Fruit Crops Edition - Blueberry Section
Seasonal updates on diseases, insects, weeds impacting small fruit (blueberry, cranberry, and wine grape). Fruit Pest Alerts are also available via this category feed.
Subscription is through the general Fruit feed available via EMAIL and RSS.
July 29, 2024 Thierry Besancon
Autonomous straddling robot for vineyard – Public demo on August 2, 2024, in Landisville
June 16, 2024 Michelle Infante-Casella and Kate Brown
Beat the Heat: Water and Sports Drinks for Hydration
Article By: The Rutgers Farm Health and Safety Working Group: Kate Brown, Michelle Infante-Casella, Stephen Komar and William Bamka
When it comes to hydration, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends an adequate daily fluid intake of about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men and about 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women. Even with this guidance, the amount varies from person to person. Also, when temperatures are hotter and when workloads increase so should drinking water, to prevent dehydration and to help maintain the proper body temperature especially when sweating.
Regular intake of water throughout the day and during the evening, at recommended amounts may help prevent a person from becoming excessively thirsty and also prevent dehydration. The choice of drinking sports drinks that contain electrolytes may be considered when a person’s activities dramatically increase, when they excessively sweat, if they show signs of dehydration, and/or heat stress.
Most sports drinks are designed to replenish glucose, fluids, and electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium) lost during strenuous exercise or heavy workloads. Sports drinks may contain carbohydrates in the form of sugar, usually glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, or sucrose. Some contain no sugar and are “sweetened” instead with low-calorie sweeteners. The amounts of sugar and electrolytes in sports drinks are intended to allow for quick hydration and absorption.
It is important to note, persons with diabetes should be mindful of not intaking amounts of sports drinks that are high in sugar that could raise blood sugar to unhealthy levels. Additionally, persons with high blood pressure should be mindful when drinking sports drinks that are high in sodium – most are. Persons who eat a healthy diet should have enough glucose and electrolytes to maintain their health, even during extra activities and with proper water intake. Some studies show drinking too many sports drinks, especially when not performing vigorous exercise, can increase the risk of overweight/obesity and other health issues such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gout and the risk of dental cavities.
Water is the best choice to stay hydrated and it is the responsibility of each individual person to be sure they drink enough water to maintain their proper health.
May 23, 2024 Hemant Gohil
Grape and Wine Science Certificate Program
Grape and Wine Science Certificate Program will be offered July 22-Aug 16, 2024. This program will provide foundational knowledge in three major areas of grape and wine science – grape growing, wine making, and business operations – following the path of grapes from the field to the winery to the glass. Students will gain competency in all three areas to prepare them for positions in the industry. The program will feature 4 weeks of classroom instruction, complemented by hands-on workshops. Then students will complete a 4-week winery internship where they can put their new knowledge and skills into practice. [Read more…]
May 10, 2024 Hemant Gohil
South Jersey Tree Fruit Twilight Meeting – II
When: May 21 (Tuesday) @ 5 pm
Where: Nichols Orchards: 628 Royal Ave., Franklinville, NJ 08322
Pesticide credits: 1A (5), PP2 (5), and 10 (5) [Read more…]
NJ Depts of Agriculture & Environmental Protection Allow Controlled Open Burning to Protect Crops
(Trenton) [On April 20, w]ith the state expected to experience cooler spring temperatures, the Department of Environmental Protection has agreed with NJDA Secretary Ed Wengryn’s request to allow farmers to do controlled open burning or use specialized torches known as smudge pots to protect flowering crops from damage beginning today, April 20, through Saturday, April 27.
Temperatures are expected to drop to the 30s or below tonight with varying winds through portions of the state. These expected temperatures follow warm temperatures in recent days. Damage from freezing weather now can significantly reduce yields of certain fruits and vegetables that are in the flowering stage.
The DEP and Department of Agriculture are allowing these steps to protect farmers’ livelihoods and to ensure that consumers will be able to enjoy an ample supply of Jersey produce later this year.
The DEP intends to exercise its authority and discretion under the Air Pollution Control Code, N.J.A.C. 7:27, et seq., and other applicable authorities to permit the following procedure for open burning or the use of smudge pots to assist farmers to protect their crops in low temperatures.
Farmers who believe they will need to conduct open burns and/or use smudge pots must provide notice to the DEP’s 24-hour Communications Center at 1-877- WARNDEP (1-877-927-6337).
Notification to DEP does not require the implementation of either technique but ensures proper procedures are followed should they become necessary.
If a farmer does not call DEP in advance but uses either technique, the farmer must notify DEP by 9 a.m. the following day. The farmer will be asked which technique was used.
Farmers must record the incident number provided to them by the Communications Center. The following information is to be provided:
- Name of the individual making the decision to conduct the open burning/use of smudge pots and name of the farm.
- Actual street address of the farm on which either technique will be used (no P.O. Boxes).
- Telephone number of a contact at the farm.
- Predicted temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) at the agricultural operation when the technique will be used.
- Wind speed anticipated when the technique will be used.
- Predicted hours of open burning and/or use of smudge pots.
- Materials expected to be burned.
- At the time of the initial call to the Communications Center, farmers will be given an email address and incident number.
Within two days, they must submit to DEP via this email address the following information:
- The DEP Communications Center incident number.
- Ambient temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) at the time the technique was used.
- Actual wind speed at the orchard at the time the technique was used.
- A statement verifying that all restrictions in the open burning or use of smudge pots were followed.
- The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and New Jersey Forest Fire Service caution all farmers and agriculture businesses with respect to the use of open burning in high wind velocity conditions. Please take note that farmers are encouraged to utilize smudge pots for warming as necessary during higher wind conditions. Use of open burning when wind velocity is greater than 5 mph is strictly prohibited, may contribute to wildfire risk, and can carry significant penalties.
- Smudge pots must be fueled only with either kerosene or No. 2 fuel oil.
- Open burning can consist only of either the following materials: clean and untreated scrap lumber, felled trees, clippings pruned from trees and shrubs, hedgerows, or firewood. Absolutely no refuse, trade waste, tires or garbage of any type may be added to the authorized open burning material.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and New Jersey Forest Fire Service caution all farmers and agriculture businesses with respect to the use of open burning in high wind velocity conditions. Please take note that farmers are encouraged to utilize smudge pots for warming as necessary during higher wind conditions. Use of open burning when wind velocity is greater than 5 mph is strictly prohibited, may contribute to wildfire risk, and can carry significant penalties.
###
To learn more about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NJDeptofAgriculture and www.facebook.com/JerseyFreshOfficial or Twitter @NJDA1 and @JerseyFreshNJDA.
April 23, 2024 Hemant Gohil and Megan Muehlbauer
Statewide Wine Grape Twilight Meeting.
Sponsored by the New Jersey Center for Research and Education, the program’s highlight is the demonstration of the new in-row weeding machine from TILMOR by Allonardo Enterprises. There will also be a demonstration talk on Groundhog management and other wildlife management in the vineyard. The program details are below. The sequence of presentations may change depending on the set-up at the winery. [Read more…]
