April 26 Berry Bulletin

Welcome to the first berry bulletin of the 2023 season!

In this bulletin:

• Crop Update
• Irrigation for frost protection
• Drip irrigation scheduling
• AgriInnovate program
• Berry IPM workshops
• Berry Crop Protection Update

Crop Update: Berry crops are moving along a bit slower now with cooler weather following the heat we had a couple weeks ago. Generally berries are looking good coming through the winter.

Strawberries: June-bearing strawberries should have straw off and some are under row cover. Bravo or Echo can be applied now for botrytis control to reduce disease inoculum and help with disease management later in the season. Apply two applications if possible, 10 days apart. Make sure to get these applications on before bloom with the 30-day PHI. If applying Agri-mek make sure to keep a 10-14 day gap between Agri-mek applications and chlorothalonil or captan applications.

Over-wintered day-neutrals are in bloom, and growers are getting ready to plant new fields. Frost protection may be needed tonight with the forecast close to or below freezing in some areas.

The irrigation for frost protection of strawberries | ontario.ca factsheet has been updated. Take a look to review your frost protection options. A reminder of the critical temperatures for strawberries:

Although it is early in the season, anthracnose management can start early with fungicide applications before bloom and nitrogen management. Disease management recommendations include:

• Start new fields with clean plants.
• Don’t let the plant canopy get too thick. Avoid over-application of nitrogen.
• Apply chlorothalonil or captan before bloom for botrytis control.
• As much as possible apply broad spectrum fungicides during bloom.
• Do not rely on group 11 products alone for anthracnose control.
• Work in older fields last.

Blueberries: The first fertilizer application should be going on soon. Older bushes (6 years+) require 36-48 g of actual nitrogen per bush. Applied in a split application 18 g of nitrogen can be applied now, followed by a second application mid-May and a third late June. Bloom is quickly approaching: Click here for the Blueberry Pollinator Stewardship Guide from Michigan State University to read about protecting your pollinators.   

Canker disease control also begins at this time.  An early broad-spectrum fungicide such as Bravo or Echo can help manage phomopsis and anthracnose. These diseases produce spores in overwintering cankers in the spring, which can be rain splashed to new growth.

Drip Irrigation Scheduling- Check out this summary giving growers a step by step guide that you can use to calculate your approximate run time for your drip system.

AgriInnovate Program – under the new Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) funding is available aimed to incent targeted commercialization, demonstration and/or adoption of innovative technologies and processes that increase agricultural and agri-food sector competitiveness and sustainability benefits. Priority areas of focus include: advanced manufacturing, automation, robotics and digitization. More information here:  https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/programs/agriinnovate  

IPM workshops:

• Strawberry & Raspberry IPM Workshop : May 9, 9:00 am- 1:00 pm. 1283 Blueline rd. Simcoe, On. Click here to register.
• Blueberry IPM workshop: May 16, 9:00-11:00 am. Zoom only. Click here to register.

Berry Crop Protection Update

These lists include new products and product changes for the 2023 season that can be found in the Ontario Crop Protection Hub (Ontario.ca/cropprotection). Check out the Crop Protection Hub for information on rate, preharvest interval, restricted entry interval, efficacy, and comments.

Registration cancellations
Product (PCP #)	Crop (Pest)	Decision
Chlorpyrifos Products: Pyrinex (23705) , Sharphos (32768), Warhawk (29984)	Strawberry (cutworm)	Registration is cancelled for use on strawberry.  – last date of use by producers: December 10, 2023.
Dacthal W-75 (8963)	Strawberry (pre-emerge herbicide)	No longer available for sale. – last date of use by producers: December 31, 2023.

• Additionally, production and sale of Poast Ultra will be discontinued beyond 2023 for all use patterns. Betamix has also been discontinued.  Growers can still use and purchase both these products while available.

New products
Product (PCP#)	Crop	Pests
Insecticides
Magister (34544) IRAC Group 21 FRAC Group 39   Fenazaquin 205 g/L	Strawberry Raspberry Blueberry	Two-spotted spider mite
Diamente 4 (34413) group 1B   Dimethoate 480 g/L	Blueberry	Blueberry maggot
	Strawberry	Aphids
Fungicides
Minuet (33651) group BM02   QST 713 strain of Bacillus subtilis	Strawberry	Black root rot (suppression only)
RootShield PLUS WP (30539) group BM02   Trichoderma harzianum Rifai strain KRL-AG2 Trichoderma virens strain G-41	Strawberry	Black root rot (suppression only)
RootShield HC (27115) group BM02   Trichoderma harzianum Rifai strain KRL-AG2	Strawberry Blueberry Currant	Botrytis (suppression only)
Impala (34661) group 9   pyrimethanil 400 g/L	Strawberry Raspberry Blueberry	Botrytis
Thief 50 SC (34499) group 1   thiophanate-methyl 500g/L	Strawberry	Common leaf spot Botrytis
	Raspberry	Botrytis fruit rot Powdery mildew
Button (34439) group 9+12       Cyprodinil 37.5% and fludioxonil 25%	Saskatoon Berry	Entomosporium leaf spot (suppression only)
	Blueberry	Anthracnose Botrytis Mummy Berry
	Raspberry	Botrytis fruit rot
	Strawberry	Botrytis Anthracnose Powdery mildew (suppression only)
Cabil (34638) group 7   Boscalid 70%	Raspberry Currant	Botrytis
Herbicides
Prism SG (30057) group 2   Rimsulfuron 25%	Raspberry Blackberry	Post-emerge herbicide
Eragon (31469) group 14   Saflufenacil 342 g/L	Raspberry Blackberry	Broadleaf weed control

Label Expansions
Product (PCP #)	Crop	Pest added to label
Beleaf (29796) Group 29	Strawberry	Thrips control. Note rate: 200-300 g/ha
Success (26835) Group 5	Blueberry	Blueberry maggot. Suppression only.
Suffoil-X (33099) Group NC	Strawberry Raspberry Blueberry	Aphids. Deters feeding only.