A number of growers have experienced increasing problems with woolly apple aphids over the last several seasons. Part of the reason for the increased populations may be related to the changing spectrum of insecticides you are using to control other pests. Our experience has been that many of the aphicides that are available that provide…Read more about Woolly Apple Aphid[Read More]
Bramble Fruit
One way insects communicate with individuals of the same species is with pheromones. Pheromones are volatile chemicals released by an insect that usually can be detected only by individuals of the same species. There are a number of different types of pheromones, but the most common type is the sex pheromone. Usually the females will…Read more about Pheromones and Pheromone Traps[Read More]
As the spray season approaches, it is good to remember the profound impact water quality has on the performance of pesticides used by fruit growers. Purdue Pesticides Program recently published a guide, The Impact of Water Quality on Pesticide Performance PPP-86, available at the Education Store, 1-888-EXT-INFO or www.extension.purdue.edu/store/. I highly recommend this guide to…Read more about Effects of Water Quality of Pesticides[Read More]
The results of a historical primate behavior analysis suggest that species with fruit-filled diets evolved larger brains. A popular theory among evolutionary biologists is that we have our sociability to thank for our big brains. This “social brain hypothesis” suggests that the mental effort involved in interacting with others eventually increased our cognitive capacity. However,…Read more about New study: Diet contributes to brain size[Read More]
March is a good time to finish pruning summer-bearing brambles. Last years fruited canes should be removed now if they were not removed last summer or fall. Remove weak or spindly floricanes and thin to 4-6 canes per foot of row. Laterals on blackberries and black raspberries should be shortened to about pencil diameter on…Read more about Pruning brambles[Read More]
Anthracnose, caused by Elsinoe veneta, is a common fungal disease of brambles. It is mainly a problem on black raspberries and some blackberries. It is much less common on red raspberries. Most modern thornless blackberries (Apache, Triple Crown, Osage, Ouachita, etc) are resistant to anthracnose. However, if you grow a susceptible variety, is is important…Read more about Raspberry Anthracnose[Read More]
Following a very early warm-up, temperatures cooled off the middle of March slowing crop development and bringing us back closer to normal. In southern areas, peaches are in full bloom, but only just showing a little pink in more northern areas. Apples are still in tight cluster and probably at least 10 days from full…Read more about Crop Conditions[Read More]
Grape harvest continues across the state. Overall fruit quality has been excellent, but maintaining that quality with all the rain recently is challenging. Thin skinned varieties have fruit cracking and rot problems. Primocane fruiting blackberry harvest continues into its fourth week on Black magic, with APF-45 just getting started. Heritage and Caroline primocane fruiting raspberries…Read more about Crop Conditions[Read More]
Spotted wing drosophila continue to plague raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, and grape growers. I have had some reports of poor control. There are a number of reasons that control of any insect may be poor. If you are not getting the level of control you expect, here are a few things to consider. Is your sprayer…Read more about Spotted Wing Drosophila[Read More]