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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EPA Releases Proposed Protections for Pesticide Malathion: Public Comment Period Opens

[USEPA OPP. 7/18/2024]. Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing the Proposed Interim Registration Review Decision (PID) for the pesticide malathion. The PID proposes mitigation measures to reduce potential ecological risks. The malathion PID—as well as the revised Human Health Draft Risk Assessment and Ecological Draft Risk Assessment released earlier this year—will be […]

Tree Fruit IPM Report July 16, 2024

Peach:

Oriental Fruit Moth: A biofix point for OFM was set on 4/10 in both northern and southern counties.  All Treatments for the second generation have past. Third generation timings are updated below:

OFM 2nd Generation Timing
Insecticide Type
County/Region Degree Days by  7/16 base 45 Conventional

2100-2200

2450-2500

Intrepid/Rimon

2000-2100

2350-2450

Diamides/Virus

2025-2150

2375-2450

Gloucester – Southern 2338 1st –past

2nd – 7/19-7/21

1st –past

2nd – 7/16-7/19

1st –past

2nd – 7/17-7/19

Hunterdon – Northern 2121 1st – 7/16-7/19

2nd – 7/25-7/28

1st – past

2nd – 7/22-7/25

1st – past

2nd – 7/23-7/25

 

Tarnished Plant Bugs; and Other Catfacing Insects: Catfacing insects remain very active. Very little recent fruit feeding has been observed.

Thrips: Flower Thrips have been observed feeding in highly colored ripening fruit, especially in poorly managed ground covers that contain clover or other flowering weeds. Thrips damage appears as “silvering” and usually appears on fruit close to harvest. If populations are high damage can be extensive. Presence of thrips may be scouted for using a beating tray to detect the presence of adults and nymphs in the tree. Flowering weeeds and shrubs on orchard edges may also be scouted by shaking flowers onto a beating tray or a sheet of paper. Delegate or Entrust at the highest labeled rate are the usual recommended materials for thrips in stone fruit. Lannate may be effective in some orchards but has not worked well in recent years. These materials all have short PHI’s and may be applied close to harvest when damage typically appears. Damage is different than peach and appears as a dark streak in a similar pattern as silvering. See the NJ Commercial Tree Fruit Production Guide for more information.

Japanese Beetles: Japanese beetle activity has been noticeable in many orchards. Effective materials include many of the pyrethroids, Neonicitinoids and Sevin (Carbamate). Products containing imidacloprid are standard insecticides for Japanese beetle control and should have a 0 day PHI. See the NJ Commercial Tree Fruit Production Guide for more information.

Apples and Pears:

Diseases: Now that primary scab is nearing the end, or has ended, the focus turns toward summer diseases such as fruit rots (esp. Bitter rot), and sooty blotch and fly speck. Bitter rot control has been difficult at best in recent years even where management programs have been rigorous. Research has suggested Products such as Merivon, Luna Sensation, Inspire Super, and Aprovia may be effective, and longtime reliable broad spectrum fungicides such as omega, captan and ziram should provide control. Experience has suggested that the addition of phosphorous acid products such as Prophyt or Rampart to captan sprays may improve control. Observations are that these products improve control of other summer diseases such as sooty blotch and flyspeck, and may help suppress scab infections where present. Bitter rot symptoms have been appearing for several weeks in southern counties. Symptoms increased dramatically in sensitive varieties over the past week.

Codling Moth (CM): The first generation codling moth timings have ended. Trap captures Continue and increased in some southern county orchards this week. A biofix was set for CM on April 17th in both northern and southern counties. Second generation timings are updated below. Rimon is not recommended for this and later generations. Trap Captures in some southern county orchards remain above threshold. Growers should still use effective materials within label restrictions.

Codling Moth Degree Day Timing – Second Generation
Application and Insecticide Type
County Area Biofix Rimon:

75-100DD + 14-17 days later

 

Intrepid

1150 + 1450 DD

Diamides – Altacor, Voliam mixes: (150-200 DD)

Madex

1250 DD + every 7-9 days during brood hatch (later if first spray is an IGR)

Standard Insecticides –  Delegate, Avaunt, OP’s, carbamates, pyrethroids

1250 DD + 1550 DD

 

DD 1150 1450 1250 1250 1550
Southern April 22 N/A N/A past past past past past
Northern  May 1 N/A N/A past past past past 7/17

Wine Grape:

Diseases: Powdery mildew symptoms are now appearing on clusters in some southern vineyards.

Grape Berry Moth: Damage from second generation berry moth is higher than normal in some southern county vineyards. Growers should check their timing using the NEWA model for the next generation. The next timing for GBM using Intrepid or diamides should be sometime next week for southern counties. Other effective materials can be applied at at that timing or a few days later.

Phenology Table: Based on annual observations made in Gloucester County.

Pest Event or Growth Stage Approximate Date 2024 Observed Date
 Bud Swell (Redhaven/PF-17)  March 23 +/- 15 Days March 13
1/4″ Green Tip Red Delicious March 31 +/- 13 Days March 18
Pink Peach (Redhaven/PF-17) April 4 +/- 15 Days March 18
Tight Cluster Red Delicious April 9 +/- 13 Days March 30
Full Bloom Peach (Redhaven/PF-17) April 9 +/- 14 Days April 5
Pink Apple (Red Delicious) April 14 +/- 12 Days April 9
Full Bloom Apple (Red Delicious) April 22 +/- 11 Days April 20
Petal Fall (Redhaven) April 22 +/- 10 Days April 15
Petal Fall (Red Delicious) April 27 +/- 13 Days  May 3
Shuck Split (Redhaven) April 30 +/- 11 Days  April 22
Pit Hardening June 15 +/- 9 Days  June 10

 

 

Tree Fruit Trap Captures – Southern Counties

STLM TABM-A CM BMSB OFM-A DWB OFM-P TABM-P LPTB PTB
3/23/2024 70 0
3/30/2024 29 0 0
4/6/2024 421 0 0
4/13/2024 415 7 1
4/20/2024 900 7 0
4/27/2024 312 2 22  1
5/4/2024 137 2 8 27 1 5
5/11/2024 6 2 15 2 1 10 42
5/18/2024 5 6 11 2 6 0 12 41
5/25/2014 33 29 7 4 25 0 44 37
6/1/2024 719 12 12 1 1 0 44 57
6/8/2024 163 7 6 0 27 0 35 52 3
6/15/2024 252 4 0 0 0 31 0 4 54 4
6/22/2024 252 4 0 0 0 31 0 4 54 4
6/29/2024 500 1 1 2 0 31 0 10 35 4
7/6/2024 245 2 5 2 1 34 0 0 27 0
7/13/2024 5 1 2 1 0 34 0 1 34 1

Tree Fruit Trap Captures – Northern Counties

STLM TABM-A CM BMSB OFM-A DWB OFM-P TABM-P LPTB PTB AMBROSIA BEETLE
3/23/2024
3/30/2024
4/6/2024 0 0
4/13/2024 3.25 37.6
4/20/2024 11.75 93
4/27/2024 0 19 50
5/4/2024 1 16 19 124
5/11/2024 3 4 18 112
5/18/2024 4 2 1 2 2 2 83
5/25/2024 7 5 0 16 8 23 55
6/1/2024 16 7 0 28 7 21 37
6/8/2024 17 4 0 23 3 16 2 12
6/15/2024 21 2 0 21 21 27 1 12
6/22/2024 13 1 0 43 13 16 1 3
6/29/2024 15 1 0 49 13 17 1 0
7/06/2024 6 2 0 64 9 19 2 0

EPA Announces New, Earlier Protections for People from Pesticide Spray Drift

WASHINGTON – Today, July 15, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is putting protections in place sooner for farmworkers, their families, and the general public near where pesticides are applied. EPA will now assess the potential for people to be exposed to a pesticide when it drifts away from where it is applied earlier in the […]

EPA Announces Update on Atrazine (with editorial note on NJ)

[7/8/2024]. Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing an update to the level at which atrazine is expected to adversely affect aquatic plants. The new revised atrazine concentration of 9.7 micrograms per liter (µg/L), which was derived following an August 2023 peer review, will be used to develop a revised regulatory decision to […]

EPA Announces Update on Atrazine (with editorial note on NJDEP 2018 ag use data summary)

[7/8/2024]. Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing an update to the level at which atrazine is expected to adversely affect aquatic plants. The new revised atrazine concentration of 9.7 micrograms per liter (µg/L), which was derived following an August 2023 peer review, will be used to develop a revised regulatory decision to […]

Captan under registration review by EPA – comments on proposed mitigation measures due July 31, 2024

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently reviewing the registration of captan as mandated by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to conduct a periodic review of existing pesticide registrations every 15 years. Captan is a broad-spectrum fungicide used in fruit and nut crops including almonds, apples, apricots, blueberries, cherries, grapes, nectarines, peaches, plums, prunes, and strawberries. A Proposed Interim Registration Review Decision (PID) was provided in 2022; however, the agency has issued an amended PID to identify risk mitigations and propose label changes that would address risks of concern for uses of captan. A summary of the EPA’s mitigation proposal is provided below. There is an open comment period for the public to provide responses to the proposed mitigation revisions and how they could impact production. The comment period ends on July 31, 2024. To view the amended proposed interim registration review in its entirety, see Docket No. EPA-HQ-OPP-2013-0296 at www.regulations.gov. For instruction on how to submit comments, visit https://www.regulations.gov/document/EPA-HQ-OPP-2013-0296-0335.

Summary of Mitigation for Specific Crops
I.                         Orchard Crops

·        Prohibit aerial application of DF/WDG and WP formulations;

·        Reduce maximum application rate for apples, peaches, and nectarines, from 4 to 3 lbs. ai/A;

·        Reduce maximum application rate for cherries from 3.16 to 3 lbs. a.i./A;

·        Require PF50 respirator, single layer protective clothing, 85 and chemical-resistant gloves for handlers mixing/loading DF/WDG and WP formulations for airblast application;

·        Require enclosed cabs and single layer protective clothing for airblast applicators;

·        Require enclosed cabs and single layer protective clothing for groundboom applicators treating orchard crops or PF10 respirator, chemical-resistant gloves, and single layer protective clothing; and

·        Limit application with mechanically pressurized handgun to spot treatment of areas missed with other application equipment, such as application to row ends.

NOTE: There are no proposed changes to the current REIs on captan product labels for orchard crops.

II.                      Berries & Grapes

·        Prohibit aerial application of DF/WDG and WP formulations but allow aerial application for liquid formulations.

·        Require PF50 respirator, chemical-resistant gloves, and single layer protective clothing for mixing and loading DF/WDG and WP formulations to be applied by airblast or groundboom.

·        For strawberries, EPA is proposing to require the PF50 respirator only for large growers whose operations are greater than 80 acres to protect mixers/loaders.

·        There are no changes to the REI for any berries; the REIs on current labels are sufficient.

·        Workers who are girdling and turning table grapes must observe a 5-day REI.