June 28 Berry Bulletin

Strawberries

Following last week’s hot weather this week has been full of storm warnings and rain. As we near the end of June-bearing strawberries late-season varieties are being picked including Kate, Valley Sunset, and some Malwina is beginning to ripen.

Renovation

Renovate as soon as harvest is over to help manage SWD (see monitoring update below). Do not wait for late varieties to be harvested to renovate earlier blocks. Renovation includes applying fertilizers (50 kg N/ha), narrowing rows, mowing, and herbicide applications. The earlier renovation can be completed the better. If there are many large broadleaf weeds standing above the crop apply 2,4-D amine or Lontrel XC/Pyralid before mowing. 2,4-D amine should be used to control broadleaf weeds including dandelion, burdock, daisy fleabane, and annual seedlings. Wait 2-3 days after applying 2,4-D amine to mow the strawberries. Lontrel XC or Pyralid can be used to control broadleaf weeds including wild buckwheat, daisies, nightshades, Canada thistle, and vetch. Wait 7-10 days after applying Lontrel or Pyralid before mowing. Grass herbicides should be applied separately from these herbicides. After mowing apply 50 kg of N per hectare along with other nutrients if needed.

Following renovation, Sinbar can be applied at 0.7 to 0.85 kg /ha (0.28 to 0.34 kg/acre) to control germinating summer annuals and fall germinating weeds. Delay this application until germination of weeds is obvious. If 2,4-D was applied at renovation, delay Sinbar application until plants have recovered from any stress (approximately 2 weeks). Strawberry plants are generally most tolerant to this timing.  Apply Sinbar in at least 300 L of water per hectare (120 L/acre). Do not apply Sinbar within 2 weeks before or after an application of Venture or Poast Ultra applications as crop tolerance to Sinbar may be reduced.  Sinbar is a very effective herbicide but may stunt strawberry on light sandy soil. Do not use Sinbar on soils with less than one percent organic matter or over 70 percent sand.

Mite control

Renovation is a good time for mite control.

• If applying Agri-mek at renovation:
  • Apply Agri-mek at 225 mL/ha in a high-volume spray (minimum 375 L/ha), with a non-ionic surfactant at 0.1-0.5%
  • Slow down and get thorough coverage of the plants and crowns. 
  • Agri-mek will be rainfast after 2 hours or once dry
  • Do not apply sinbar after applying Agri-mek. Wait 5-7 days after Agri-mek before applying sinbar.
  • There is a maximum of 2 applications of Agri-mek per season

• Magister is registered for one application per season for two-spotted spider mite control. Magister has activity on cyclamen mite when applied for TSSM. If applying Magister at renovation:  
  • Apply Magister at 2.34 L/ha in a minimum of 500 L water/ha.
  • Magister can be applied with a non-ionic surfactant at 0.25% to improve performance
  • pH of the spray solution should be above 5.0.  
  • Magister can be applied once per year
  • Magister is non-systemic and requires thorough coverage of the plants and crowns.
  • Magister is rainfast after 3-4 hours

New plantings

Are beginning to runner, and are looking good. Continue to watch for potato leafhopper, flea beetles, and aphids. Regular aphid control is very important for virus management. Choose products that will control aphids and leafhoppers. Note Admire can only be applied to non-bearing plants or after bloom.  

Day-neutrals

As new fields begin to bloom monitor for tarnished plant bug and apply regular fungicides for anthracnose, botrytis, and powdery mildew. Bloom is a good time to apply broad spectrum fungicides for disease control, including Captan/Maestro products, as they cannot be used closer to harvest. Note there are multiple formulations of captan products available- SC (suspension) and WSP (water-soluble pouches). For SC formulations (Captan 480 SC, #34551; Sharda Captan 48 SC, #32300) apply 5.8 L/ha in 1000 L water/ha. For WSP formulations (Maestro 80 WSP, #33488; Supra Captan 80 WSP, #33641) apply 3.5 kg/ha in 1000 L water/ha. Note the 6-8 day PHI for captan products.  Do not rely on group 11 products for anthracnose control alone.

Blueberries

Are ripening and beginning to be picked in southern Ontario, and bird netting is going on. Early July is a good time to put the final fertilizer application on if applying in a split application- mature plants should receive 6-12 g N/bush. Maintain regular insecticide coverage now that SWD is present. Japanese beetles are beginning to show up. Exirel will control Japanese beetle adults and SWD.   

Raspberries

Summer fruiting raspberries are being picked. Maintain regular insecticide coverage for SWD. See below for monitoring and management details. Potato leafhoppers and Japanese beetles are beginning to be found in raspberries; Exirel will control Japanese beetle adults and SWD. Keep your fields picked clean and cool fruit after harvest.

Spotted wing drosophila monitoring

Traps are in Niagara, Norfolk, Elgin, Middlesex, Oxford, and Renfrew counties. Spotted wing drosophila have been identified across the province and numbers are increasing.  It is time to begin regular SWD insecticide applications. Thank you to the multiple consultants for their help monitoring these traps!

Week traps collected	County/region where SWD was found	crops where SWD was trapped
June 8-14	0	–
June 15-21	Norfolk, Middlesex, Oxford	Raspberries, blueberries, and wild hosts
June 22-28	Norfolk, Oxford, Elgin, Niagara, Middlesex, and Renfrew	Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, wild hosts

The Berry Growers of Ontario and OMAFA are supporting SWD monitoring this season.

Spraying for SWD is necessary when 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: 

• Spray every 5-7 days.
  • Using the best products first will help knock the population back down at the beginning of the season. The most efficacious products include Exirel, Delegate, Success, Harvanta and Cormoran.
  • Reapply after ½ inch of rain.
  • Use products from different groups.
  • Spray in the morning (6-10am) or in the evening (6-10 pm) when SWD is active.
  • Do not spray in temperatures above 25C.
  • Pyrethroid insecticides (Up-Cyde) will not work well in hot weather and will cause an increase in mites. Save these products for later when weather cools off and mite pressure is low.
• Keep your fruit picked regularly and clean! Every day or two if possible.
• 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.
• Insecticides target SWD adults- make sure to spray when adults are active, in the morning and evening.
• Renovate June-bearing strawberries as soon as possible.

Excellence in Agriculture Awards

To help showcase the outstanding efforts that have made Ontario agriculture and food industry a $48.8 billion industry, the Ontario government created the Excellence in Agriculture Awards.

The purpose of the Excellence in Agriculture Awards is to:

• recognize and encourage outstanding efforts that drive the agriculture and food sector forward
• raise awareness of Ontario’s agriculture and food sector and its impact on the provincial economy

All eligible individuals and businesses can apply or be nominated for an award. Click here for more information.

NASGA Summer Tour

The North American Strawberry Growers Association Tour is scheduled for August 13-15 in Massachusetts. Check the NASGA website for more information and to register.