Berry Bulletin June 12, 2020

In this bulletin:

• Crop & pest update
• Spotted wing drosophila
• Pick-Your-Own resources

After a couple hot days last week berry crops have moved quickly.  Berry crops will benefit from at least an inch of water per week, especially when the green fruit is forming and sizing.

Strawberries:

June-bearing strawberry harvest has begun. Row-covered June-bearing strawberries are being harvested in Southern, Central, and Eastern Ontario.  Mid-late season varieties that weren’t row covered are in full bloom, and flower buds can be found in Malwina.

Apogee can be applied for runner suppression in day-neutrals where runners are not needed. Apply before runner formation; plants should have 4-6 leaves before the first application is made. If necessary a second application can be made 3 weeks later. Tank-mix Apogee with a non-ionic surfactant.

Insects: If the field is in bloom continue to monitor for tarnished plant buds and clipper weevil.

New fields: new plantings are looking good but it is important to keep an eye on insect activity- including cyclamen mites, aphids and flea beetles. Irrigation may also be needed with hot, dry conditions.

Tarnished plant bugs (TPB):  Options for control during the green fruit stage are group 3 insecticides (Mako, Matador, Decis), Rimon (15), Cormoran (4A +15), Assail (4A) or Beleaf(29) for suppression only. Group 3s can be toxic to beneficial insects so avoid these if there is a history of mites.  Rimon and Beleaf work best on early-instar nymphs. Do not spray when bees are active.

Aphids: aphids are very active in some fields, including winged aphids- this is the stage to control as they can fly away to new fields and potentially spread viruses. Check the lower leaf surface of the newest growth for aphids every week.  If you are not monitoring for aphids you will likely need to spray approxitamely every 3 weeks. At least one aphid spray should be on by now.

Cyclamen mites: If you are seeing damage now the options are to spray after bloom or at renovation. If you are planning on spraying post bloom make sure to not apply Bravo, Echo, Captan, Maestro, Folpan or copper fungicides in close sequence (10-14 days). Spray the entire block or at least the entire variety. It is important to monitor for cyclamen mite damage in new or first year fruiting fields- the earlier they are managed the better.

Disease:  

Leaf diseases: watch for common leaf spot, leaf scorch, and angular leaf spot.

Continue to watch for botyrtis and powdery mildew in both June bearing and day-neutral fields.  As always, it is important to include broad-spectrum group M fungicides in your disease management program for both botrytis and anthracnose.

Raspberries:  

Raspberries are at bloom or in the green fruit stage. Harvest could begin in 3 weeks in early areas. Primocane fruiting raspberries are looking good.

Insects: Raspberry sawfly larvae and raspberry fruitworm were found in raspberries this week. Look for raspberry sawfly and the larvae (green bristly larvae) on the lower leaf surface of newly shredded leaves (Fig 1).

Blueberries:

Blueberries are at full bloom to petal fall in southern Ontario. Green berries are present.

Insects: Apply a spray at petal fall or use pheromone traps to time sprays for cranberry and cherry fruitworm. If there is a history of these pests in your field you may need another spray 7-14 days later. If not, one spray could be enough. Some of these products will also control gypsy moth larvae which we think could have a big year.

 Disease: phomopsis canker and twig blight can be found in some blueberry fields. Prune out infected canes or apply fungicidess at petal fall. Pristine, Cabrio, Allegro or Aliette are registered for Phomopsis control or suppression.

Spotted wing drosophila:

NO SWD have been found in Ontario so far. However, Cornell (New York) has reported a few catches in cherry orchards, so now is a good time to plan ahead and prepare for SWD management.

Spraying for SWD isn’t necessary until there is ripe fruit present + SWD is active in your area. Do not count on sprays alone– use as many of these tools as possible through the season to control SWD:

• Keep your fruit picked regularly and clean!
• Cool fruit immediately after harvest.
• Keep alleys clean- either remove unmarketable fruit or crush it in the alley
• After unmarketable fruit is removed it should be destroyed (disposed of, or leave in plastic bags in the sun).
• Make the environment less favourable to SWD- prune the canopy and manage water to reduce humidity (repair leaking drop lines).
• Calibrate your sprayers now to ensure excellent coverage once you start to spray.
• The list of registered products can be found here on our blog. Insecticides target SWD adults- make sure to spray when adults are active, in the morning and evening.
• Using Mako can lead to a mite outbreak. Reserve this product for fields that are in their final year of production.

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Pick-your-own:

Another recommendation for a free online booking system is Calendly.com