I have seen some pretty impressive infestations of overwintering San Jose scale this spring. These infestations re-emphasize the importance of putting on a dormant oil spray each spring, as scales are one of the pests controlled by that application. SJS overwinters as an immature and is now at the point of maturing. Shortly after, they[Read More…]
Bramble Fruit
Grapes are at the 4 to 8 inch stage in Lafayette. Blackberries are just starting to bloom. Raspberries have a few flower buds starting to show. Strawberry bloom continues. Blueberries are at petal fall. Fruit set for apples and peaches has generally been adequate and thinning will be necessary. Cloudy weather during early fruit development[Read More…]
I achieved biofix today (May 9) in our orchard at the Meigs Farm near Lafayette. I have also talked to other growers who had also caught 3-5 moths or more in their pheromone traps. For me, I had caught one moth last week and caught three more over the weekend. This constitutes a sustained flight and[Read More…]
Callisto (a.i. mesotrione) has been labeled for blueberries for the past five years, but the label was expanded to include brambles this year. We used it at the 3 fl. oz. per acre rate on our bramble plantings in Lafayette and significant damage occurred on several varieties. Both blackberries and raspberries were affected. The floricanes[Read More…]
Everyone knows that pollinators, including but not limited to honey bees, are important for the production of fruit crops. A big topic in recent years has been the stresses that reduce honey bee populations. Although not most important, pesticides are one factor that can reduce the populations of pollinators. Here are some things fruit growers[Read More…]
In Lafayette grapes are at bud break to 2-inch shoots. Blackberries are at 3 to 4-inch shoots with flower clusters showing, and raspberries are at 2-3 inch shoots. Strawberries are just starting to bloom. Apples in the northern half of the state are approaching full bloom whereas petal fall is more common in more southern[Read More…]
The 2016 Midwest Fruit Pest Management Guide (ID-465) is available for purchase from the Purdue Education Store. This publication replaces two previous annual publications: The Midwest Tree Fruit Spray Guide (ID-168) and The Midwest Small Fruit and Grape Spray Guide (ID-169). This guide provides pest management recommendations for commercial tree fruit, small fruit, and grape[Read More…]
There has been some talk about the use of promalin to help overcome the damaging effects of freezing temperatures. Only a small amount of research has been conducted on this. Dr Steve McArtney showed that promalin applied after damaging freeze events could increase parthenocarpic (seedless) fruit development. Keep in mind this was only shown to[Read More…]
What is the best way to assess bud damage from cold temperatures? Drs. Tara Baugher and Jim Schupp at Penn. State University have put together a nice page with some excellent photos explaining how to assess fruit bud survival: http://extension.psu.edu/plants/tree-fruit/news/2016/assessing-fruit-bud-survival-and-crop-potential I would add that unless you find that more than 90% of your buds have[Read More…]