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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April 6, 2023

Alion herbicide received 24(c) Special Local Need label for use on Highbush Blueberry

Thanks to field research conduct by the Rutgers Specialty crops Weed Science lab and funded by Rutgers NJAES, Bayer CropScience, and the NJ Blueberry and Cranberry Research Council, Alion® herbicide received a FIFRA 24(c) Special Local Need label from the EPA and the NJDEP for use ONLY on dormant highbush blueberry in sandy soils containing greater than 1% organic matter. The new  24(c) Special Local Need label can be found on the Agrian website here.

Alion® (indaziflam) is a Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) group 29 cellulose biosynthesis inhibitor in the alkylazine family. The FIFRA Section 3 label of Alion® allows its use on blueberries that have been established for at least one year but prevents its use on soil with ≥ 20% gravel content or on sandy soil, regardless of soil organic matter content. Thus, prior to receiving the new  24(c) Special Local Need label, Alion® could not legally be applied on New Jersey blueberries that are primarily planted on sandy soils.

The new 24(c) Special Local Need label allows directed application to the soil beneath blueberry bushes planted on sandy soils with some important restrictions:

  • Only apply Alion Herbicide to soil as a dormant application in late fall through early spring before bud swell.
  • Do not use Alion® in highbush blueberry crops grown in sand containing <1 % organic matter content.
  • Do not use on soils with 20% or more gravel content.
  • Do not apply more than a total of 10 fl oz product/A (0.13 lb ai/A) per year on sand containing ≥1 % organic matter content in a 12-month period when used in any highbush blueberry.
  • Do not allow spray to contact green stems, foliage, flowers, or berries or unacceptable injury may occur.
  • When making more than one application per year, allow a minimum of 90 days between applications.

Alion® provides excellent and season-long residual control of annual grasses and broadleaf species due to its long soil persistence with half-life greater than 150 days and low water solubility under acidic soil conditions. Results of a 3-years study conducted on three different blueberry cultivars (Duke, Bluecrop, and Elliott) at the Rutgers P.E. Marucci Center  demonstrated that repeated fall or early spring applications of indaziflam at the 5 fl oz/a labeled rate did not cause injury or reduce commercial yield of blueberry grown on sandy acidic soil. Data generated through this research also showed that fall application of indaziflam consistently provided better weed control than spring applications for species such as horseweed, large crabgrass or narrowleaf goldentop. This suggests that Alion®  applications in New Jersey should be restricted to dormant bushes during the fall season in order to maximize weed control effectiveness while maintaining the highest level of crop safety as compared to spring application. Alion® has no activity on sedge species or perennial weeds. Therefore, it is important to consider rotating to different herbicide modes of action after 1 or 2 years of Alion® application to avoid selecting for weeds that are not controlled by Alion® and prevent potential development of herbicide resistance to indaziflam.

Filed Under: Blueberry Tagged With: , ,
April 3, 2023

Pesticide Storage Inventory with Cover Letter Due May 1st to Fire Department

All licensed pesticide applicators, as well as dealers, who store pesticides are required by law to send a copy of their storage inventor(ies) with an explanatory cover letter to the local fire company by May 1st each year. In New Jersey, all licensed pesticide applicators and dealers who store pesticides are required per N.J.A.C. 7:30-9.5 […]
Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops
March 28, 2023

Free webinar – Retraining and Upskilling Workers on Produce Safety Best Practices

Did you know that well trained employees have a higher job satisfaction and feel more valued by their employer? Employees satisfied with job training are more committed to their employers and more willing to accept organization goals and values. This is a key component in creating a food safety culture on your farm. Well trained, committed employees are less likely to look for another job, reducing employee turnover on the farm and the turnover costs associated with having to find new employees.

Growers leave training courses with a lot of information, the majority of which needs to be taught to your employees. You are sent home with food safety educational tools such as handouts, knowledge, and binders, but are not given guidance on how to use these resources to train your employees. This webinar will help.

Join us on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 to talk about tips to train employees at our free lunchtime webinar Retraining and Upskilling Workers on Produce Safety Best Practices from 12 – 1pm Eastern Time.

This webinar will feature Phil Tocco, Extension Educator at Michigan State University Extension.

At the end of the webinar participants will:

  • Understand how to verify training is working.
  • Discern what training is required for different employees.
  • Develop a process for training folks on your farm.

You can register for the webinar at this link: Webinar: Retraining and Upskilling Workers on Produce Safety Best Practices

Filed Under: Food Safety, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
March 22, 2023

South Jersey Tree Fruit Twilight Meeting – I

April 6 (Thu) @ 7 PM

Gloucester County Govt. Services Building: 1200 N. Delsea Drive, Bldg. # A, Clayton, NJ 08312

Pesticide credits requested: CORE, 1A, PP2, 10

7 pm: Welcome. Notes from Colorado peach meeting: market updates, etc.
Hemant Gohil, Gloucester County Agricultural Agent, Rutgers NJAES

Pesticide Safety and Regulations Update for 2023 (CORE)
George Hamilton, Extension Specialist in Pest Management, Rutgers NJAES

Field observations from the IPM Program
Dave Schmitt, Fruit IPM Program Associate, Rutgers NJAES

Management of Peach Bacterial Spot: Timing Bactericide Sprays to Rainfall Events
Norman Lalancette, Extension Specialist, Tree Fruit Pathology, Rutgers NJAES

Urea Nitrogen Fertilizer and Nickel Nutrition for Orchard Health
Joseph Heckman, Extension Specialist in Soil Fertility, Rutgers NJAES.
Alon Rabinovich, Postdoc Associate, Plant Science Department, Rutgers Uni.

9 pm: Pesticide re-certification credits application and Adjourn

Light fare will be provided. Please call Joan Medany at jmedany@co.gloucester.nj.us or 856-224-8030 if you plan to attend. If additional assistance is needed, please get in touch with Hemant Gohil (Program Organizer) at 856-224-8029 before the meeting.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape Tagged With:
March 21, 2023

Free Webinar: Marketing Your Farm – Agritourism

Wednesday, March 29, 12-1pm Eastern Time

Rutgers Cooperative Extension is partnering with other New England states to deliver agritourism education. A free webinar will be held to help farmers learn the three essential components of marketing your farm, with a focus on agritourism. Myrna Greenfield is the “Top Egg” at Good Egg Marketing and the author of Marketing Your Farm: A practical guide to attracting loyal customers and increasing sales. Ellen Parlee is the co-owner of Parlee Farms in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, which offers pick-your-own fruit and flowers, along with a farmstand, bakery, ice cream stand, animal petting area, and a food trailer for lunch. Ryan Wilson is the co-owner of DeMeritt Hill Farm in Lee, New Hampshire, which offers pick-your-own apples/peaches/blueberries/Xmas trees, hayrides, school tours, special events, Cross Country running, and hiking trails and has a full commercial kitchen. The farm plays host to Torey Roderick Performance Horses and every October, the world-famous Haunted Overload. Lisa Chase from University of Vermont Extension will moderate the session.

To register see: https://uvm-edu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_e3WWWaq9SoaQSR8nVkotdQ

This webinar is free, but registration is required.

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: ,
March 21, 2023

Webinar: Incorporating Classes into Your Agritourism Business

Thursday March 23, 2023 12-1pm Eastern Time

Rutgers Cooperative Extension is partnering on a regional project with other New England Land Grant Universities to offer webinars related to agritourism in the northeast.

Join our speakers for Incorporating Classes into Your Agritourism Business, where they will share their experiences with offering, hosting, and teaching classes. As farm and food business owners, you are experts in your craft and likely face endless questions from customers and the public. Why not use this as an opportunity to offer classes, enabling your customers or the public to learn from your expertise? Classes can be tailored to a variety of topics and activities.

Susan Rigg is the owner of and cheesemaker at Whey River Creamery. Susan offers both introductory and advanced hands-on cheesemaking classes. Michele Capron is the co-owner of Lavender Essentials of Vermont. She offers numerous classes, including lavender wreath creations, cooking with lavender, native tea blending, herb garden, and make it – take it. Deb Hartshorn owns White Picket Farm LLC, offering a variety of class experiences, including soap making, creating terrariums, succulent bowls, and more!

To register go to: https://extension.psu.edu/incorporating-classes-into-your-agritourism-business

This webinar is free, but registration is required. You will need to create an account with Penn State Extension to register for this webinar.

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Organic Production, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , ,