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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5:00 pm May 1, 2017 @ Hill Creek Farms, 1631 State Highway 45, Mullica Hill, NJ 08062
5:00 pm. Welcome Remarks and Updates
Hemant Gohil, Gloucester County Agriculture Agent and Program Organizer
5:05 pm. National Peach Council Updates
Kay Rentzel, Director, National Peach Council
5:15 pm. WPS Respiratory Protection Requirements for 2017 Growing Season
Patricia Hastings, Pesticide Safety Education Program Coordinator, Rutgers U. [Read more…]
Peach:
Brown Rot: Blossom infections from the brown rot fungus can occur whenever pistils are exposed and a favorable climate exists. Infections can occur during any wetting period when temperatures are between 41 and 86 °F. However, optimum conditions for infection occur with wetting and temperatures in the mid 70’s. During long wetting periods (several days or more) blossoms can be infected regardless of temperature. Generally infections that occur when conditions are sub optimal are less severe. Blossoms and fruitlets will remain susceptible until the pistil dessicates (sometime between petal fall and shuck split). [Read more…]
Roberta Lang is the Ag Resource Specialist at the NJ Dept of Agriculture who arranges the pesticide container recycling program. She reports there was a request at the Hammonton collection last Friday to provide the link to DEP’s pesticide control program where applicators can check the status of their credits and the courses that have been taken. I’ve also had recent calls from growers requesting this and it takes some searching to find it. Below are the instructions Roberta sent. You might want to bookmark whichever site below gets to the information you need most directly.
To review course history:
Fire Blight:
Fire blight canker oozing bacteria from a pear trunk.
The Cougar Blight model over at NEWA is predicting a high risk of fire blight in Southern counties for this week, due to the predicted hot weather along with a chance of showers. Actively oozing cankers were seen this week in a young block of pears in Gloucester County.
Currently April 12-15 looks like a high risk for infection in southern counties. Growers should apply antibiotic to any apple or pear blocks with open blossoms prior to any risk of infection. Streptomycin and oxytetracycline formulations are generally thought to provide 1-2 days protection and possible 24 hours back action. A prediction of high risk over a 4 day period may require 2 applications 2 days apart, especially if there is rainfall, and/or the orchard is not yet at full bloom. Follow the label rates. Streptomycin can be applied at 24 ozs. per acre with the addition of a penetrant such as 8 ozs. Regulaid. Check your local conditions using NEWA and check back daily as the prediction may change. Remember to enter the date you first observed open blossoms.
Apple Scab:
The next wetting period looks to be the first significant ascospore release. At this time powdery mildew and rust diseases are also a concern. Choose materials that have efficacy for all of these diseases. At this time Inspire Super, Vangard, or Fontellis plus a half rate of an EBDC chemistry should cover all the bases. While we suspect there is scab resistance to the older DMI’s (FRAC code 3) such as Rally, the DMI component of Inspire Super may still be very effective, but should be used sparingly. Avoid any of the QoI (FRAC code 11) formulations (Pristine, Sovran, Flint, etc.) for early season scab applications as these are better saved for late primary scab applications and summer diseases. The labels for QoI chemistries are generally limited to 4 applications of a QoI in any combination per season.
Oriental Fruit Moth and Catfacing Insects:
A biofix has been set for Oriental Fruit Moth. Applications targeting first generation egg hatch should be applied at 170-200 Degree Days after biofix. A second application is recommended at 350 -375 degree days after biofix. This generally corresponds to the petal fall/shuck split timing in peach. No insecticides are needed or should be applied until all the petals are off. Catfacing insects are not an issue at this time as populations are very low and any blossoms that are hit will abort. In southern counties we should reach 170-200 DD around the beginning or middle of next week.
(17/P23) TRENTON – With the state expected to experience more freezing temperatures tonight and Thursday night, the Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Agriculture will again allow farmers to do controlled open burning or use specialized torches known as smudge pots to protect flowering crops from damage.
The two agencies previously authorized precautionary and voluntary use of smudge pots on March 10 due to below-freezing temperatures forecast through that weekend.
Temperatures are expected to drop to the low 20s tonight and Thursday night through most of the state. The expected freeze follows unusually warm temperatures in recent weeks that coaxed some economically important fruit tree crops to bud much earlier than normal.
Peach, blueberry and apple crops are particularly susceptible. Damage from freezing weather now can significantly reduce yields of these crops later in the season. There are concerns in particular about early varieties of peaches that are at a stage where buds are about to flower. [Read more…]
Fruit or vegetable farmers in the Mid-Atlantic region (PA, NJ, DE, MD, VA, WV, and DC) that have participated or have considered participating in:
are invited to participate in a survey about their choices to participate or not.
Megan Lehnerd, a PhD student at the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition, is conducting a study to learn more about why farmers choose to participate or not participate in these programs. The survey will take between 20 and 30 minutes to complete.
If you complete the survey, you can choose a $25 gift card to either Amazon or Johnny’s Selected Seeds. For more information or to take the survey, visit: http://sites.tufts.edu/farmersurvey or contact Megan at megan.lehnerd@tufts.edu.
Megan Lehnerd, MS
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Tufts University
