Tree Fruit Edition

Seasonal updates on insects, diseases, weeds, maturity dates and cultural practices impacting only tree fruit.
 
Subscriptions are available via EMAIL and RSS.

Pre-Harvest Drop Control for Apples

Now is the Time to Consider Applying…

Stop Drop PGRs for Early/Mid-Season Apples

As apples mature they produce the hormone ethylene.  Ethylene induces stem loosening which results in pre-harvest drop of apples.

Luckily there are several tools that when applied at optimal times can aid in the management of pre-harvest drop of apples.

*Prior to the application of any product though, remember to read and follow the product label, because the label is the law.

 

ReTain 

Active Ingredient: AVG (aminoethoxyvinylglycine)

This product slows starch disappearance, fruit softening, stem loosening and red color development.

These benefits result in:

Expansion of the harvest window by minimizing pre-harvest drop and retaining fruit firmness.

Enhancement of fruit size since fruit are given more time to hang onto the tree.

Color enhancement due to exposure to improved weather for fruit coloring (warm sunny days and cool nights).

Application Timing: For maximum efficacy ReTain must be applied 4 weeks prior to harvest.

Single Pick Varieties

For single pick early season varieties, establish the ‘usual’ harvest time for the variety, and if the season is running early adjust the date earlier (accordingly).  Once an accurate estimated harvest date is established count back four weeks.  This timepoint plus 7 days is the spray window for ReTain for that variety.

Calculate the spray timing for later season, single pick varieties in a similar way.  However, later varieties generally do not need harvest date adjustment due to seasonal variation in the same way early season varieties do.

Multiple Pick Varieties i.e. Gala and Honeycrisp

Spray timing for these varieties is 7 to 14 days prior to harvest/first pick.  Note that ReTain will not effect the first harvest/pick but will provide stop drop control for later season picks.

Variety Response to ReTain and Rate:

*When applying ReTain be sure to include 100% Organosilicate surfactant @ 12 ounces/100 gallons.

*Ensure there will be 6 hours of drying time after the application.

 

Harvista

Active Ingredient: 1-MCP (1-Methylcyclopropene)

Much like ReTain this product slows starch disappearance, fruit softening, red color development and pre-harvest drop.

It should be applied within 3 days prior to harvest, much closer to the time of harvest than a ReTain application.

This product is a bit more complicated to use in that it must be applied via a proprietary in-line injector system.

NAA (Multiple Formulations)

Active Ingredient: NAA (naphthaleneacetic acid)

This product provides what is considered a rescue treatment for control of fruit drop.

Application Timing: Optimum timing of spray is a couple days prior to harvest.

One application of 10 ppm NAA will provide 7-10 days of drop control.

A two part spray of 10 ppm, one a couple days prior to harvest and a second 5 days later will provide 10-14 days of drop control.

Keep it mind it takes ~2-3 days for the sprays to take effect.

*Apply with a nonionic or organosilicate surfactant.

*Spray when the temperatures are in the mid 70’s.  If the temperature is too hot, fruit ripening can be accelerated.

 

For additional details on utilizing plant growth regulators for harvest management read:

Apple PGRs – Prevention of Preharvest Drop in Apple Orchards – Production and Harvesting – Fruit – Forage and Food Crops (psu.edu)

Fruit IPM for 8/18/21

Grapes:

Drosophilds and Sour Rot: As the sugars start to increase in early verities like Chardonnay, be aware of Spotted Wing Drosophila combined with native fruit fly species. These populations  increase at this time of year and help spread sour rot. Sour rot will only be present when you also have injured fruit. Fruit splits and various insects can help cause that initial injury. It is thought that the spotted wing drosophila (SWD), because of its saw-like ovipositor, can help cause this initial injury, helping to make the fruit more attractive to native drosophilid species.  After injury the fruit serves as a food source for ethanol-producing yeasts and acetic acid producing bacteria, the causal agents of sour rot. This in turn attracts more fruit flies to lay more eggs and spread the decay. Good canopy management for air circulation is useful to reduce sour rot incidence. However, this must be combined with insecticides and antimicrobials. A treatment regime that consists of weekly applications of an insecticide (Mustang Maxx (or other pyrethroid), Malathion, Delegate/Entrust,  + Oxidate 2.0 has been found to be helpful. Other sterilants can also be used. Since it is important to rotate insecticide classes when treating this often, growers should use no pyrethroid or other insecticide class more that 2 times in a row. These treatments should be started before the onset of visible sour rot and fruit fly presence. [Read more…]

Fruit IPM for 8/11/21

Brown Rot: Brown rot pressure remains very high. Make sure to alternate fungicide chemistries or FRAC groups. See page 179 of the Tree Fruit Production Guide for the most effective products and Table 7.7 on page 154 for a summary of fungicide efficacy and FRAC groupings reprinted below: [Read more…]

Chardonnay Wine Tasting and Evaluations Workshop

Wine Tasting and Evaluation of Chardonnay from New Jersey Wineries

August 18th (Wed): 9 am – Noon

@ William Heritage Winery, 480 Mullica Hill Road Mullica Hill, NJ 08062

Participants or Winemakers will be invited to bring their own wine release. Each wine tasting will be followed by discussions on harvest parameters, fermentation methods, materials and techniques, etc. Please read the recap of the past Chardonnay workshop at  https://njvines.rutgers.edu/chardonnay-tasting-workshop-recap/ to get an idea of overview of the program.

Pre-registration Required: Registration is $30 for each attendee. Space is limited to 35 participants.

RSVP to Joan Medany at jmedany@co.gloucester.nj.us or 856-224-8030. Checks can be made payable to Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

If you have any question, please contact program organizer, Hemant Gohil at gohil@njaes.rutgers.edu

Program Coordinators: Hemant Gohil, Gary Pavlis, Megan Muehlbauer, and Daniel Ward.

Sponsored by the New Jersey Center for Wine Research and Education

Fruit IPM For 7/28/21

Peach:

Oriental Fruit Moth: The timing for third brood control is outlined below. In general, most populations are low and not causing problems.

 

OFM 3rd Generation Timing
    Insecticide Type
County/Region Degree Days by  7/27 base 45 Conventional

2100-2200, 2450-2500

Diamide

2025-2150, 2375-2450

Gloucester – Southern 2436 1st – past

2nd – 7/27-7/30

1st – past

2nd – 7/25-7/27

Hunterdon – Northern 2217

 

1st – 7/23-26

2nd – 8/4-8/6

1st – 7/21-25

2nd – 8/3-8/5

  [Read more…]

Fruit IPM for 7/21/21

Apple:

San Jose Scale (SJS): Some damage is being seen in northern county orchards where nymphs are active. Now is the time to the nymphal stage if you have problem populations. High volume applications are required for control since all twigs and surface areas where nymphs are active need to be covered. Esteem, Centaur, Venerate and Diazinon are choices for control. [Read more…]