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.
 
Subscriptions are available via EMAIL and RSS.

February 14, 2020

North Jersey Commercial Vegetable & Fruit Growers Meetings

NORTH JERSEY COMMERCIAL

VEGETABLE GROWERS MEETING

February 26, 2020

8:30 am – 3:30 pm

Hunterdon County Complex

314 State Rt. 12, Building #1

Flemington, NJ

 

Program

Program Chair:

Peter Nitzsche, Agriculture and Resource Management Agent

Cooperative Extension of Morris County

 

8:30 – Registration – Coffee and pastry compliments of industry sponsors

9:00 – Welcome and Introductions

9:10 – Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Issues and Update

Kris Holmstrom, Research Project Coordinator, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

9:40 – Update on Farm Service Programs

Doreen Beruck, County Executive Director, Hunterdon Somerset Farm Service Agency

9:50 – Jersey Fresh Marketing, WIC & Seniors FMNP Update

William Walker, Division of Markets, NJ Dept. of Agriculture

10:10 – Update on Labor Issues

Ben Casella, Field Representative, New Jersey Farm Bureau

10:30 – Enhancing Fall ‘Albion’ Strawberry Production With Holiday Light Strings

Ed Durner, Associate Research Professor, Rutgers Department of Plant Biology and Pathology

11:00 – What is New from Industry

11:10 – Growing Goldenberries

Ed Durner, Associate Research Professor, Rutgers Department of Plant Biology and Pathology

11:40 – New Options in Your Toolbox for Managing Weeds in New Jersey Vegetable Crops

Thierry Besançon, Specialist in Weed Science, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

12:10 – LUNCHEON ($20.00 pre-registration required)

1:10 – Update on Disease Control in Vegetables

Andy Wyenandt, Specialist in Vegetable Pathology, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

1:40 – Postharvest Sanitation and Sanitary Design

Meredith Melendez, County Agent, Cooperative Extension of Mercer County

2:10 – Pesticide Regulations and Policies Update

Patricia Hastings, Pesticide Safety Education Program Coordinator, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

3:00 – Update on Trials Evaluating Yacon as a Specialty Crop

Peter Nitzsche, County Agent, Cooperative Extension of Morris County

3:30 – Pesticide Recertification Credits and Adjourn

 

ANTICIPATED NJDEP PESTICIDE RECERTIFICATION CREDITS

CORE – 1 units, PP- 4 units, 1A – 4 units, 10 – 1 unit

 

 

NORTH JERSEY COMMERCIAL

FRUIT GROWERS MEETING

March 4, 2020

8:30 am – 3:30 pm

Hunterdon County Complex

314 State Rt. 12, Building #1

Flemington, NJ

 

Program

Program Chair:

Megan Muehlbauer, Agriculture and Resource Management Agent

Cooperative Extension of Hunterdon County

 

8:30 – Registration – Coffee and pastry compliments of industry sponsors

9:00 – Welcome and Introductions

9:20 – Updates on the Tree Fruit Soil Fertility Management in New Jersey

Megan Muehlbauer, County Agent, Cooperative Extension of Hunterdon County

9:50 – ‘Many Little Hammers’ Approach to Weed Management: Implications for Soil Quality and

Productivity Kate Brown, Graduate Student, Cornell University

10:20 – Apple Fruit Rots: Biology and Control

Norm Lalancette, Specialist in Tree Fruit Plant Pathology, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

11:00 – Plant Growth Regulator Update and Review

Win Cowgill, Win Enterprises International, Emeritus County Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

11:30 – Pollinator Stewardship in Orchards

Julianna Wilson, Tree Fruit IPM Outreach Specialist, Michigan State University

12:00 – LUNCHEON ($20.00 pre-registration required)

1:00 – What is New from Industry and the New Jersey State Horticulture Society

The New Jersey State Horticultural Society (NJSHS) is a group of fruit and vegetable farmers who come together to collaborate to improve production in the state of New Jersey. Our organization seeks to foster scientific research in our industry and improve the distribution of pertinent information to growers to further their success in growing. Please be sure to visit us at our table and receive a discount off of your 2020 membership when you register at the North Jersey Fruit Meeting!

