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: I would add that unless you find that more than 90% of your buds have been…Read more about Assessing Fruit Bud Survival and Crop Potential[Read More]
Crop Management
In the Midwest, extreme weather events are, unfortunately, regular occurrences, even in extremely unusual times. At this point, though, it just feels like a pile-on. Most fruit crops planted in Indiana are tolerant of the cold when they are fully dormant. In the spring, as trees break bud and begin to flower, they lose cold…Read more about After the Freeze 2020[Read More]
This winter-spring has been my first excursion into growing strawberries in a high tunnel. It didn’t take much for our own Wenjing Guan to convince me to plant some; who doesn’t love to eat fresh strawberries? We planted them back in October and I just peeked at them every couple of weeks throughout the winter,…Read more about Strawberry Observations from an Entomologist[Read More]
Apples in Lafayette are approaching pink. IN more southern areas of the state apples are past full bloom and into petal fall. Frost damage to crops has been widespread in southern areas of the state. Fruit crops are in early stages of growth across the state. In southern areas peaches and apples are in bloom…Read more about Crop Conditions[Read More]
Warm temperatures this week greatly encouraged strawberry growth and development. Some of the early cultivars may have entered the open blossom stage especially if they are grown with the annual plasticulture system in southern Indiana. Open flowers cannot tolerate temperatures lower than 30°F, while popcorn stage flowers (Figure 1) and tight buds may tolerant temperatures…Read more about Strawberry Growers Should be Prepared for Cold Protection[Read More]
It can be useful to compare this growing with previous years. The typical way we calculate growing conditions is by calculating Growing Degree Days (GDD). This is somewhat similar to the method many are familiar with for calculating codling moth emergence. In Figure 1, we see the accumulation of GDD over the last 10 years….Read more about Growing season[Read More]
Strawberry production with the annual plasticulture system is successfully used in southern states. Plug plants are planted in fall and strawberries are harvested in spring the next year. The planting is usually not carried over to crop a second year. Compared with matted row system, annual plasticulture system has advantages such as easier weed and…Read more about Will Low Tunnels Make a Difference in Annual Plasticulture Strawberry Production?[Read More]
Grapes harvest has started in the Lafayette area. A bit of both powdery and downy mildew are present on leaves, but overall fruit quality looks great. Recent rains did not cause fruit cracking so fruit rots are minimal. Early apples are over and mid-season varieties are getting close. Fall bearing (primocane fruiting) red raspberries and…Read more about Crop Conditions[Read More]
The symptoms of sooty blotch and flyspeck (SBFS) have begun to make their appearance. I know this because 1). I’m starting to see spots (Fig 1, 2 & 3). We have accumulated MORE THAN enough hours of post- petal fall leaf wetness needed for infection to occur, despite the sudden drought conditions. First, what is…Read more about Seeing Spots[Read More]
The grape harvest will get started in the southern part of the state in the next couple of weeks. Most varieties are slightly behind normal this year. In Lafayette, early varieties are at the start of veraison and should be ready to harvest in four to five weeks. We generally harvest early varieties such as…Read more about Grape Harvest Preparation[Read More]