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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August 10, 2025 and

Early August Nectarine Varieties for New Jersey – Summer Beaut, Sunglo, and Flavortop.

Summer Beaut – A medium to medium-large, ovate, 90-100% scarlet-red over yellow ground color, yellow-fleshed, semi-freestone, nectarine ripening from July 29-Aug 1. The flesh is firm with a good acidic flavor. The tree is moderately vigorous, moderately productive, and seems to fruit more heavily when planted near another variety. It has medium susceptibility to bacterial spot. Summer Beaut always has a few split pits. Table 1 summarizes the physical and chemical properties of nectarine varieties – Summer Beaut, Sunglo, and Flavortop.

 

Sunglo – A medium-large to large, globose to slightly ovate, 80-90% orange-scarlet-red, over yellow-orange ground color, yellow-fleshed, freestone nectarine ripening from August 6-9, or approximately 12 days after Redhaven. The flesh is very firm with a very good to excellent acidic flavor. The tree is moderately vigorous and moderately productive, with high susceptibility to bacterial spot.

Flavortop – A medium to large, ovate to globose, 90-100% crimson-red over greenish-yellow ground color, yellow-fleshed, freestone nectarine ripening from August 4-7, or approximately 10 days after Redhaven. The flesh is firm with a very good acidic flavor. The tree is moderately vigorous and productive, with high susceptibility to bacterial spot.

Articles on peach and nectarine varieties in the previous seasons:

Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Uncategorized, vegetable, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , , , ,
August 7, 2025 , , and

Traceability Rule (Section 204) in the Food Safety Modernization Act Delayed

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed extending the deadline for the traceability rule (Section 204) under the Food Safety Modernization Act until July 2028.  The rule was to go into effect in 2026, but FDA is allowing more time for the industry to comply based on the complexity of the rule.  FDA will publish in the Federal Register the final notices for the extension in the near future.  The extension only relates to implementation.  There are no proposed changes to the rule itself.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, vegetable, Vegetable Crops
July 31, 2025 and

Late July Peach Varieties for New Jersey – New and Standard

EVELYNN is a new, excellent, semi-free stone with a firm, yellow-fleshed peach variety. It is a low-acid, sweet to very sweet peach that ripens with Redhaven. Fruit is large, uniform, and has attractive, complete scarlet coloring, with smooth, low pubescence skin. It retains firmness on trees and during storage for longer than Redhaven, giving extra days for marketing the fruit. This variety is consistently productive and exhibits a low susceptibility to bacterial spot and split pits. Fruit skin doesn’t develop ‘inking’ even when it turns dark red.  Bloom is generally delayed and extended, and, as a result, it produces a normal crop even in the frost years. Few varieties tick as many boxes as Evelynn. The fruit characteristics of Evelynn and other popular varieties in this season are compared in Table 1. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
July 31, 2025 and

Late-July Nectarine Varieties for New Jersey – New and Standard

BRIGANTINE is a new yellow-fleshed nectarine with semi-freestone, ripening July 20-25, just before ‘Summer Beaut’ and ‘Redhaven’. It has a full, glossy scarlet coloring with a slight golden-yellow background. Fruit skin is consistently free from blemishes. It has a nice, sweet, and acidic flavor, and firm, melting flesh. Flesh has traces of red. This is a very productive tree with low susceptibility to bacterial spot, while the fruit has slight to moderate susceptibility to bacterial spot. Fruit hangs well. Fruit characteristics of Brigantine and other late-July nectarines are listed below in Table 1. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
July 29, 2025 , and

Fruit IPM Report July 29, 2025

Peach:

Diseases:  Brown rot: Brown rot is appearing in ripening fruit throughout the state. Highly effective rot materials such as DMI’s (FRAC group 3) and Strobilurins (FRAC group 11) should be applied beginning 3 – 4 weeks prior to harvest. See the NJ Commercial Tree Fruit Production Guide for more information.

Tarnished Plant Bugs; and Other Cat-facing Insects: Cat-facing insects remain active in orchards. The percent fruit injury observed remains low (average <1%).

Oriental Fruit Moth: A biofix point for OFM was set on 4/2 for southern counties and 4/17 in northern counties. See below for timings for third generation.

OFM 3nd Generation Timing
Insecticide Type
County/Region Degree Days by 7/28 base 45 Conventional

2100-2200

2450-2500

 Intrepid/Rimon

2000-2100

2350-2450

 Diamides/Virus

2025-2150

2375-2450
Gloucester – Southern 2691 1st –past

2nd – past

 1st –past

2nd – past

 1st –past

2nd – past
Middlesex – Northern 2490 1st – past

2nd – 7/27-7/29

 1st – past

2nd – 7/24-7/27

 1st – past

2nd – 7/25-7/27

 

Figure 1. San Jose scale crawlers (orange motile insects) on peach. Photo by Dave Schmitt.

Scale Insects: Numbers of scale crawlers on traps in southern county orchards are increasing indicating the second generation has emerged (Figure 1).

Crawler emergence will continue through August. Esteem and Centaur are both good scale materials that 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 Venerate. These products may need more than one application. Venerate is a good option as a pre-harvest treatment with a 0-day PHI.

Japanese Beetles: Japanese beetles and June bugs have been observed feeding on fruit throughout the state. Adults are attracted to ripening fruit. Insecticides that are effective against Japanese beetles and june bugs are products that contain imidacloprid (Admire pro and Leverage 360), Danitol, and Sevin.

Apples and Pears:

Figure 2. Bitter rot infection on maturing apple fruit.

Diseases: Various rots but mostly bitter rot is present in orchards throughout the state (Figure 2).

Research has suggested products such as Merivon, Luna Sensation, Inspire Super, Omega, and Aprovia are effective rot materials to be alternated with broad-spectrum fungicides such as captan and ziram. Phosphorous acid products such as Prophyt or Rampart can be added to captan sprays to improve control.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs: Brown Marmorated Stink bugs are being captured at low levels in orchards statewide. Both adults and nymphs are present. See the NJ Tree Fruit Production guide for effective materials.

Codling Moth (CM): Second generation timings are updated below. Adult male trap captures continue and increased slightly in some southern county orchards last week. Additional applications should be made if trap captures exceed 5 moths/trap.

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 28 N/A N/A past past past past past
Northern  April 30 N/A N/A past past past past past

Scale Insects: See earlier statement on scale insects in peaches.

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

Pest Event or Growth Stage Approximate Date 2025 Observed Date
 Bud Swell (Redhaven/PF-17)  March 23 +/- 15 Days March 30
1/4″ Green Tip Red Delicious March 31 +/- 13 Days March 30
Pink Peach (Redhaven/PF-17) April 4 +/- 15 Days April 1
Tight Cluster Red Delicious April 9 +/- 13 Days April 5
Full Bloom Peach (Redhaven/PF-17) April 9 +/- 14 Days April 10
Pink Apple (Red Delicious) April 14 +/- 12 Days April 16
Full Bloom Apple (Red Delicious) April 22 +/- 11 Days April 25
Petal Fall (Redhaven) April 22 +/- 10 Days April 19
Petal Fall (Red Delicious) April 27 +/- 13 Days May 2
Shuck Split (Redhaven) April 30 +/- 11 Days April 26
Pit Hardening June 15 +/- 9 Days June 15

Tree Fruit Trap Captures – Southern Counties

Week Ending STLM TABM-A CM BMSB OFM-A DWB OFM-P TABM-P LPTB PTB
4/5/2025 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4/12/2025 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0
4/21/2025 0 0 0 0 36 0 1 0 0 0
4/27/2025 25 0 0 0 24 0 5 0 1 0
5/2/2025 517 0 4 0 12 0 6 0 13 0
5/9/2025 159 4 10 0 3 16 5 4 46 0
5/16/2025 91 11 6 0 1 36 2 14 69 0
5/23/2025 299 21 3 0 1 23 1 26 23 0
5/30/2025 399 14 2 0 0 41 1 11 10 3
6/6/2025 733 13 1 0 0 36 2 12 29 1
6/13/2025 684 19 2 1 0 81 2 17 22 8
6/20/2025 724 24 2 0.5 1 60 1 23 19 12
6/27/2025 932 5 1 0.8 1 40 0 5 24 14
7/4/2025 643 0 0 0.75 1 17 0 0 6 16
7/11/2025 194 0 0 0.5 0 18 8 0 24 15
7/18/2025 190 0 0 1 0 16 2 1 5 12
7/25/2025 222 2 1 1.6 0 16 1 2 12 21

Tree Fruit Trap Captures – Northern Counties

Week Ending STLM TABM-A CM BMSB OFM-A DWB OFM-P TABM-P LPTB PTB AMBROSIA BEETLE
4/5/2025 387 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4/21/2025 435 0 0 0 0 0 1.3 0 0 0 0
4/27/2025 26 0 0 0 0 0 25 0 0 0 72
5/2/2025 86 0 0.33 0 72.5 0 47.2 0 0 0 136
5/9/2025 56 0 5.3 0 58.8 0 22.9 0 0 0 145
5/16/2025 13.75 2.6 7.3 0 4 0 5 0 0 0 50.5
5/23/2025 4.8 10.3 10.5 0 0.6 31.25 4.2 0 14.6 1 22.2
5/30/2025 2.2 4.8 1.8 0 0 12.4 9.6 0 9.6 1.9 22.1
6/6/2025 3 4.83 2.8 0.25 0 20 4.1 0 21.2 1.8 40.3
6/13/2025 65 20 11.4 0.6 0 12.3 4 0 10.5 1.5 59.2
6/20/2025 26 26 8 0.75 1 13 4.5 0 11 0.75 52
6/27/2025 145 19 6 1.3 6 35 5.4 0 16 1.6 38
7/4/2025 212 6 3 0.6 12.5 40 2 0 8.4 1.1 27
7/11/2025 125 2.5 0.5 0.14 5 41 3 0 20 4.5 48
7/18/2025 64 0.5 0.4 0.16 2 42 2 0 8.4 1.9 64
7/25/2025 110.5 0.4 2.3 0.24 7.5 44 4 0 6.8 12.2 69

Grape: Grapes are beginning veraison in southern counties. Third generation grape berry moths are actively flying and larvae have been observed feeding in grape bunches.

Figure 3. Downy mildew on the underside of a grape leaf.

Refer to the Commercial Grape Pest Control Recommendations for New Jersey for management options. Spotted lanternfly adults are now being reported in vineyards in southern NJ. Japanese beetles are actively feeding on foliage. Stink bugs have also been observed in vineyards in southern counties. Disease management continues to focus on downy mildew (Figure 3).

Blueberry: Spotted-wing drosophila trap captures remain high at an average of 52 males and 35 in Atlantic and Burlington Counties, respectively. Treatments for spotted-wing drosophila should continue on a 7-day schedule where susceptible fruit remain in the field. For management recommendations, refer to Commercial Blueberry Pest Control Recommendations for New Jersey. For weekly reports on blueberry pests and recommendations read the Rutgers Blueberry Bulletin.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Fruit, Tree Fruit, Wine Grape
July 22, 2025 and

Mid-July Nectarine Varieties for NJ – Silvergem, Silverglo, Easternglo, and Avalon

There are four excellent, yellow and white-fleshed nectarine varieties harvested during mid-July. These varieties were developed at the Rutgers Fruit Breeding program and evaluated over the years at multiple Southern New Jersey locations. The ripening days could be a few days later for central and northern New Jersey. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blueberry, Cranberry, Fruit, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , , ,