The American Cranberry Growers Association 2014 Summer Field Day will be held on Friday August 22, 2014 at the P.E. Marucci Center for Blueberry & Cranberry Research & Extension in Chatsworth, NJ.
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Meeting Agenda

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Sparganothis fruitworm and spotted fireworm are important pests of cranberries; therefore, plant resistance against these insects is a major topic of study.

Both insects feed on cranberry uprights and developing fruit during the summer. Dr. Elvira de Lange, a postdoc at the Blueberry and Cranberry Research Center, is especially interested in the resistance factors against these insects that are naturally present in cranberry fruits.
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Last year we observed damage in cranberry bogs by the cranberry toad bug, Phylloscelis atra, in New Jersey. Although we had seen toad bugs in cranberry bogs in the past we had never seen them causing damage to the vines and fruit. Toad bugs are hemipteran insects, similar to blunt-nosed leafhoppers, but belong to the Family Fulgoridae (planthoppers) as opposed to leafhoppers, which belong to the family Cicadellidae.

Life Cycle

Toad bugs feed only on cranberries. This insect has a single generation per year. It overwinters as eggs. The nymphs appear by the end of June through August, and the adults from August through October. Eggs are laid from September through October.

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If your beds have damage caused by root-feeding insects, you should consider treatment with Imidacloprid (e.g. Admire Pro, Alias 4F, Alias 2F) immediately after bees are removed.  Occurrence of root-feeding insects will manifest by the presence of dead patches.  Pull dead vines and search through the root zone and soil for grubs and worms.  Admire Pro (imidacloprid) is labeled for the control of cranberry rootworm, white grubs (Phyllophaga spp.), and other scarabs in cranberries. [Read more…]

Blunt-nosed leafhopper is an important concern for cranberry, not because the insect causes that much feeding damage, but because it can transmit cranberry false blossom disease. False blossom is characterized by a malformation of the flowers. The flower pedicels become erect and there is no production of fruit, with devastating effects for cranberry yield. Blunt-nosed leafhopper nymphs start to occur in the bogs by the end of May, and adults reach their peak numbers in July. Relatively little is known about the way the insects transmit false blossom disease, and at the Cranberry & Blueberry Research Center, we soon hope to change that. [Read more…]

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 Sparganothis fruitworm and spotted fireworm.

Sparganothis fruitworm (SPARG) – If your farm has high pheromone trap counts, you should consider managing this pest as soon as bees are removed. The timing for this 1st post-pollination spray is at 2 weeks after peak pheromone trap catches, which usually coincides with the second week in July. [Read more…]