Fruit Crops Edition

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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June 23, 2020

Recorded Webinar Posted – COVID-19 Guidance for Ag Workers/Employers

Cover 5-20-2020 NJ DOH Interim Guidance for Migrant-Seasonal Farmworkers
The webinar for Ag Employers regarding Understanding & Implementing NJ’s COVID-19 Guidance For Migrant & Seasonal Farmworkers, Employers & Housing Providers* held on Tue June 16, 2020 has been posted on the Rutgers NJAES On-Farm Food Safety team’s YouTube page.
 
All NJ agricultural employers are invited to learn directly from NJ Departments of Health, Labor and Agriculture who discussed expectations for implementation of the “NJ COVID-19 Guidance for Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers, Their Employers & Housing Providers” document in a Webex webinar hosted by Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
The agenda included introductory remarks by Secretary of Agriculture Doug Fisher, followed by a detailed overview of the guidance document by Amanda Medina-Forrester, Executive Director of the Office of Minority & Multicultural Health, and Siobhan Pappas, Coordinator of the Childhood Lead Program of the NJ Dept. of Health; Christine Blumauer, Policy Advisor in the Office of the Commissioner of the NJ Dept. of Labor & Workforce Development; along with comments from Michelle Blanchfield, MPH, Zufall Health, and Bridget Hogan, Ocean Health Initiatives representing  Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) charged with assisting farmers with testing and education of farmworkers. Pete Furey and Ben Cassella of NJ Farm Bureau provided follow-up comments after a few questions were discussed.
  • There have been no changes to the document since it was published, but one major point of discussion that you will hear in the recording was a comment made by a presenter that temperature monitoring should use a 99oF threshold instead of the 100.4oF threshold that was published in the guideline. Monique Purcell, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, who had worked closely with the NJDOH and NJDOL reps in development of the guidance document received clarification from them the next day that confirmed that the threshold remains 100.4oF.
  • The other point addressed by several speakers was the need to work with and invite the FQHCs to your farm. They are charged with helping to educate your farm workers to understand this disease, how it spreads, and how to protect themselves (the importance of physical distancing and wearing face masks), as well as to provide testing for all employees on your farm, including the owner and family members working on the farm, free of charge.

*The NJDOH partnered with the NJDA and the NJDOL to create this guidance for agricultural employers focusing on precautions to help protect farm employees from COVID-19 on New Jersey farms and in farm labor housing. This webinar reviews these guidelines.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
June 23, 2020

Wine Grape Downy Mildew Update

By Peter Oudemans

June 4-6 and June 12 showed some significant downy mildew infection periods and we are now beginning to see the effects.  Since berries are susceptible until about a month after capfall this is something we need to be concerned about.  The question is how to handle this now?

Rules: 

  • Hitting the target: Make sure the sprayer is set up to hit the target.
  • Longevity:  Fungicides work best if they can dry after application.  Rainfall before drying will wash them off
  • Resistance:  Downy Mildew is a high risk pathogen and fungicides must be rotated

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Fruit, Wine Grape Tagged With: ,
June 18, 2020

Sparganothis Fruitworm Degree-Day Update: as of June 18, 2020

Based on our degree-day (DD) model for Sparganothis fruitworm, flight initiation and first eggs laid events are expected at around 596 and 681 DD, respectively (see chart). As of June 18, Sparganothis has accumulated 661 DD (using April 15 as biofix; a biofix more realistic to New Jersey practices). Based on the April 15 biofix, flight has been initiated and eggs should start to be laid soon. However, we do not expect peak flight and those eggs to start hatching until the end of next week. Larval injury to fruit usually begins after the eggs hatch. If treatment is required (based on pheromone trap counts), sprays should be done 10-14 days after peak moth captures, ca. 7-11 July. If Sparganothis pressure has been high, it may be advisable to treat 3 weeks after the moth flight began (i.e., around 1-4 July) and again 10 days later. When bees are present your option is to use an insect growth regulator such as Confirm or Intrepid. Our “standard” recommendation has been, however, to wait until bees are removed to apply an insecticide. Your post-bloom options include Diazinon, Altacor, Delegate, Exirel, or Intrepid. Timing of insecticide application is critical; so, if needed, do not wait too long to manage this pest. I will continue to provide weekly updates to see if these estimated dates change as the season progresses.

Sparganothis fruitworm degree-day model

Sparganothis fruitworm degree-day model

Filed Under: Cranberry, Fruit
June 18, 2020

2020 Cranberry Growers Twilight Meeting

Topic: 2020 Cranberry Growers Twilight Meeting
Host: Cesar Rodriguez-Saona <CRodriguez@RCE.Rutgers.edu>
Webex Host: Patricia D. Hastings
Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Time: 5:45 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00)
Session number: Not Available
Registration password: Please obtain your session password from your host.

Agenda

5:45-6:00 PM Verification ID for registrants getting pesticide credits

6:00-6:20 PM “2020 Weed Management Updates for New Jersey Cranberries”
Dr. Thierry Besancon, Assistant Extension Specialist, Weed Science

6:20-6:35 PM “Cranberry Hybrids: their Nutrition and Crop Potential”
Dr. Nicholi Vorsa, Professor and Director, Rutgers P.E, Marucci Center
Dr. Jennifer Johnson-Cicalese, Research Associate

6:35-6:55 PM “Scouting and Managing Summer Diseases in Cranberry”
Dr. Peter Oudemans, Professor Blueberry/Cranberry Pathology

6:55-7:10 PM “Non-fungal Diseases of Cranberry”
Dr. James Polashock, Research Plant Pathologist, USDA-ARS

7:10-7:30 PM “2020 Cranberry Insect Pest Management – An Update”
Dr. Cesar Rodriguez-Saona, Extension Specialist, Entomology

7:30-8:00 PM “2020 Revisions to the New Jersey Pesticide Regulations”
Patricia Hastings, Pesticide Safety Education Program Coordinator, Rutgers NJAES

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To register for this session
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Go to https://rutgers.webex.com/rutgers/k2/j.php?MTID=t30838a4d3eac637397cb4b8b935d6418 and register.

Once the host approves your registration, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the session.

Note: If you have already registered for this session, you do not need to register again.

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For assistance
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You can contact Patricia D. Hastings at:
hastings@njaes.rutgers.edu
1-848-932-0176

https://www.webex.com

Filed Under: Cranberry, Fruit
June 16, 2020

Fruit IPM for 6/17/20

Peach:

Oriental Fruit Moth: We are between generations 1 and 2, with the first insecticide applications due in southern counties by the end of the week, and in northern counties by the end of the following week. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blueberry, Fruit, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape
June 16, 2020

USDA Good Agricultural Practices, Harmonized and Harmonized Plus Audits

Wes Kline reports the New Jersey Department of Agriculture is now scheduling audits.

  • There had been an extension for audits before May 31, but there will be no additional extensions.
  • If you had an audit last year and need to schedule a renewal, or if you need a new audit, now is the time to make an appointment.
  • Anyone wanting an audit should have gone through food safety training which is held each year December through March.  The auditor will want to see that you have had some type of training.
  • To schedule the audit, email Chris Kleinguenther at christian.kleinguenther@ag.state.nj.us.
Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , , ,