Rutgers Cooperative Extension
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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Learn more about the weed nutsedge and appropriate management strategies based on the plants growth preferences and dislikes. These resources can be used to develop a short and long term management plan for nutsedge control. Visit the NJAES Weed Management YouTube playlist for a video presentation or download our nutsedge decision tool fact sheet. These resources are one of a five-part weed management series funded by USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant AM190100.
Peach:
Oriental Fruit Moth: A biofix point for OFM was set on 4/11 in southern counties, and on 4/14 in northern counties. The third generation timings are updated below.
| Insecticide Type | |||
| County/Region | Degree Days by 7/28 base 45 | Conventional
2000-2100 2350-2450 |
Diamide
2025–2150 2375-2450 |
| Gloucester – Southern | 2437 | 1st –past
2nd –7/26-7/28 |
1st –past
2nd –7/26-7/28 |
| Middlesex – Northern | 2394 | 1st –past
2nd –7/27-7/30 |
1st –past
2nd –7/27-7/30 |
Japanese Beetles: Japanese beetles have emerged and have been observed in some orchards. Products containing imidacloprid (Admire Pro, Leverage, etc.) are effective and have a short preharvest interval. Danitol is also very effective. and See the Tree Fruit Production guide for more information.
Tarnished Plant Bugs; and Other Catfacing Insects: Catfacing insect activity is increasing with the arrival of hot weather and is present at moderate to high levels in some orchards.
Scale Insects: Second generation crawler emergence has started for both San Jose and White Peach scale and will last well into August. White Peach scale has a third generation in September and San Jose scale may have a third generation in October. Esteem and Centaur are both good scale materials. Esteem and Centaur should be applied at the start of crawler emergence. These materials should only need one application. Other options include: Assail, Belay, Actara (Group 4A): Closer (Group 4C); Sivanto (Group 4D) and the bioinsecticide Venerate. These products may need more than one application, typically 2 applications bracketing peak crawler emergence which should occur between the first and third week of August. Only Venerate has a 0 day PHI, making it useful for blocks near or at harvest. Diazinon is also still labelled for peach and apple: for San Jose Scale, it is labeled at a rate of 1#/100 with a 21 day PHI for both peach and apple; for White Peach Scale it is labeled at a rate of 1.5-2#/100 for post-harvest application only. The label requires 14 days between applications. These products may need more than one application, typically 2 applications bracketing peak crawler emergence which should occur between the first and third week of August.
Apples and Pears:
Diseases: Summer scab, rots and sooty blotch and fly speck are the main targets at this stage. Where scab is present rely primarily on protectant fungicides. Last year Captan plus a phosphorous acid like Prophyt was observed to slow scab development as well as provide good summer disease control. Bitter Rot symptoms are now appearing in susceptible varieties.
Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs: Brown Marmorated Stink bugs are present at low to moderate levels in orchards statewide. See the NJ Tree Fruit Production guide for effective materials.
Codling Moth (CM): Timings for the second generation are updated below. A biofix was set for CM on April 25th in southern counties, and May 6 in Northern counties (Middlesex County). Estimated timings for the second generation are updated below.
| Codling Moth Degree Day Timing | ||||||
| Application and Insecticide Type | ||||||
| County Area | Biofix | Intrepid; Diamides – Altacor, Voliam mixes:
1150-1200 + 1450-1500 DD
|
Cyd-X, 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 + 1550-1600 DD
|
||
| DD | 1150-1200 | 1450-1500 | 1250 | 1250 | 1550-1600 | |
| Southern | April 25 | Past | Past | Past | Past | Past |
| Northern | May 6 | Past | past | Past | Past | Past |
Scale Insects: For San Jose scale see the peach section above.
Grape
Bunch Rots: Grapes are beginning veraison in southern counties. Disease management continues to focus on downy and powdery mildew and and now also turns to bunch rot management. Refer to the NJ Commercial Grape Production Guide as well as the linked presentation from Dr. Nita in Virginia.
Grape Berry Moth: The next timing for Grape Berry Moth will be on or about 7/24 for Intrpeid or Diamides, or a few days later for other insecticides.
Japanese Beetles: Japanese beetle pressure is high compared to other years. Many insecticides are effective for JB. See the NJ Commercial Grape Production Guide for more information.
