April 10, 2016

Grower Survey: Spotted Wing Drosophila Management

Spotted Wing Drosophila

Spotted Wing Drosophila
Photo: Matt Bertone

Deadline: May 1, 2016

Survey Purpose: To measure the effects of spotted wing drosophila (SWD) on fruit crop production. Results will be used to develop national research and extension projects to minimize future impacts of SWD.

Survey website: https://survey.ncsu.edu/swd/

Growers of blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, and cherry who make pest management decisions are invited to participate in this multi-state survey as part a grant funded effort led by NC State University’s Dr. Hannah Burrack to develop better ways to manage SWD.

Collaborators include Michigan State, Oregon State, Cornell and Rutgers universities, as well as the universities of Maine; Notre Dame; Georgia; California, Davis; and California, Berkeley; and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.

The survey may be completed online or printed and returned by fax or mail. Grower participation is vital and appreciated.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Fruit
August 18, 2015

Beating the Bugs in the Bogs:
Insect Resistance in Different Cranberry Varieties

Insects are a major problem in cranberry production – they are estimated to reduce yield by 1-2% and without spraying, cranberry false blossom, a phytoplasma vectored by blunt-nosed leafhopper, would eliminate commercial cranberry production completely. Spraying chemical pesticides is the most common practice to combat pathogens and herbivorous insects, but beneficial insects, such as honeybees, important pollinators of cranberry, and natural enemies, such as predators and parasitoids, could be affected as well. Therefore, at the P.E. Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research and Extension, we study the defensive mechanisms that cranberry plants themselves use against insect feeding. The research project of Dr. Elvira de Lange, a postdoc at the P.E. Marucci Center, focuses on four of the most problematic insects on cranberry in New Jersey: Sparganothis fruitworm, spotted fireworm, gypsy moth and the above-mentioned blunt-nosed leafhopper.

  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cranberry, Fruit
August 2, 2015

American Cranberry Growers Association 2015 Summer Field Day

The American Cranberry Growers Association 2015 Summer Field Day will be held on Thursday August 20, 2015 at the P.E. Marucci Center for Blueberry & Cranberry Research & Extension, Chatsworth, NJ

AGENDA

CRANBERRY BOGS
8:30–8:45 Opening Remarks
Shawn Cutts, President, American Cranberry Growers Association

8:45-9:05 Virus Observations in the Field-Symptoms and Detection (Bog 8)
James Polashock, Research Plant Pathologist, USDA-ARS

9:05–10:25 Update on Disease Management (Bog 10)
Peter Oudemans, Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, Rutgers University

9:25–9:45 Next Generation Cranberry Hybrids: the 3rd Breeding and Selection Cycle (Bog 10)
Nicholi Vorsa, P.E. Marucci Center for Blueberry & Cranberry Research & Extension, Rutgers University, Chatsworth, NJ

9:45-10:05 Evaluation of Our “Top Ten” Fruit Rot Resistant Selections (Bog 11)
Jennifer Johnson-Cicalese, P.E. Marucci Center for Blueberry & Cranberry Research & Extension, Rutgers University, Chatsworth, NJ

10:05–10:25 Update on Insect Management (Bog 19)
Cesar Rodriguez-Saona, Department of Entomology, Rutgers University; Vera Kyryczenko-Roth, P.E. Marucci Center; and Robert Holdcraft, P.E. Marucci Center

10:25-10:45 Assessing Insect Resistance in Cranberries (Bog 20)
Elvira de Lange, Department of Entomology, Rutgers University

CONFERENCE ROOM
11:00–11:15 Cranberry Statistics
Bruce A Eklund, State Statistician, U.S. Department of Agriculture | National Agricultural Statistics Service

11:15–11:30 Cranberry Museum
Ted Gordon, Pine Barrens Botanist, Historian

11:30–12:00 Show and Tell
Cranberry growers

12:00–1:00 LUNCH (Pole Barn)

1:00–1:30 Farm Safety
Ray Samulis, Cooperative Extension Agent, Burlington County Extension, Rutgers University

Filed Under: Cranberry, Fruit
July 15, 2015

Cranberry Toad Bug: Life Cycle & Management

Recently the cranberry toad bug, Phylloscelis atra (Figure 1), has become a problematic pest of cranberries in New Jersey. Toad bugs are hemipteran insects, similar to blunt-nosed leafhoppers, but belong to the Family Dictyopharidae (planthoppers) as opposed to leafhoppers, which belong to the family Cicadellidae.

Fig 1. Cranberry Toad Bug

Fig 1. Cranberry Toad Bug

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Cranberry
July 2, 2015

Cranberry: Post-bloom Insect Pest Control Recommendations

As we approach the end of bloom, growers should consider the need for any post-bloom applications.  The main pest targets for these applications are mainly Sparganothis fruitworm and spotted fireworm. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cranberry
June 22, 2015

Cranberry Insect Control Update

Cranberry beds are in full bloom. If insects have been effectively managed prior to bloom, we recommend no sprays at this time. A reminder: when bees are present, your only choices of insecticides are insect growth regulators (IGRs) such as Intrepid 2F or Bt products such as DiPel.

During bloom we recommend monitoring insect populations using pheromone traps. Pheromone traps should be used particularly to monitor activity of Sparganothis fruitworm and blackheaded fireworm, two key pests in New Jersey.

Sparganothis Larvae

Sparganothis Larvae

Sparganothis Adult

Sparganothis Adult

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Cranberry, Fruit