1:20 – Update on Farm Service Programs

Doreen Beruck, County Executive Director, Hunterdon Somerset Farm Service Agency

1:30 – Jersey Fresh Marketing, WIC & Seniors FMNP Update

William Walker, Division of Markets, NJ Dept. of Agriculture

1:40 – New Jersey Peach Promotion Council Updates

Jerry Frecon, Adams County Nursery Consultant, Emeritus County Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

1:50 – Recommendation Updates for Tree Fruit Insect Management with Special Attention to Bee Safety

Dean Polk, State Wide Fruit IPM Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

2:20 – Pesticide Safety Updates

Patricia Hastings, Pesticide Safety Education Program Coordinator, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

2:50 – Integrating Management for Key Orchard Pests

Anne Nielsen, Extension Specialist in Tree Fruit Entomology, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

3:20 – Pesticide Recertification Credits and Adjourn

NJDEP PESTICIDE RECERTIFICATION CREDITS ARE ANTICIPATED

 

DIRECTIONS – Hunterdon County Complex (same location as Hunterdon County Library)

FROM THE EAST ‐ SOMERVILLE AREA:

Take Route 80 to Route 287 South. Take the exit for Route 202/206 South. Stay on Route 202 South, over the Somerville Circle, to Flemington. At the Flemington Circle, take the second right‐hand exit onto Route 12 West. Stay on Route 12 past 2 more circles. The Route 12 Complex is on the left, approximately 2 miles from the last circle. Turn left into complex, make the 1st right and go to 1st building on right (blue glass silo)

FROM THE NORTH (CLINTON‐ROUTE 78/22 AREA):

Follow Route 31 South toward Flemington. At the Flemington Circle, take the first exit onto Route 12 West. Stay on Route 12 past 2 more circles. The Route 12 Complex is on the left, approximately 2 miles from the last circle. Turn left into complex, make the 1st right and go to 1st building on right (blue glass silo)

FROM THE SOUTH ‐ TRENTON AREA:

Follow Route 31 North to the Flemington Circle. Go 3/4 of the way around the circle and get onto Route 12 West. Stay on Route 12 past 2 more circles. The Route 12 Complex is on the left, approximately 2 miles from the last circle. Turn left into complex, make the 1st right and go to 1st building on right (blue glass silo)

 

Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Cooperative Extension educational programs are offered to all without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, military service, veteran status, and any other category protected by law. Rutgers Cooperative Extension encourages individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you need special accommodations, have questions about physical access, or require alternate means for program information, please contact your local Extension Office. Contact the State Extension Director’s Office if you have concerns related to discrimination, 848-932-3584.

 

Registration form

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
February 10, 2020

2020 South Jersey Commercial Tree Fruit Grower Meeting

Date:                     March 5, 2020

Time:                    8:00 am – 3:00 pm

 Location:             RAREC – 121 Northville Road, Bridgeton, NJ 08302

 Pre-Registration: Required, Contact: Karen Holton (holton@njaes.rutgers.edu) or (856) 455-3100 x 4104

Cost / person:        $15.00 (Checks preferred, made out to Rutgers University) Lunch: Included

Pesticide Credits: Requested for – Core, PP2, 10, 1A, 3A and 3B

Program

8:00 am           Registration  Coffee and pastries

8:25 am           Welcome and Opening Remarks

                        Daniel Ward, Director, Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center

                        Hemant Gohil, Agriculture Agent, Rutgers Co-op. Extension, Gloucester County

8:30 am           Peach Bacterial Spot Management: Comparison of Copper Compounds and Rates

                        Norm Lalancette, Extension Specialist in Tree Fruit Pathology, Rutgers NJAES

9:15 am           Pollinator Stewardship in Orchards

                        Julianna Wilson, Academic Specialist, Tree Fruit Integrator, Michigan State University

10:00 am         Break – Coffee and pastries

10:15 am         Integrating Management for Key Orchard Pests

                         Anne Nielsen, Extension Specialist in Tree Fruit Entomology, Rutgers NJAES

10:45 am         Recommendation Updates for Tree Fruit Insect Management w/ Special Attention to Bee Safety.

                        Dean Polk, Statewide Fruit IPM Agent, Rutgers NJAES

11:15 am         Pesticide Regulatory and Safety Update for 2020

                        George Hamilton, Extension Specialist in Pest Management, Rutgers NJAES

11:45 am         Industry Updates and NJ Peach Promotion Council Updates

12 Noon          Lunch

1:00 pm           Updates on tree fruit soil fertility management in New Jersey

                         Megan Muehlbauer, Agriculture Agent, Rutgers Co-op. Extension, Hunterdon Co.

1:30 pm           Soil Health – A Panel Discussion

                         Daniel Ward, Extension Specialist, Pomology; Joseph Heckman, Extension Specialist, Soil Health; Thierry Besancon, Extension Specialist, Weed Science; Lewis DeEugenio, Fruit Grower, Summit City Farms; Robert Muth, Fruit and Vegetable Grower, Muth Family Farms; Megan Muehlbauer, Agriculture Agent.

2:30 pm           Updates on Peach and Nectarine Breeding Program

                          Joseph Goffreda, Tree Fruit Breeding, Rutgers University

3:00 pm           Open Session – Grower Questions and Discussion

Pesticide re-certification credits

Please contact Hemant Gohil (Program Organizer) at gohil@njaes.rutgers.edu or 856-224-8029 if you have any questions.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape Tagged With: ,
January 31, 2020

North Jersey Growers Meetings – Save the Date

North Jersey Commercial Vegetable Grower Meeting – Wednesday, February 26, 2020 8:30 am – 4:00 pm

North Jersey Commercial Fruit Grower Meeting – Wednesday, March 4, 2020 8:30 am – 4:00 pm

Hunterdon County Complex

314 State Route 12, Bldg #1

Flemington, NJ 08822

Detailed program and registration coming soon.

Contact Kim Crommelin (Rutgers Cooperative Extension – Hunterdon County) at 908-788-1338 or kfrey@co.hunterdon.nj.us

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
January 25, 2020

NJ Ag Convention & Trade Show, Feb 4, 5, 6 in Atlantic City

It’s not too late to register online or at the door for the 2020 NJ Agriculture Convention & Trade Show. If you haven’t already received a direct mailing from the Vegetable Growers Association of NJ with information about the event, find it on their website at njveggies.org under the convention tab. Membership in the VGA gives you access to 3 days of educational programming, or there is an optional daily pass. The educational program is a collaborative effort of the NJAES/RCE vegetable working group, the blueberry and small fruit working groups, and the new hemp working group. Input and support from NJDA and VGANJ allow us to bring internationally recognized speakers from both our Rutgers faculty and staff, and beyond NJ’s borders to share insights and research on current topics important to NJ agriculture. Thanks to all who have worked to put this program together. We hope to see you in AC.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops
January 6, 2020

American Cranberry Growers Association Winter Meeting

Date: Thursday, January 23, 2020
Location: Rutgers EcoComplex, Bordentown, NJ

Agenda

8:00-8:30 Registration and Coffee

8:30-8:50 Welcoming remarks– Shawn Cutts, President, ACGA
Treasurer’s report – Shawn Cutts

8:50-9:10 Cranberry statistics
Bruce Eklund, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Trenton, NJ

9:10-9:35 Traits we have found in cranberry
Nicholi Vorsa, Professor, Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers University; Jennifer Johnson-Cicalese, P.E. Marucci Center, Chatsworth, NJ; and James Polashock, Research Plant Pathologist, USDA-ARS

9:35-10:00 Progress towards managing fruit quality in 2020
Peter Oudemans, Professor, P.E. Marucci Center for Blueberry & Cranberry Research & Extension, Rutgers University, Chatsworth, NJ

10:00-10:25 How weeds impact cranberry yield and fruit quality
Thierry Besancon, ‎Weed Science Extension Specialist, Rutgers University, P.E. Marucci Center, Chatsworth, NJ

10:25-10:40 Break

10:40-10:50 VacciniumCAP: Leveraging genetic and genomic resources to enable development of blueberry and cranberry cultivars with improved fruit quality attributes
James Polashock, Research Plant Pathologist, USDA-ARS, P.E. Marucci Center, Chatsworth, NJ; Nicholi Vorsa, Professor, Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers University; Jennifer Johnson-Cicalese, P.E. Marucci Center, Chatsworth, NJ

10:50-11:15 Can we exploit cranberry’s own defenses to fight against phytoplasma infection?
Cesar Rodriguez-Saona, Professor, Department of Entomology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ; James Polashock, Research Plant Pathologist, USDA-ARS; and Vera Kyryczenko-Roth, P.E. Marucci Center, Chatsworth, NJ

11:15-11:40 Machine learning assists cranberry fruit rot resistance breeding
Joe Kawash, P.E. Marucci Center, Chatsworth, NJ; James Polashock, Research Plant Pathologist, USDA-ARS, P.E. Marucci Center, Chatsworth, NJ; Nicholi Vorsa, Professor, Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers University; Jennifer Johnson-Cicalese, P.E. Marucci Center, Chatsworth, NJ

11:40-12:05 Important farm health and safety concerns related to machinery operation and pesticides application
Bill Bamka, Agriculture & Natural Resources County Agent II, County Extension Dept. Head, RCE of Burlington County, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station

12:05-1:00 Lunch

1:00-1:20 Cranberry institute – An update
John Wilson, Cranberry Institute, Carver, MA

1:20-1:50 Managing moss in cranberries
Katherine Ghantous, Research Associate, Cranberry IPM, Cranberry Station, East Wareham, MA

1:50 Adjournment- ACGA Board of Directors Meeting

Filed Under: Cranberry, Fruit
November 15, 2019

Considerations for Fall Weed Control in Vineyards

Fall or early winter is the best time to consider the application of a residual herbicide that will help maintaining the ground clean in early spring and allow for delayed herbicide applications in spring. Most residual herbicides primarily control annual grasses or annual broadleaf weeds.  A combination of an annual grass herbicide and an annual broadleaf weed herbicide is usually recommended.  Rate ranges are recommended for most residual herbicides.  Use the lower rates in vineyards with coarse textured (sandy) soil low in organic matter, and the higher rate when soils are fine textured (silt and clay) and have higher organic matter.

Post-harvest application of a residual herbicide should be done in late fall after vines are dormant, but before the soil freezes, or in late winter before the weeds begin to grow in early spring.  This application targets the control of winter annuals and provides early season control of summer annual weeds.  Most growers are more easily able to apply herbicides to the vineyard in late fall, usually after Thanksgiving in New Jersey.  In March, growers find themselves scrambling to apply insecticides and fungicides, and prune.

Pruned wood must be removed or chopped before weed spraying can be accomplished. Weed residues from last season should also be removed as much as possible before considering application of a residual herbicide in fall. Too many leftover residues will prevent the residual herbicide to penetrate into the soil (the “activation” process), and the herbicide will lose efficacy at controlling the emergence of weed seedlings. If you plan hilling-up the vine, be aware that the de-hilling operations will break the residual herbicide coverage. Thus, hilling may not compatible with the use of residual herbicide in fall.

