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.

October 25, 2013

Integrate Sanitation Into Your Apple Scab Control Program

Apple scab

Apple Scab Control with Urea.
Video link: http://youtu.be/8g0WyVi68GM

This past season we saw elevated levels of apple scab in southern counties. Our IPM scouts found low levels of scab present in orchards where scab had not been detected for many years, even though these orchards had been carefully sprayed using effective materials. Most likely what we are witnessing is the result of an increasing pattern of wet seasons with periods of extreme rainfall and not resistance to DMI fungicides, although that is an area of great concern and cannot be ruled out. Regardless of the cause, high inoculum in the orchard will eventually lead to control failures with materials such as the DMI’s and other chemistries prone to resistance.

At any rate growers that had scab this year should integrate sanitation practices into their scab control program. The recommended sanitation program involves either: fall or spring applications of Urea; flail mowing fallen leaves: or preferably both.

Dr. Dan Cooley and Jon Clements at UMass have uploaded a short video explaining this approach.

 

Filed Under: Tree Fruit
September 17, 2013 and

Fruit Flies at Grape Harvest

African Fig Fly

African Fig Fly

In New Jersey, and the rest of the mid-Atlantic, we have two newly invasive fruit flies that attack grapes including wine grapes.
My lab is currently working to determine the impact these insects will have to the berries and to yield.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Wine Grape
September 13, 2013

Blueberry Pest in Detail: Sharp-nosed Leafhopper

The Fruit IPM Report for the week shows an upward trend with more Sharp-nosed Leafhopper (SNLH) adults maturing and moving around fields, making transmission of stunt disease to previously uninfected bushes more likely. This insect in the only regular target for post harvest sprays. Now is an appropriate time to treat.

Sharp-nosed Leafhopper Life Cycle

SNLH feeds and reproduce on blueberry, huckleberry, cranberry, and other related plants. SNLH feeding causes little direct damage but it transmits the phytoplasma that causes stunt disease in blueberries. They are small brown insects with a pointed head (Figure 1). SNLH picks up the disease while feeding on infested bushes and carries it to other plants in subsequent feedings. Usually only adults will carry the disease from plant to plant, since nymphs are wingless and can’t fly (Figure 2). This insect completes two generations in New Jersey. Adults are abundant in the woods, where many alternative hosts are present, and may move to commercial blueberry fields in the spring. Eggs overwinter inside fallen leaves and hatch in mid-May. Nymphs complete 5 instars. Nymphs from the first generation reach adult stage in mid-June, while nymphs from the second generation reach adulthood in early August. Adults move back to the woods in the fall. Monitoring these generations is critical for timing of control strategies.

Fig 1: Sharp-nosed leafhopper adult

Fig 1:
Sharp-nosed leafhopper adult

Fig 2: Sharp-nosed leafhopper nymph (L) and adult (R)

Fig 2: Sharp-nosed leafhopper nymph (L)
and adult (R)

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Blueberry
September 11, 2013

Fruit IPM Report: Week Ending 9/13/13

Fruit IPM Report 9-13-13 – Click to View | Download | Print

In this report:

  • Blueberry
  • Apple
    Brown Marmorated Stink Bug:
    Most of the BMSB that are being captured are adults. Since many crops have already been harvested, apples, particularly late season apples are being exposed to the full onslaught of adult BMSB movement. Be particularly aware of fruit bordering soybeans and woodlands. Late season injury can come on fast, and some injury is not apparent until several weeks after picking.

    Keep fresh insecticide applied to the trees, particularly on border rows and end trees. Effective insecticides along with the (PHI) include: Baythroid (7), Belay (7), Danitol (14), Leverage (7), Mustang (14), Brigade/Bifenture (14) (section 18), and Scorpion/Venom (3) (section 18). Those listed in bold are some of the best materials.
    Click to view, download, and print copies of the newest Scorpion and Venom labels.
Filed Under: Blueberry, Fruit, Tree Fruit
August 27, 2013

Fruit IPM Report: Week Ending 8/31/13

Fruit IPM Report 8-31-13 – Click to View | Download | Print

In this report:

  • Peach
  • Apple
  • Pear
  • Grape
  • Scouting Calendar
  • Blueberry
  • Trap Counts
Filed Under: Blueberry, Fruit, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape
August 23, 2013

Grape Injury
from Captan Mixed with Oil-containing Products

Fig 1 Captan induced Leaf Necrosis in Grape

Fig 1 Captan mixed with oil-containing product
induced leaf necrosis in grape

When used properly Captan is a safe and effective fungicide that plays an important role in grape disease control and fungicide resistance management, but it is crucially important to never apply Captan mixed with oil or close in time to the application of any oils. The active ingredient in Captan cannot easily penetrate into the plant, but when it does it can be very toxic, especially to grapes. Injury from this type of spray combination has been reported in blueberries and there are many anecdotal reports of less severe phytotoxicity in other fruit crops. By comparison, the damage to grapes can be very severe and the symptoms include leaf necrosis, longitudinal stem splitting and vine death (Fig. 1, 2, 3). Sadly, experience has shown that under the appropriate conditions a single spray of Captan with an emulsifiable concentrate insecticide can kill an entire vineyard. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Wine Grape