August 10, 2018
Publication 360, Fruit Crop Protection Guide, 2018-2019 is now available online: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub360/p360toc.htm
Use this in addition to the New Products listed on the ONfruit blog for your crop protection plan.
Production information previously found in Publication 360 is now available on our Soil Management, Fertilizer Use, Crop Nutrition and Cover Crops for Fruit Production webpage.
Strawberries: Plants will soon begin setting fruit buds. Apply an additional nitrogen application in mid-August- approximately 20-30 kg N/ha. In new plantings runners are rooting.
Day neutral strawberry harvest is in progress. Plants are producing runners which need to be cut. SWD damage has been seen in day-neutrals. Keep these fields picked clean and maintain insecticide coverage. Use products that have activity on both SWD and tarnished plant bug, such as Malathion. Assail for tarnished plant bug will also have some activity on SWD larvae.
Disease: botrytis and powdery mildew have been noted in day neutral fields and rain will spread anthracnose. Captan, Maestro and Switch when applied for botrytis control will also control anthracnose. Pristine and Cabrio should be tank mixed with a compatible fungicide rather than used alone for anthracnose control. Use Switch when there is high disease pressure from botrytis and anthracnose, during warm, rainy weather. Spray for botrytis and anthracnose, and rotate with a fungicide with a different mode of action.
If you are applying fungicides for powdery mildew make sure to alternate products from different families.
Blueberries: Harvest continues and SWD management is the main priority as pressure increases. Maintaining coverage is becoming challenging in some areas where there have been frequent rains in the past 1-2 weeks. Our traps are catching more SWD and we have seen fruit damage in blueberries. Make sure to maintain insecticide coverage as best as possible and re-apply after a ½ inch rain. Pick as often as possible between rains.
Exirel and Malathion when applied for SWD will also control Japanese beetle adults.
Raspberries: Summer-fruiting raspberry harvest is over and growers are pruning out the floricanes. This can be done now or in the early spring. If you have other berry or small fruit crops make sure to clean up any leftover fruit so the raspberries don’t become a host for SWD populations to build up.
The first fall-bearing raspberries are being harvested. SWD is present and control needs to be maintained for the rest of the raspberry season. Plan your insecticide schedule now for the rest of the season. Plan to save a couple insecticide options for re-application after it rains.
Cane diseases are showing up on raspberry primocanes and growers can start applying their post-harvest fungicides. Tanos 50 DF can be applied for anthracnose, spur blight and cane botrytis.
Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD):.
- SWD will be present for the rest of the season, and pressure continues to increase.
- Protect all ripe fruit at this time.
- Trap counts let us know when SWD is present and what the pest is doing, but do not show the risk of fruit contamination. Instead, once SWD is found in traps at your farm or in your area regular management is needed.
- If severe infestation occurs, strip ripening fruit from infested blocks of raspberries and day-neutral strawberries, spray and start again.
- The moderate, rainy weather we’ve been having are ideal conditions for SWD.
- Spray every 5-7 days, and re-apply after a ½ inch rain.
- For all berry crops pick fruit early, clean and often. Cool fruit as quickly as possible after harvest.
This link will take you to an infosheet with the 2018 SWD registrations: https://onfruit.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/registration-for-swd-june-2018.pdf , or check out Ontario.ca/spottedwing, including two emergency use registrations (Mako & Malathion 85 E).
Events:
August 22, 2018: Join the OMAFRA Soil Team and Upper Thames River Conservation Authority for a hands-on day of learning about soil management. Six in-field sessions will explore a range of topics, including: soil pits, a strip till demo, in-field soil health assessment, information on erosion control and more.
The online registration page is https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/omafra-soil-management-day-soil-know-it-keep-it-build-it-tickets-47550749572.
September 18, 2018: Mark your calendars for the Berry Growers of Ontario’s annual Summer Tour at Willowtree Farms in Port Perry.
If you would like to subscribe to The Ontario Berry Grower newsletter send me an e-mail at Erica.pate@ontario.ca.
0 comments on “Berry Bulletin August 10, 2018”