll High School graduate; Riley Latham, Lufkin High School graduate; and Lauren Oliver, Angelina College student. The Youth Leadership Council (YLC) is a youth coalition with the statewide organization, Texans Standing Tall, that are passionate about reducing underage drug use including alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Angelina County YLC members chose to host Diboll Smoke-Free Day in Old Orchard Park in order to start the conversation about the benefits of smoke-free parks and the harms that come with tobacco use and second-hand smoke. Throughout the event, there were fun games and prizes for kids to show them the fun that can be had without the need for tobacco products. Thank you to the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council, Workforce Center, and Angelina County Heart Alliance for participating in the event. Thank you to members of the community for coming out to the event and supporting the students’ initiative to make our community a healthier place.

Since 1988, The Coalition has focused on eliminating the use of harmful substances by affecting public policy, laws, attitudes and behaviors, all in an effort to foster healthy life-long choices for the local community. For more information about Youth Leadership Council contact Abby Baker at The Coalition at 936-634-9308.

“Power in Community”, a conference on Medicare and health issues is scheduled for Tuesday, July 9, 2019 at the Pitser Garrison Convention Center in Lufkin. The program starts at 9 a.m., a lunch will be provided and there is no charge for attending. The event will be hosted by the Area Agency on Aging and the Southeast & Deep East Texas Aging and Disability Resource Center.

There will be presentations on Medicare Basics, Medicare Preventative Services, help in paying for Medicare Costs and preventing Medicare fraud. There will also be presentations on nutrition and diabetes education. The program is designed for the aged and disabled and those interested in becoming volunteer benefits counselors.

Anyone wanting to register, or needing more information, may contact the Southeast & Deep East Texas Aging and Disability Resource Center at the Deep East Texas Council of Governments Office in Jasper at (409) 384-7614.