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 30, 2014

Beating the Bugs in the Bogs – Gypsy Moth

Gypsy moth is an occasional pest of cranberries. Gypsy moth caterpillars will readily eat the plants in outbreak years, when they are abundant in the NJ Pinelands, like in 2007. They prefer to feed on oaks, but when they encounter cranberry plants, their presence can have a devastating effect. Fortunately, since 2007, the caterpillars have rarely been seen in the NJ Pinelands. However, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be prepared for their eventual return. Also, studying cranberry resistance against gypsy moth will teach us about the resistance of the plants against other important pests as well.

Gypsy moth larva

Gypsy Moth Larva


[Read more…]

Filed Under: Cranberry
June 18, 2014

Cranberry Insect IPM During Bloom

We are in the middle of bloom. If insects have been effectively managed prior to bloom, we recommend no sprays at this time. A reminder: when bees are present your only choices of insecticides are the Insect Growth Regulators –IGR- (e.g. Confirm and Intrepid) or Bt products (e.g. DiPel). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cranberry
June 13, 2014 and

Audit Ready:
On-Farm Food Safety Lessons Learned Series

If you have written your food safety plan and are preparing for a third party audit, the Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety Team offers farm “walk-throughs” to help evaluate your written plan and compliance activities. Over many years of performing walk-throughs, we’ve found some common situations that can foil the goal of making it through the audit process on the first go-round. Take a moment to make sure you’ve handled these areas that have tripped-up fellow NJ growers.

Know the Contents of Your Food Safety Manual

If a grower hires someone to write his or her food safety manual, the grower must know what is in the manual and adhere to the contents! There have been instances when the auditors came to do the audit, that it was obvious the grower did not know what was in their own farm food safety manual.

Food-Safety-Manual

Know Your Manual

  • Sit down with the person developing the manual to make sure there is agreement about what to put in the manual.
  • Once the manual has been developed, review each section to clarify and make necessary changes for the final version.

Remember, auditors use the grower’s food safety manual as the basis for the audit. If the grower does not know and understand the contents of their manual, they won’t be able to answer the auditors’ questions.

Have an On-Farm Food Safety question concerning your commercial NJ farm? Email us.

Filed Under: Food Safety, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
June 13, 2014

Fruit IPM Report June 11, 2014

Oriental Beetle Adult

Oriental Beetle Adult

This week in Fruit IPM

  • Peach
  • Apple
  • Pear
  • Wine Grapes
  • Scouting Calendar
  • Tree Fruit Trap Counts
  • Blueberry
  • Blueberry Trap Counts

Click to View | Download PDF

Filed Under: Blueberry, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape
June 11, 2014

Bacterial Spot of Stone Fruit

Over the past 7-10 days it has become clear that a bacterial spot epidemic is underway. It is eerily reminiscent of the epidemic of 1997, although so far it does not appear as widespread or affecting all cultivars as that year. Many blocks are dropping leaves this week, and fruit lesions are beginning to appear. Remember that it takes about a week for leaf infections to appear, and about 2 weeks for those infected leaves to start dropping. It takes about 3 weeks for those same infections to show up on the fruit. Looking back at weather records over at CoCoRaHs (choose your dates and local observations) it appears that the severe winds of May 23, and the rains over the weeks that followed set up a conducive environment for the bacteria in southern counties.  We are seeing leaf drop in many locations regardless of treatment. The coming week will tell the story of how much fruit infection there is. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Tree Fruit
June 3, 2014

Fruit IPM Report June 3, 2014

San Jose Scale

San Jose Scale

This week in Fruit IPM

  • Peach
  • Apple
  • Pear
  • Wine Grapes
  • Scouting Calendar
  • Blueberry
  • Tree Fruit Trap Counts
  • Blueberry Trap Counts

Click to View | Download PDF

Filed Under: Blueberry, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape