Fruit Crops Edition - Cranberry 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.

May 13, 2015

Insect Pests to Look for in Cranberry Bogs

The following insect pests bear special mention for early-season scouting in cranberry bogs.
Click images to enlarge.

Blackheaded Fireworm

Blackheaded fireworm eggs overwinter on the bed and usually hatch by around mid-May. It is important to catch the first generation, if possible, because the second generation occurs during bloom and is typically much more destructive. Blackheaded fireworm larvae can be detected by sweep net sampling and it is good idea to look along the edges of bed where vines first begin to grow.

Blackheaded fireworm Larva

Blackheaded fireworm Larva Photo:D.Schiffhauer

Blackheaded fireworm Adult

Blackheaded fireworm Adult Photo:D.Schiffhauer

 

Blackheaded fireworm is much easier to control if detected during the early part of the season.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Cranberry
May 5, 2015

Cranberry IPM: Sparganothis Fruitworm Degree-Day Benchmarks Provide Key Treatment Timings

Degree-day benchmarks indicate discrete biological events in the development of insect pests. For the Sparganothis fruitworm, recent studies conducted by Dr. Shawn Steffan (USDA-ARS/University of Wisconsin-Madison), Annie Deutsch (University of Wisconsin-Madison), and Cesar Rodriguez-Saona (Rutgers University) have isolated the key development events and linked them to degree-day (DD) accumulations. These degree-day accumulations can improve treatment timings for cranberry IPM programs in spring and summer.

Sparganothis adult

Sparganothis adult

Sparganothis larva

Sparganothis larva

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Cranberry
April 10, 2015

2015 NJ Commercial Pest Control Recommendations

Updated for 2015, the commercial blueberry and cranberry pest control recommendations for NJ are available for download from Rutgers NJAES.

Commercial Blueberry Pest Control Recommendations for New Jersey, 2015
Oudemans, P.
Majek, B.
Pavlis, G.
Polk, D.
Rodriguez-Saona, C.
Ward, D.

Commercial Cranberry Pest Control Recommendations for New Jersey, 2015
Oudemans, P.
Majek, B.
Rodriguez-Saona, C.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry
February 26, 2015

Plastic Pesticide Container Recycling Dates

The NJ Dept. of Ag, Helena Chemical, Allied Recycling, and the Cumberland County Solid Waste Complex are offering dates for free plastic pesticide container recycling disposal. These are offered to agricultural, professional and commercial applicators holding a NJDEP Pesticide Applicators License. State, county and municipal government agencies may also participate.

Dates and locations are listed below.

Questions? Contact:
Roberta C. Lang
New Jersey Department of Agriculture
Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources
Phone: 609.292.2242
Fax: 609.633.7229
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Tree Fruit, Turf, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape
October 2, 2014

Bug Damaging Cranberries Identified: Plagiognathus repetitus

This year we observed damage to cranberries likely caused by an unknown “mirid” bug (Hemiptera: Miridae). These insects are known as true bugs and have piercing-sucking mouthparts to suck juices out the plants. The species has now been identified by Dr. Thomas Henry, from USDA-ARS-Systematic Entomology Laboratory in Beltsville, MD, as Plagiognathus repetitus (Hemiptera: Miridae).

Adult Plagiognathus repetitus (Hemiptera: Miridae)

Adult Plagiognathus repetitus
(Hemiptera: Miridae)

The insect seems to damage young leaf and flower buds. We observed deformed leaves and flowers in June. This damage appears to cause serious reduction in yield. The damage was likely caused by the nymphs in April-May, as adults were seen in June-July.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Cranberry
September 9, 2014

Volunteers Needed for Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Count

Scientists at the USDA are conducting a second year of the “Great Stink Bug Count” and are looking for volunteers from NJ! They are trying to identify characteristics of houses that brown marmorated stink bugs look for when finding overwintering sites. Last year’s count had over 200 volunteers with 44 individuals who counted every day.

BMSB OW

The basics:

  1. Fill out the form
  2. Count the BMSB on the exterior of your home each day
  3. Enter in your count data

Consider participating in the 2014 Great Stink Bug Count!

September 15 – October 15, 2014

You can download particpant forms here: http://www.stopbmsb.org/2014-count

Results from 2013 are the first to document factors that may be important in where bugs chose to overwinter. Last year’s results suggest that landscape factors, specifically agriculture and woodland habitats, may have the greatest influence on the number of BMSB overwintering on a house.

This data will go a long way to helping us figure out important steps to managing BMSB. They are looking for citizen scientists to help out! Please fill out the attached form and send it in if you are interested!

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape