Rutgers Tree Fruit Breeding program, spearheaded by Dr. Joseph Gofredda, continues to release new varieties, giving growers more options to choose from. Five new and exciting Peach and Nectarine varieties were developed after extensive multi-year evaluations at several location in New Jersey, representing different agro-climates. Additionally, three-year post-harvest evaluations of fruit quality were performed at Pomology Lab at Rutgers Agriculture Research and Extension Center (RAREC) in Bridgeton. Fruit and tree characteristics of these new peach and nectarine varieties are described below. [Read more…]
Fruit Crops Edition - Cranberry Section
Seasonal updates on diseases, insects, weeds impacting small fruit (blueberry, cranberry, and wine grape). Fruit Pest Alerts are also available via this category feed.
Subscription is through the general Fruit feed available via EMAIL and RSS.
October 31, 2018 Hemant Gohil
Time to Hill-Up your Grapevines is NOW!
Winter injury is a crucial limiting factor to wine grape production in the New Jersey. Following the harsh winter of 2013-14, almost 85% of vineyards reported various degrees of cold damage. Often, the cold injury results in the development of Crown gall disease, which causes gall formation around the trunk and graft unions, which can lead to vine decline or death. One particularly useful way to reduce winter injury is to protect the graft union from the cold by covering, or Hilling-up, the base of the vines with soil to protect the graft union. Right time to hill-up is after the harvest and before the ground is hard frozen – that is now!
Factsheet 1264 https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1264/ details the following important aspects of hilling-up to protect the graft union from cold damage.
- The principle of Hilling-up – How the soil works, both as a thermal mass that holds the heat and insulator that slows heat loss.
- How to perform effective hilling-up using available and specialized implements.
- Cost benefits of using the implements.
- Challenges such as, timing, preventing damage to the drip lines and to trunks during hilling-up; and how to address those challenges.
- The process of hilling down in the spring to prevent root formation above the graft union and proper weed management.
August 30, 2018 Thierry Besancon
Fall control of perennial weeds with herbicides
Late summer and fall are perfect times to work on tough-to-control perennial weeds such as Virginia creeper vine, bindweed, green-brier, Canada thistle, goldenrod, and poison ivy. These perennials are among the most difficult weeds to eradicate, especially because of their ability to generate new shoots from their root systems. Successful management strategies will mostly rely on herbicide that can move from the leaf to the below-ground plant parts. Timely initial application and consistency at controlling any regrowth with follow-up spot treatments are crucial for long-term control of these weeds.
Field bindweed (upper left), goldenrod (lower left) and green-brier (right) are some tough weed species of NJ blueberry and will warrant extra time for achieving successful control
Glyphosate (Roundup or other generic products) is the only postemergence herbicide labeled on blueberry that can provide good control of perennial weeds. Late summer and fall are good times for applying glyphosate as plant sap movement is mostly directed toward the roots where nutrients will be stored in anticipation of next season. Therefore, large volume of glyphosate can easily be translocated from the leaves to the roots, improving the efficiency of the herbicide at killing below-ground storage organs. It is VERY IMPORTANT for glyphosate to be applied when weed leaves are still green before fall colors appear.
Use extreme care not to contact crop green tissues (stems and leaves) with glyphosate. Glyphosate absorbed by crop green leaves and bark moves within the plant and can severely damage or kill above-ground and below-ground parts of annual crop and perennial treess. Weeds such as bindweed, Virginia creeper, and greenbrier may need to be pulled out of the trees so they can be treated safely. This may seem too slow to be practical, but consider what these weeds cost in lost income. For example, blueberry bushes covered by Virginia creeper vine may yield just 20% of their potential. This easily equates to a $5 to $10 loss per bush. The loss is incurred each year and increases as the vines spread to neighboring bushes. Investing 15 minutes to carefully pull vines out of that bush and safely treat them on the ground is money well spent.
Glyphosate should be applied through low pressure spot treatment to limit drift movements. Glyphosate absorption will be improved if ammonium sulfate (17 lbs / 100 gal water) is added to your spray mixture. For effective control, at least 50% of the foliage should be wet with glyphosate applied as a 2% solution (see your product’s label for rate necessary to reach this concentration).
Consider also “cut stump” applications for Virginia creeper or poison ivy that have large diameter stems. Apply a 2% glyphosate solution to the cambium (inner bark area) IMMEDIATELY after cutting the stem. Don’t let time for cutting to dry as this would prevent glyphosate absorption and translocation to below-ground plant parts.
Always apply glyphosate on weeds that are actively growing and not under drought stress.
Always refer to the commercial product label for rates and additional information.
August 1, 2018 Cesar Rodriguez-Saona
Upcoming Event – ACGA Summer Meeting
Event: American Cranberry Growers Association 2018 Summer Field Day
Date: Friday August 17, 2018
Location: Rutgers P.E. Marucci Center for Blueberry & Cranberry Research & Extension, Chatsworth, NJ
AGENDA
CRANBERRY BOGS:
8:30–8:45 Opening Remarks
Shawn Cutts, President, American Cranberry Growers Association
8:45–9:10 Crop Phytotoxicity and Weed Control with Prospective Pre-emergence Herbicides for Cranberry (Bog 3)
Thierry Besancon and Baylee L. Carr, P.E. Marucci Center for Blueberry & Cranberry Research & Extension, Rutgers University, Chatsworth, NJ
9:10–9:35 Mitigation of the Ill Effects of Liquid Fertilizer with Lime Applications: Preliminary Results (Bog 5)
Nicholi Vorsa and Jennifer Johnson-Cicalese, P.E. Marucci Center for Blueberry & Cranberry Research & Extension, Rutgers University, Chatsworth, NJ
9:35-10:00 New fungicides and cultural methods for improving fruit quality (Bog 7)
Peter Oudemans, Timothy Waller, Dave Jones, Jacob Armitage, John Jensen, Dan Flath and Chris Constantelos. P.E. Marucci Center for Blueberry & Cranberry Research & Extension, Rutgers University, Chatsworth, NJ
10:00–10:25 Evaluation of Fungicide Treatments on Fruit Rot Resistant Cranberry Selections (Bog 11)
Jennifer Johnson-Cicalese, Timothy Waller, Peter Oudemans, and Nicholi Vorsa, P.E. Marucci Center for Blueberry & Cranberry Research & Extension, Rutgers University, Chatsworth, NJ
10:25–10:50 On-going Research on Sucking Insect Pests (Bog 19)
Cesar Rodriguez-Saona, Department of Entomology, Rutgers University; Vera Kyryczenko-Roth, P.E. Marucci Center; and Robert Holdcraft, P.E. Marucci Center, Chatsworth, NJ
CONFERENCE ROOM:
11:10-11-20 Cranberry Statistics
Bruce A Eklund, State Statistician, U.S. Department of Agriculture | National Agricultural Statistics Service
11:20–11:40 Advances in Cranberry Genomics
James Polashock, Research Plant Pathologist, USDA-ARS
11:40–12:00 Cranberry Fruit Chemistry and Potential Effects on Disease
Nicholi Vorsa, Jennifer Johnson-Cicalese, Karen DeStefano and Susan Vancho, P.E. Marucci Center for Blueberry & Cranberry Research & Extension, Rutgers University, Chatsworth, NJ
POLE BARN:
12:00–1:00 LUNCH
CONFERENCE ROOM:
1:00-3:00 Lab Tours (Optional)
July 15, 2018 Cesar Rodriguez-Saona
Root-feeding Pests of Cranberries
If your beds have damage caused by root-feeding insects, you should consider treatment with Imidacloprid (e.g. Admire Pro, Alias 4F, Alias
Symptoms caused by grub injury in cranberries
2F) after bees are removed. Occurrence of root-feeding insects will manifest by the presence of dead patches (see picture). Pull dead vines and search through the root zone and soil for grubs and worms. Admire Pro (imidacloprid) is labeled for the control of cranberry rootworm, white grubs (Phyllophaga spp.), and other scarabs in cranberries.
White grubs, Phyllophaga spp. There are several species of white grubs that infest cranberries in New Jersey, the most abundant being P. georgiana. Grubs are C-shaped and often found near bog margins. Adults are reddish brown and nocturnal. Grubs attack the cranberry roots; adults have not been reported to feed on cranberries. See pictures of grubs and grub damage in cranberries. The life cycles and abundance of white grub species in New Jersey is not well known. Most likely, Phyllophaga grubs have a 3-year life cycle (based on previous reports and our own observations). Eggs are laid in late-June and July, and will hatch in July. First instars can be found in late-July and August and turn into second instars by the end of August-September. The second instar grubs will overwinter. These grubs will feed the following year until June and molt to third instars, which will overwinter. The following year, the third instars will feed for some time and then begin to pupate in June. Pupation will take place in July-August. Adults will appear in the soil in August-September. Adults will remain in the soil and overwinter. They will emerge in June, mate, and begin to lay eggs, completing the cycle.
