Aphids have been a particularly challenging pest to get under control in our high tunnel strawberries this year. They quickly colonized the strawberries we had growing all winter and took off as the weather warmed (Fig. 1). In my first attempt to knock them back I introduced 2,000 lacewing larvae (22-Apr), too little too late….Read more about Organic Aphid Control Update[Read More]
Crop Management
Warm, wet weather has led to an uptick in bacterial shot hole disease, caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (XAP). We started to see a significant uptick in shot hole on peaches, nectarine and plum before conditions turned dry. Leaves and fruit susceptibility to XAP infection decreases after pit hardening (if you were…Read more about XAPped again![Read More]
Dicamba has been in the headlines the last two weeks. In case you’ve missed it, here are the highlights: On June 3 the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled against the Environmental Protection Agency and its 2018 registration of over-the-top dicamba products Xtend, Engenia, and FeXapan and vacated their registrations. The…Read more about Dicamba Herbicide Updates and New Resources Stephen L. Meyers and Bill Johnson[Read More]
Strawberries have rich flavor; sugar, acid, phenolic content, and aroma all together make the wonderful fruit. Many factors are assumed to affect strawberry flavor. Some are supported by scientific evidence, some may be simply people’s impressions. In this article, we discuss some of the factors that are more likely to affect strawberry flavor. Locally grown…Read more about What Factors Affect Strawberry Flavor?[Read More]
Canopy management is a critical production practice for improved sunlight exposure. Pulling shoots off the top of the rows in high cordon-trained vines improves sunlight exposure to the leaves at the base of the shoots. Those basal nodes will be the ones saved as spurs next year during pruning, and sunlight improves bud fruitfulness and…Read more about Canopy management in grapes[Read More]
This article discusses the abiotic factors that may cause deformed strawberry fruit. Unevenly developed strawberry fruit (Figure 1): Frost damage is probably the most common abiotic factor causing misshapen strawberry fruit. Temperatures lower than 30°F kill the pistil (female part) of strawberry flowers. Depending on the extent of the injury and the stage of fruit development….Read more about Abiotic Factors may Cause Deformed Strawberry Fruit[Read More]
Small farmers are moving loads of product via online sales. Let’s talk about how, what’s working, and what you need to sell online amid a pandemic. Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition is hosting farmer-to-farmer webinars. Each one will feature a different farmer sharing the tools that are being used to sell online. About these Events You’re…Read more about Let’s Talk (Online) Turkey – Hoosier Young Farmer Coalition announces webinar series[Read More]
Apple crops are looking dismal around the state. Here in Lafayette we probably have about 20% of a crop, and I’m hearing similar things around the state. With a short crop, growers need to decide whether it’s worth protecting the fruit that are present with a full pesticide program, or writing the crop off and…Read more about Apple crop[Read More]
There’s a saying that when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. Well, this year life has given us multiple spring frosts, so we have to make the best of the situation. Growers that have blocks with significant spring frost injury and very little crop may want to use this year to retrain vines, re-establish…Read more about Making lemonade in the vineyard[Read More]
Spring’s arrival brings many wonderful experiences – including the opportunity for local consumers to pick farm-fresh produce onsite, learn more about local outlets through agritourism and enjoy time outdoors. The U-Pick season, as it’s known, is just around the corner for strawberries, blueberries, cherries and more. Now is the time to implement best practices to…Read more about Guide for U-pick producers / agritourism sites during the COVID-19 pandemic[Read More]