Managed sod row middles have many advantages, and have been adopted by many tree fruit growers. They provide a firm drive path for spring spraying of insecticides and fungicides, prevent or reduce soil erosion, and improve soil tilth by increasing soil organic matter. Broadleaf weeds in the sod should be controlled. Weeds are alternate hosts for insects diseases, and nematodes, and weeds in bloom can attract natural pollinators into the orchard throughout the spring and summer. Many insecticides warn against use when bloom is present in the orchard.
[Read more…]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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Stinger Labeled for Apple Orchards
Stinger has been labeled for weed control stone fruit orchards for years, and is now labeled for use in apple orchards. The weeds controlled fall into two botanical plant families, composites and legumes.
Tree Fruit March Checklist
- Oil for Pear Psylla and Scale Control
- Scout While Pruning
- Dormant Season Copper Sprays
- Dormant Season Urea Sprays
Oil for Pear Psylla and Scale Control: During the recent warm up pear psylla adults were active, however no egg laying has yet been observed. Growers with pears should be thinking about oil applications to deter egg laying. [Read more…]
2014 Food Safety Workshops
There are two remaining farm food safety workshops scheduled for the 2014 growing season.
Wednesday March 19, 9:00 – 4:00
Introduction to Food Safety and Third Party Audits
Rutgers Snyder Research Farm, Pittstown
$40.00 includes materials and lunch
RSVP with 3/19/14 registration form
Wednesday March 26, 9:00 – 4:00
GAPs and Farm Food Safety Writing Workshop
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Mercer County
$40.00 includes materials and lunch
RSVP with 3/26/14 registration form
‘Polar Vortex’ vs. Stink Bugs
This winter, especially January and February have been a bit cold, complete with ‘polar vortexes’ and lots of snow. There have been a couple of newspaper articles about how this will negatively impact insect pest populations, specifically brown marmorated stink bug. Is this true?
For BMSB, most likely NO. While insects do have something similar to antifreeze in their hemolymph (blood) there is a critical freezing temperature at which most species will die. Preliminary research by Dr. Tom Kuhar at Virginia Tech says the super cooling point – when the blood freezes – of BMSB is 5ºF. Populations in natural habitats may have suffered from the extreme cold weather. However, the majority of the BMSB population spends its winter with you, tucked inside the attic and under the eaves of houses, in boxes, under tarps etc. where it is warmer. They are in a reproductive diapause at this point, meaning that adult BMSB have physically prepared themselves to survive cold temperatures, and snow further acts to insulate the populations. There is a saying in Japan that lots of snow in the winter means lots of stink bugs (BMSB) in the summer! Research by Dr. K. Kiritani in Japan shows that BMSB is better adapted at surviving the winter than other stink bug species. There are many factors that contribute to winter mortality or survival and previous research suggests ~20% winter mortality for BMSB in any given year, regardless of weather.
So since the polar vortex may not keep the stink bugs at bay, keep monitoring your crops in the mid-late Spring for the initial dispersal.
Considerations for Estimating Cold Hardiness in Wine Grape
The severity of the current winter weather has growers and ag agents questioning how to accurately assess vineyard damage and develop a plan for coping with the damage through cultural management.
Fruit Specialist Dan Ward supplies comprehensive answers.
![Cross sections of grapevine compound buds showing the location of primary (P), secondary (S), and tertiary (T) buds. P bud is dead, while S and T buds are alive;](https://plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/vine.png)
Cross sections of grapevine compound buds showing the location of primary (P), secondary (S), and tertiary (T) buds.
P bud is dead, while S and T buds are alive.
Photo courtesy WSU Extension
The hardiness of grape buds and wood ranges widely among cultivars and different antecedent weather and physiological conditions. Any estimate of cold hardiness needs to be considered as specific to either the buds or the wood, given the cultivar, under the previous Fall’s conditions for the development of hardiness, given the weather conditions preceding the cold event in question. [Read more…]