  • Casoron (dichlobenil), applied in late fall, followed by a spring application of a residual annual grass herbicide is a very effective residual weed control program.  More different species of weeds are controlled than any other residual herbicide combination available.  Apply 4.0 lb active ingredient Casoron CS (2.7 gallons per acre) or 4.0 to 6.0 lb active ingredient Casoron 4G (100 to 150 lb per acre) in late fall when soil and air temperatures will remain below 50 degrees Fahrenheit until rainfall moves the herbicide into the soil.  The active ingredient in the granular formulation can be lost to volatilization in warm weather.  The Casoron CS formulation is encapsulated, which prevents loss due to volatilization.  Casoron provides annual broadleaf weed control through harvest and annual grass control until early summer the next year.  Certain herbaceous perennials, including goldenrod species, aster species, and yellow nutsedge will also be controlled or suppressed by Casoron applied in late fall.  Late winter applications provide less consistent winter annual and perennial weed control.  Apply an additional residual annual grass herbicide in the spring to provide late summer annual grass control following the late fall application of Casoron.
  • For many years Princep (simazine) was recommended at 1.0 to 2.0 lb active ingredient per acre in the late fall/ winter, and Karmex (diuron) was recommended at 1.0 to 2.0 lb active ingredient per acre in the late spring.  Both herbicides have been safe and reliable, and cost effective choices for many years, and continue to be good options where their use provides good weed control.  Both Princep (simazine) and Karmex (diuron) share the same mode of action, inhibition of the light reaction in photosynthesis.  Unfortunately, triazine resistant weeds, with cross resistance to urea herbicides, including Karmex, are present at some sites. Where a triazine resistant weed has become established, switch to herbicide(s) a different herbicide mode of action.  Use Chateau or Tuscany (flumioxazin) at 0.19 to 0.38 lb of active ingredient per acre or Goal 2XL (oxyfluorfen) at 1.0 to 2.0 lb of active ingredient per acre in late fall or late winter. The activity of both Chateau and Goal occurs at the soil surface as sensitive BLW seedlings emerge.  Do not disk, till or otherwise mechanically mix Chateau or Goal into the soil after application, or the effectiveness of the herbicides will be reduced or eliminated.
  • Alion (indaziflam) is a relatively new (2012) herbicide labeled for use in stone and pome fruit orchards, and in vineyards.  Alion is very effective at controlling a broad range of annual grasses and broadleaf weeds. Alion does not provide control of sedges or established perennial weeds. Alion is ideally applied in late fall at 0.045 to 0.065lb of active ingredient per acre in late fall. The most compelling characteristic of Alion is its VERY long weed control period (up to 6 months). However, the use restrictions for Alion are stricter in vineyards than in orchards:
    1. Alion can only be applied in vigorous grapes that have been established for a minimum of three years after transplanting.
    2. Alion can only be used in grapes that have at least 6 inches of soil barrier between the soil surface and the major portion of the root system.
    3. Alion cannot be used on soils with 20% or more gravel content or on sand or loamy-sand soil.
    4. Do not apply Alion prior to any type of soil disturbance, including hilling/dehilling operations, and only apply the herbicide after the soil settles.
    5. Do not allow spray or spray drift to contact crop foliage, green bark, roots or fruit of the crop being treated as it may cause localized crop injury or death
    6. Maximum use rate per application now has a restriction based on soil organic matter (OM) content: if soil contains less than 1% OM, maximum rate is 3.5 oz/A (0.045 lb ai) and if over 1% maximum rate is 5 oz/A (0.065 lb ai). In any case, maximum use rate cannot exceed 5 oz/A (0.065 lb ai) per year or in a 12 month period.
    7. No irrigation can be applied within 48 hours following Allion application. This is designed to ensure crop safety by giving the herbicide enough time to bind to surface soils before rainfall or irrigation to ensure proper activation of Alion by allowing weed seeds or seedlings to come into contact with the herbicide.

The Alion label also lists some guidelines that will ensure efficient weed control:

  • Soil should be free of debris, clumps or cracks at application time to ensure best weed control performance and prevent the herbicide from reaching the grape roots (this is true for best performance of ANY of our PRE herbicides).
  • For best weed control, dry soil surface for 48 hours followed by rainfall or sprinkler irrigation within 3 weeks is ideal. If irrigation is used to activate, 0.5 inch of water is ideal (the idea is to incorporate the herbicide into the surface an inch or so, where the weeds germinate, but not go too deeply.  This is also true for all PRE herbicides.

Consult the New Jersey Commercial Blueberry Pest Control Recommendations for rates and additional information https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.php?pid=E283.

As with all herbicides,always  read and follow all label instructions and precautions.

 

Filed Under: Wine Grape