Rutgers Cooperative Extension
Seasonal updates on diseases, insects, weeds impacting tree fruit and small fruit (blueberry, cranberry, and wine grape). Fruit Pest Alerts are also available via this category feed.
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The following message was shared by Shavonne Person, Community Outreach & Resource Planning Specialist (CORPS), and Steven Risko, Assistant District Director, U.S. Department of Labor – Wage & Hour Division, Southern New Jersey District Office in Lawrenceville:
“The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division enforces some of our nation’s most comprehensive labor laws for agricultural workers, [Read more…]
Peach:
Stink Bugs Apples and Peaches: BMSB populations are generally low and little changed since last week. However, hatching egg masses are present statewide. Therefore populations can increase in the near future. As the peach season comes to a close, BMSB has the potential to be more of a problem in apples. [Read more…]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that additional specialty crops, including nursery crops and cut flowers, are covered by the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) and that the deadline to apply for the program is extended to September 11th. [Read more…]
Continuing a 50-year tradition, Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, brought to you by their College of Agricultural Sciences, is a one-stop shop this week, August 9-12, 2020, for the latest research, management practices, and regulations in agriculture.
This year, Penn State Extension educators and faculty have come together to provide a FREE virtual learning program filled with the latest in Ag research and best practices. This event is being offered at no charge to participants, but registration is required to receive the link to access a webinar. Even if you missed a day or a session, all registrants will receive access to the webinar recordings.
Online registrants can choose from more than 46 live webinars and get questions answered by the experts. Just check out the the live webinar schedule and register online. [Read more…]
On Thursday, August 20th at 7pm, a free webinar entitled “Farmland Assessment on Woodlands: Multiple Benefit Activities” will be presented as part of the “Backyard Forestry in 90 Minutes” online program. The presenter, Andrew Kimm, is the President of New Jersey Forestry Association (NJFA). This session discusses the implementation of Farmland Assessment on woodlands and the many benefits derived from the active devotion practiced on those lands. [Read more…]
Grapes:
Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD): The spotted wing drosophila is an invasive fruit fly which can infest sound ripe thin-skinned fruit. The SWD female has a saw-like ovipositor which she uses to literally saw through healthy skin and deposit her eggs, which develop into small maggots. At this time of year each generation takes slightly over 1 week to complete. Each female can lay about 300 eggs over her lifetime, and given the time of year it is, we will probably see 3-5 more generations by the time grapes are harvested. Over the past several years we have monitored SWD in vineyards during August through September. A well-known link exists between high populations of native fruit flies and the prevalence of late season sour rot in grapes. What we don’t know is how the prevalence of SWD might be able to aggravate or help increase the late season populations of native fruit flies, or if the total fruit fly complex (native and invasives) is higher because of the presence of SWD. [Read more…]