Phyllophaga grubs
Cranberry rootworm (Chrysomelidae). Pupation starts in late May and beetles emerge in early June. Adults are nocturnal and hide in leaf litter. Adults can be easily picked up in a sweep net. Females feed on foliage before laying eggs. Young larvae will feed on roots, feeding continues until October. The mature larvae move down the soil in the fall to overwinter. Holding of the water will delay onset of pupation. Rootworm has a 1-year life cycle. Entomopathogenic nematodes (Heterorhabditis bacteriophora) can be used to control cranberry rootworm.
Use of Imidacloprid. If treatment is needed, use imidacloprid (Admire Pro or other generic insecticides such as Alias 4F) to control white grubs and rootworms. Imidacloprid works best against early- (1st-2nd) instar grubs. Imidacloprid should be used after bees are taken out of beds. Because of the 3-year life cycle, treatment should be continued for 2-3 consecutive years to ensure control. Imidacloprid (active ingredient) is a neonicotinoid insecticide registered for use in cranberries against cranberry rootworm and scarab grubs. This insecticide is a contact and stomach poison that affects the insect nervous system. It is highly systemic and toxic to honey bees; therefore, can be used only as a post-pollination insecticide. Imidacloprid can be applied by ground or by chemigation. Aerial application of this product is prohibited. Imidacloprid has a long residual activity (> 100 days) as long as the insecticide is not directly exposed to the sun. Admire Pro can be used at 7-14 fl oz/acre. A maximum of 14 fl oz of Admire Pro can be used per acre per season. The PHI is 30 days.
July 4, 2018 Cesar Rodriguez-Saona
Post-bloom Insect Pest Control Recommendations
As we approach the end of bloom, growers should consider the need for any post-bloom applications. The main pest targets for these applications are mainly Sparganothis fruitworm and spotted fireworm.
Sparganothis fruitworm (SPARG) – If your farm has high pheromone trap counts, you should consider managing this pest as soon as bees are removed. The timing for this 1st post-pollination spray is at 2 weeks after peak pheromone trap catches, which usually coincides with this time of the year.
Spotted fireworm (SFW) – SFW is one of the most important pests in New Jersey. Male SFW moth catches typically peak in the second through third week in June. Although trap catches give an indication of population size, these numbers not always correlate with numbers of egg masses. This insect becomes a problem in “weedy” beds because female moths lay their eggs predominantly on weeds. Thus, growers need to monitor for the presence of SFW egg masses on weeds (broadleaf species and grasses). Keeping beds clean from weeds will keep this insect under control. Egg masses should be hatching by now. SFW larvae from this generation feed on foliage as well as fruit.
Control Options – Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs) (e.g. Intrepid and Confirm) are effective against SPARG. Alternatively, if you have used IGRs intensively (e.g. last year and this year as a pre-bloom or bloom spray), and would like to rotate with other chemistries, you may want to use Altacor, Delegate, or the broad-spectrum insecticides Diazinon, Imidan, or Lorsban. Broad-spectrum insecticides are also a choice if you have high blunt-nosed leafhopper populations (see below) because Intrepid, Delegate, and Altacor will have no effect against this insect. IF YOU ARE AN OCEAN SPRAY (OS) GROWER PLEASE CHECK RESTRICTIONS ON THE USE OF THESE INSECTICIDES. Lorsban in particular can’t be used by OS growers after bloom due to maximum residue limits (MRLs) for exporting cranberries. If you are an OS grower and want to use a post-bloom application to control SPARG then Delegate, Altacor, Diazinon (no aerial application allowed), or Imidan would be your options.
Blunt-nosed leafhoppers– The best timing for controlling blunt-nosed leafhoppers is before bloom when they are immatures. At this time of the year, most of the population are adults and already laying eggs. If you did not spray before bloom and have a high leafhopper population, you may consider a post-bloom application to prevent from an increase in population size. You may also consider spraying next year to control for those immatures that will emerge from the already laid eggs. I list the best products against leafhoppers. As indicated above, if you are an OS grower please check insecticide use restrictions based MRLs.
Recommendations for leafhopper control
