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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August 26, 2015

Fruit IPM Report 8-26-2015

Peach

Oriental Fruit Moth (OFM): A fourth flight is now being seen as trap captures start to increase (in apples). Since most peaches are off, this is not a concern in most blocks. However if you have very late varieties, especially if close to apple plantings, then treatments are needed.

Tufted Apple Budmoth (TABM): All treatment timings are over for this pest statewide. The only exceptions would be in northern counties where there may be visible injury, and growers want to continue the use of B.t. products.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Blueberry, Fruit, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape
August 19, 2015

Fruit IPM Report 8-18-2015

Peach

Oriental Fruit Moth (OFM): The third flight and all required treatment timings are now over throughout the state. Additional treatments will only be required on very late varieties, and only if trap counts exceed 6 moths per trap. We are seeing some high trap captures in some orchards.

Tufted Apple Budmoth (TABM): We are in the middle of the second flight, but pest pressure is very low. On most farms treatments are not needed. If you did have feeding injury from the first generation or have high trap counts, then you may wish to observe the following TABM timings.

Conventional, Diamides Conventional, Diamides Intrepid, Rimon Bt
County Area AM – 4 Middles EM – 2 Completes EM – 2 Completes EM – 3 Completes
Southern 1st – Past
2nd – Past
3rd – Past
4th – 8/17-18		 1st – Past
2nd – 8/13-16		 1st – Past
2nd – 8/13-16		 1st – Past
2nd – 8/10-13
3rd – 8/18-20
Northern 1st – Past
2nd – 8/15-16
3rd – 8/21-23
4th – 8/27-28		 1st – 8/10-11
2nd – 8/23-27		 1st – 8/13-16
2nd – 8/23-27		 1st – 8/13-16
2nd – 8/21-23
3rd – 9/1-3

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Blueberry, Fruit, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape
August 18, 2015

Beating the Bugs in the Bogs:
Insect Resistance in Different Cranberry Varieties

Insects are a major problem in cranberry production – they are estimated to reduce yield by 1-2% and without spraying, cranberry false blossom, a phytoplasma vectored by blunt-nosed leafhopper, would eliminate commercial cranberry production completely. Spraying chemical pesticides is the most common practice to combat pathogens and herbivorous insects, but beneficial insects, such as honeybees, important pollinators of cranberry, and natural enemies, such as predators and parasitoids, could be affected as well. Therefore, at the P.E. Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research and Extension, we study the defensive mechanisms that cranberry plants themselves use against insect feeding. The research project of Dr. Elvira de Lange, a postdoc at the P.E. Marucci Center, focuses on four of the most problematic insects on cranberry in New Jersey: Sparganothis fruitworm, spotted fireworm, gypsy moth and the above-mentioned blunt-nosed leafhopper.

  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cranberry, Fruit
August 13, 2015

Fruit IPM Report 8-13-2015

Peach

Oriental Fruit Moth (OFM): The third flight and all required treatment timings are now over throughout the state. Additional treatments will only be required on very late varieties, and only if trap counts exceed 6 moths per trap.

Tufted Apple Budmoth (TABM): We are in the middle of the second flight, but pest pressure is very low. On most farms treatments are not needed. If you did have feeding injury from the first generation or have high trap counts, then you may wish to observe the following TABM timings.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Blueberry, Fruit, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape
August 11, 2015

Audit Ready: Equipment Maintenance Records

tractorThe harmonized audit requires a listing of equipment (2.7.1) that has the potential to come into contact with the crop, and for each piece of equipment a maintenance record.
Just how detailed of a record do they want?

Anytime there is a repair, cleaning, or fluid change there should be a record of this task.  The auditor will look at the equipment for signs that there could be a issue, such as an oil or fluid leak under the equipment.  If they see an issue they will then ask to see the maintenance record for that piece of equipment.  This falls under the “are in good repair and are not a source of contamination of produce” section of standard 2.7.2.  Remember, this is only for equipment that will go out into the field or production area.

Filed Under: Food Safety, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
August 6, 2015

Fruit IPM Report 8-6-2015

Peach

Oriental Fruit Moth (OFM): While overall pest pressure in peaches is very low for oriental fruit moth, we are at the proper time to treat if your farm has trap captures above 6 males per trap. Timing for third brood OFM applications are as follows:

OFM Third Generation Timing
Insecticide Type
County/Region Degree Days by 8/6
base 45		 Conventional
Complete		 Intrepid/IGRs
Complete		 Diamides
Complete
Gloucester-Southern 2803 All 3rd brood sprays completed. Treat if trap counts exceed 6 moths per trap. All 3rd brood sprays completed. Treat if trap counts exceed 6 moths per trap. All 3rd brood sprays completed. Treat if trap counts exceed 6 moths per trap.
Hunterdon-Northern 2511 1st – Past
2nd – 8/4-6 (Past)		 1st – Past
2nd – 8/3-5 (Past)		 1st – Past
2nd – 8/2-4 (Past)

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Filed Under: Blueberry, Fruit, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape