July 5 Berry Bulletin

Strawberries

The June-bearing season is slowing down and growers are beginning the renovation process. Malwina is being picked, and some day-neutrals are beginning to be harvested again. Manage SWD in late varieties and day-neutrals.  Harvest day-neutral strawberries every 2 days even when the picking is light.

Renovation: Renovate as soon as harvest is over to help manage SWD. Renovation is a good time for weed control and cyclamen mite control, as they are easier to reach after mowing. See last week’s bulletin for more details on renovation.

New plantings: Leafhopper injury, leaves with pale, yellow edges, and curled downwards, can be found in new plantings. Look for potato leafhopper nymphs on the underside of the leaves, and control for nymphs where present. Cygon, Lagon, Sivanto Prime, and Cormoran applied for aphids will provide some control of leafhoppers as well, so these could be a good choice if both pests are present. There is a very low tolerance for aphids in new plantings- plan to apply an insecticide for aphid control regularly.

Day-neutrals: Day-neutral fields have bloom to green fruit, and some are beginning to be picked again. Regular fungicides for powdery mildew, botrytis, and anthracnose are important. Use the Strawberry Disease Decision Support System to help time and choose fungicides. There is a high risk of anthracnose and botrytis infection this week in many areas across the province.

• If harvest hasn’t started yet now is a good time to get a group M fungicide on- note the long REI/PHI.
• Switch (9+12, cyprodonil +fludioxonil) and Miravis Prime (7+12, pydiflumetofen +fludioxonil) are the best products to use once harvest starts for anthracnose control. Note there is a maximum of 3 applications of fludioxonil-containing products (Switch, Button, Miravis Prime, Scholar) per year, and 3 applications of cyprodonil-containing products (Switch, Inspire Super) per year.

Blueberries

Are ripening and beginning to be picked in southern Ontario. Maintain regular insecticide applications through harvest for SWD control, and encourage clean picking.

Raspberries

Raspberry harvest continues and there are buds on fall-bearing raspberries. Maintain regular insecticide coverage for SWD, and pick every 2 days if possible. Watch for potato leafhoppers in new fields and fall-bearing raspberries.

Spotted wing drosophila monitoring

Spotted wing drosophila has been identified across the province.  Maintain regular SWD insecticide applications in strawberry, raspberry and blueberry fields where there is ripe and ripening fruit. Use as many other management tools and practices as possible:

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.
• Renovate as soon as June-bearing strawberry harvest is over. Don’t wait for late blocks to be finished before renovating early varieties.
• The best strategy for raspberries is clean and frequent harvest. Pick every other day 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.
• Thank you to the multiple consultants for their help monitoring these traps!

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.