Fruit IPM Report July 14, 2025

Peach:

Figure 1. Early cat-facing injury on peach.

Brown rot: Most growers should be relying on a captan based program for mid-season covers, followed by better materials during the last 3 weeks pre-harvest. For reference see Dr. Norm Lalancette’s post Improving Your Late Season Peach Brown Rot Control Program — Plant & Pest Advisory.   

Tarnished Plant Bugs; and Other Cat-facing Insects: Tarnished plant bug and stink bugs are active and present at moderate to high levels in some orchards. The percent fruit injury observed remains low (average <1%) but has increased from previous weeks (Figure 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.

Scale Insects: Second generation White Peach Scale crawlers should emerge sometime this week or next. Second generation San Jose Scale crawlers emerge about 7/17 +/- 8 days. Esteem is a good scale material that has a 14-day PHI for stone fruit. Centaur is also effective, has a 14-day PHI and can be used only once during the growing season. Venerate has shown efficacy as a pre-harvest treatment against scale and has a 0-day PHI. If using Venerate to control scale insects, make 2 applications 7 days apart starting a week after crawler emergence.

Japanese Beetles: Japanese beetle activity has increased in orchards throughout the state. Products containing imidacloprid are standard insecticides for Japanese beetle control and have a short PHI. See the NJ Commercial Tree Fruit Production Guide for more information.

Apples and Pears:

Diseases: Now that primary scab has ended, the focus turns toward summer diseases such as fruit rots (esp. Bitter rot), and sooty blotch and fly speck. Bitter rot control has been difficult at best in recent years even where management programs have been rigorous. Research has suggested products such as Merivon, Luna Sensation, Inspire Super, Omega, and Aprovia may be effective, and longtime reliable broad-spectrum fungicides such as captan and ziram should provide control. Experience has suggested that the addition of phosphorous acid products such as Prophyt or Rampart to captan sprays may improve control. Observations are that these products improve control of other summer diseases such as sooty blotch and flyspeck, and may help suppress scab infections where present. Fungicides should be applied every 10-14 days, or consider reapplication after 2 inches of rainfall. Bitter rot symptoms have been observed in both southern and northern counties.

Figure 2. Adult Brown marmorated stink bug in apple. 

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs: Brown Marmorated Stink bugs are being captured at low levels in orchards statewide. Both adults and nymphs are present (Figure 2). See the NJ Tree Fruit Production guide for effective materials.

Codling Moth (CM): Second generation timings are updated below. Trap counts and emergence are low. Therefore, if you have applied your 2nd generation insecticides and your trap counts are low (less than 5 moths per trap), additional treatments are not needed.

Scale Insects: Second generation San Jose Scale should emerge about mid-July. Options include Esteem (2 applications/year; 45-day PHI); Centaur (1 application/year; 14-day PHI); Diazinon 50W (2 applications/year; 21-day PHI); Venerate (0-day PHI; Make two applications 7 days apart starting a week after crawler emergence).

Pear: Pear psylla nymphs have been observed in high numbers feeding on new growth in some orchards. Options for control include Movento (IRAC group 23), spinosyn products such as Delegate (IRAC group 5), and the neonicotinoids (IRAC group 4A).

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

Tree Fruit Trap Captures – Southern Counties

Tree Fruit Trap Captures – Northern Counties

Grape: The next timing for Grape Berry Moth will be on or about 7/22 for Intrepid or Diamides, or a few days later for other insecticides based on the biofix of May 19 in southern counties.

Figure 3. Downy mildew on grape.

Treatments for the third generation are at an accumulation of 1620 degree days (base 47.14). Spotted lanternfly adults were reported last week in vineyards in southern NJ. See this previous Plant & Pest Advisory post on Management of Spotted Lanternfly in New Jersey Vineyards. Also, Japanese beetle pressure is increasing in vineyards throughout the state. See the NJ Commercial Grape Production Guide for more information on insecticides effective for JB.

Diseases: Wet, warm and humid weather has been conducive for infections from Downy mildew. Dr. Mizuho Nita at Virginia Tech provides a comprehensive update and summary of diseases from bloom to harvest.

Blueberry: Spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) numbers have increased from previous weeks. Treatments for spotted-wing drosophila should continue on a 7-day schedule. 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.