Tree Fruit Trap Counts – Southern Counties
| Weekending | STLM | TABM-A | CM | BMSB | OFM-A | DWB | OFM-P | TABM-P | LPTB | PTB |
| 4/9/2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 4/16/2022 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |||||||
| 4/23/2022 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 4/30/2022 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 5/7/2022 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 50 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 5/14/2022 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 5/21/2022 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 2 | 7 | 3 | |||
| 5/28/2022 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 36 | |||
| 6/4/2022 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 49 | 0 | ||
| 6/11/2022 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 36 | 0 | 8 | 47 | 3 | |
| 6/18/2022 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 62 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 1 | |
| 6/25/2022 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 |
| 7/2/2022 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 |
| 7/9/2022 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 6 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 |
| 7/16/2022 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 |
| 7/23/2022 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
Tree Fruit Trap Counts – Northern Counties
| Weekending | STLM | TABM-A | CM | BMSB | OFM-A | DWB | OFM-P | TABM-P | LPTB | PTB |
| 4/9/2022 | ||||||||||
| 4/16/2022 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| 4/23/2022 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| 4/30/2022 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 0 | ||||||
| 5/7/2022 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||||||
| 5/14/2022 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 5/21/2022 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 27 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 0 | |
| 5/28/2022 | 34 | 19 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 23 | 15 | 0 | |
| 6/4/2022 | 17 | 21 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 27 | 17 | 0 | |
| 6/11/2022 | 22 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 9 | 0 | |
| 6/18/2022 | 66 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 27 | 7 | 0 |
| 6/25/2022 | 58 | 21 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 4 | 0 |
| 7/2/2022 | 55 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 1 |
| 7/9/2022 | 60 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 7/16/2022 | 64 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 7/23/2022 | 97 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Pest Event or Growth Stage | Approximate Date | 2022 Observed Date |
| Bud Swell (Redhaven) | March 23 +/- 15 Days | March 20 |
| 1/4″ Green Tip Red Delicious | March 31 +/- 13 Days | March 21 |
| Pink Peach (Redhaven) | April 4 +/- 15 Days | March 31 |
| Tight Cluster Red Delicious | April 9 +/- 13 Days | March 31 |
| Full Bloom Peach (Redhaven) | April 9 +/- 14 Days | April 10 |
| Pink Apple (Red Delicious) | April 14 +/- 12 Days | April 14 |
| Full Bloom Apple (Red Delicious) | April 22 +/- 11 Days | April 21 |
| Petal Fall (Redhaven) | April 22 +/- 10 Days | April 14 |
| Petal Fall (Red Delicious) | April 27 +/- 13 Days | May 3 |
| Shuck Split (Redhaven) | April 30 +/- 11 Days | April 26 |
| Pit Hardening | June 15 +/- 9 Days | June 10 |
Drought conditions continue to stress crops in South-Central counties and a significant portion of northern NJ. Although the US Drought Monitor indicates conditions are only in the abnormally dry category, local conditions along the Pilesgrove-Upper Pittsgrove border west of the Salem River and adjoining areas of Gloucester County are experiencing moderate drought conditions in some fields; but not others due to the sporadic precipitation paths of recent storms. All stages of corn and soybeans in affected fields are showing signs of yield reduction due to disruption of pollination and seed set.
The USGS Below Normal 7-Day Average Streamflow Condition Map more accurately reflects a moderate hydrologic drought (darker orange colored area). A significant portion of the region has seen below normal precipitation for the past seven days. A streamflow which is less than the 25 percentile is considered below normal. The darker orange shaded areas of South-Central NJ of the USGS map represents 6-9 percentile stream flow activity.
Another way to observe increasing crop stress is to look at the cubic feet per second discharge of streams in the area since planting season. As seen in this graph of the Maurice River at Norma, NJ, current stream level discharge is well below the median daily discharge value over the past 88 years.
For information on USDA available drought related programs by commodity, see the poster:
Click to access farmersgov-disaster-assistance-brochure-07-21-2022.pdf
Over the past two years in-person trainings for pesticide applicators to obtain recertification credits have been a challenge. To educate licensed pesticide applicators and help them to receive credits, a 3-hour seminar will be held on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 from 9:00AM to 12:00PM at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension office in Gloucester County, 254 County House Rd, Clarksboro, NJ 08020. The meeting will be in the Sullivan Room auditorium. Attendees can enter through the ramp on the far right side of the main building.
Presenter: Michelle Infante-Casella, Agricultural Agent
Schedule:
9:00 AM……………..Pesticide Storage Facilities and Pesticide Disposal
10:00 AM……………Pesticide Record Keeping, Notification, and Posting
10:30 AM……………Insect Identification and Life Cycles for Proper Control Strategies in Landscapes, Turf, and Farm Fields
11:00 AM…………….Weed Identification: Annuals and Perennials: Know Your Weeds in Landscapes, Turf and Farm Fields
11:30 AM…………….Common Plant Diseases of Major Crop/Plant Groups
12:00 PM …………….Pesticide Credits and Adjourn
The following credits have been assigned by NJ DEP:
3 – CORE Credits
3 – PP2 Credits
3 – 3A Credits
3 – 3B Credits
3 – 1A Credits
Call 856-224-8040 ext. 1 or email jmedany@co.gloucester.nj.us to pre-register or for more information.
There is a $50.00 fee per participant. Only checks or cash will be accepted. Please make checks payable to “Rutgers the State Univ. of NJ”
Pre-registration is appreciated, and walk-in participants are welcome and can pay at the door. To find more information see: https://go.rutgers.edu/Oct18PesticideSeminar
On July 18, 2022 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking to extend the compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water provisions as outlined in the recent 2021 agricultural water proposed rule.
The 2021 agricultural water proposed rule, if finalized, will require farms to conduct annual systems-based agricultural water assessments to determine and guide appropriate measures to minimize potential risks associated with pre-harvest agricultural water. The FDA is now proposing extended compliance dates for those proposed pre-harvest requirements and is also providing clarifying information about the enforcement discretion policy for the harvest and post-harvest agricultural water requirements.
The supplemental rulemaking proposes to establish the following compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water requirements for covered produce other than sprouts:
Note: These compliance dates only go into effect when the rule is finalized which we have no information when that will occur!
Compliance Dates for Harvest and Post-Harvest Agricultural Water Requirements
The 2021 pre-harvest agricultural water proposed rule did not propose substantive changes to the harvest and post-harvest agricultural water requirements in the Produce Safety Rule; however, the FDA recognizes that prior to the proposal, stakeholders did not have clarity on whether FDA might propose to change the harvest and post-harvest agricultural water requirements. In addition, the FDA recognizes that adequate training and technical assistance are needed to fully recognize the benefits of the harvest and post-harvest requirements. Therefore, we intend to continue enforcement discretion for the harvest and post-harvest agricultural water requirements of the Produce Safety regulation until the following dates:
We are reopening the comment period only with respect to the proposed compliance dates for the pre-harvest agricultural water provisions until September 19, 2022. Comments should be submitted to docket FDA-2021-N-0471 on Regulations.gov.
As has been done with other FSMA rules, the FDA plans to take an “educate before and while we regulate” posture as we begin implementing the harvest and post-harvest requirements. For the first year of compliance, the FDA intends to work closely with state, other regulatory, and industry partners to advance training, technical assistance, educational visits and on-farm readiness reviews to prepare both growers and state regulators for implementing these provisions prior to initiating routine inspections verifying compliance. The FDA will provide further communications as additional resources become available.
Additional Information
Peach:
Oriental Fruit Moth: A biofix point for OFM was set on 4/11 in southern counties, and on 4/14 in northern counties. The third generation timings are updated below.
| Insecticide Type | |||
| County/Region | Degree Days by 7/8 base 45 | Conventional
2000-2100 2350-2450 |
Diamide
2025–2150 2375-2450 |
| Gloucester – Southern | 1772 | 1st –7/16-7/18
2nd –7/26-7/28 |
1st –7/16-7/19
2nd –7/26-7/28 |
| Middlesex – Northern | 1701 | 1st –7/17-7/20
2nd –7/26-7/28 |
1st –7/17-7/21
2nd –7/26-7/28 |
Japanese Beetles: Japanese beetles have emerged and have been observed in some orchards. Products containing imidacloprid (Admire Pro, etc.) are effective and have a short preharvest interval. See the Tree Fruit Production guide for more information.
Tarnished Plant Bugs; and Other Catfacing Insects: Catfacing insect activity is increasing with the arrival of hot weather and is present at moderate to high levels in some orchards.
Scale Insects: First generation San Jose Scale crawler emergence is over. The next crawler emergence will start in late mid to late July for both San Jose and White Peach scale and will last well into August. White Peach scale has a third generation in September and San Jose scale may have a third generation in October. Esteem, Centaur and Movento are all good scale materials. Esteem and Centaur should be applied at the start of crawler emergence. Movento should be applied before the start of the crawler emergence and needs to be applied with a penetrant. Observations over the years indicate that Movento may not work well as we move into late summer especially on Pome Fruit. Other options include the neonicitinoids (Assail, Belay, Actara), Closer, Sivanto and Venerate. Some may need more than one application.
Apples and Pears:
Diseases: Summer scab, rots and sooty blotch and fly speck are the main targets at this stage. Where scab is present rely primarily on protectant fungicides. Last year Captan plus a phosphorous acid like Prophyt was observed to slow scab development as well as provide good summer disease control. Bitter Rot symptoms are now appearing in susceptible varieties.
Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs: Brown Marmorated Stink bugs are present at low to moderate levels in orchards statewide. See the NJ Tree Fruit Production guide for effective materials.
Codling Moth (CM): Timings for the second generation are updated below. A biofix was set for CM on April 25th in southern counties, and May 6 in Northern counties (Middlesex County). Estimated timings for the second generation are updated below.
| Codling Moth Degree Day Timing | ||||||
| Application and Insecticide Type | ||||||
| County Area | Biofix | Intrepid; Diamides – Altacor, Voliam mixes:
1150-1200 + 1450-1500 DD
|
Cyd-X, 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 + 1550-1600 DD
|
||
| DD | 1150-1200 | 1450-1500 | 1250 | 1250 | 1550-1600 | |
| Southern | April 25 | Past | 7/15-7/17 | Past | Past | 7/19-7/21 |
| Northern | May 6 | Past | 7/17-7/19 | Past | Past | 7/21-7/23 |
Scale Insects: For San Jose scale see the peach section above.
Grape
Grape Berry Moth: The next timing for Grape Berry Moth will be on or about 5/24 for Intrpeid or Diamides, or a few days later for other insecticides.
Japanese Beetles: Japanese beetle pressure is high compared to other years. Many insecticides are effective for JB. See the NJ Commercial Grape Production Guide for more information.
Tree Fruit Trap Counts – Southern Counties
| Weekending | STLM | TABM-A | CM | BMSB | OFM-A | DWB | OFM-P | TABM-P | LPTB | PTB |
| 4/9/2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 4/16/2022 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |||||||
| 4/23/2022 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 4/30/2022 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 5/7/2022 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 50 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 5/14/2022 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 5/21/2022 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 2 | 7 | 3 | |||
| 5/28/2022 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 36 | |||
| 6/4/2022 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 49 | 0 | ||
| 6/11/2022 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 36 | 0 | 8 | 47 | 3 | |
| 6/18/2022 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 62 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 1 | |
| 6/25/2022 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 |
| 7/2/2022 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 |
| 7/9/2022 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 6 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 |
| 7/16/2022 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 |
Tree Fruit Trap Counts – Northern Counties
| Weekending | STLM | TABM-A | CM | BMSB | OFM-A | DWB | OFM-P | TABM-P | LPTB | PTB |
| 4/9/2022 | ||||||||||
| 4/16/2022 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| 4/23/2022 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| 4/30/2022 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 | 0 | ||||||
| 5/7/2022 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||||||
| 5/14/2022 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 5/21/2022 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 27 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 0 | |
| 5/28/2022 | 34 | 19 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 23 | 15 | 0 | |
| 6/4/2022 | 17 | 21 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 27 | 17 | 0 | |
| 6/11/2022 | 22 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 9 | 0 | |
| 6/18/2022 | 66 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 27 | 7 | 0 |
| 6/25/2022 | 58 | 21 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 4 | 0 |
| 7/2/2022 | 55 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 1 |
| 7/9/2022 | 60 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 7/16/2022 | 64 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Pest Event or Growth Stage | Approximate Date | 2022 Observed Date |
| Bud Swell (Redhaven) | March 23 +/- 15 Days | March 20 |
| 1/4″ Green Tip Red Delicious | March 31 +/- 13 Days | March 21 |
| Pink Peach (Redhaven) | April 4 +/- 15 Days | March 31 |
| Tight Cluster Red Delicious | April 9 +/- 13 Days | March 31 |
| Full Bloom Peach (Redhaven) | April 9 +/- 14 Days | April 10 |
| Pink Apple (Red Delicious) | April 14 +/- 12 Days | April 14 |
| Full Bloom Apple (Red Delicious) | April 22 +/- 11 Days | April 21 |
| Petal Fall (Redhaven) | April 22 +/- 10 Days | April 14 |
| Petal Fall (Red Delicious) | April 27 +/- 13 Days | May 3 |
| Shuck Split (Redhaven) | April 30 +/- 11 Days | April 26 |
| Pit Hardening | June 15 +/- 9 Days | June 10 |
NJAES Event Calendar
