Apples look good and are sizing well. Brambles are not having a great year. Winter injury was severe and the wet spring has led to a significant amount of Raspberry (Septoria) leaf spot. Grapes are doing okay, despite significant winter injury. Appropriate pruning resulted in full crops of most varieties. Japanese beetles and 2,4-D damage…Read more about Crop Conditions[Read More]
Crop Management
On June 5, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) mailed letters to produce growers having annual food sales over $500,000 informing them that inspections of produce farms would start in July. Due to their sales volume, these growers are expected to be in compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule (21CFR…Read more about ISDH- The Inspection Process Has Started![Read More]
At the Southwest Purdue Ag Center, we are studying annual strawberry production on plastic mulch. Our hope is to gather information for best production practices in our area. As we learn about insect and disease problems, we will pass this information on to producers. This article is about the insect pests we have observed in…Read more about Annual Strawberry Production[Read More]
Current wet weather is increasing the risk of Phytophthora diseases in the orchard. Phytophthora is a major problem on apples and pear; stone fruit are also susceptible, with plums being the most resistant to this disease. In addition to excessive soil moisture and flooding, moderate temperatures, wounds (mechanical or through herbicide damage), and rootstock susceptibility…Read more about Phytophthora[Read More]
I received a report this week from a strawberry grower that overnight he went from no eastern flower thrips to an average of 15 thrips per bloom. Eastern flower thrips are an occasional pest of strawberries. They are attracted to and feed on flowers, with the result being leathery fruit or fruit that fail to…Read more about Eastern Flower Thrips in Strawberries[Read More]
With the support of the Purdue Extension AgSeed Program, we are currently evaluating different production systems for growing strawberries in an open-field with plastic cultural systems for our area at Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center in Vincennes, IN. A day-neutral strawberry cultivar evaluation trial was established in the Spring of 2019. The evaluated cultivars include Portola,…Read more about Spring Planted Day-neutral Strawberry Update[Read More]
Fruit crops are growing quickly. Spring must finally be here. In Lafayette, apples are mostly at petal fall with a few still at full bloom. Grapes have 1 to 4 inch shoots. Pawpaws are blooming. Bramble blossoms are visible in black raspberries but not in red raspberries and blackberries at this time. Strawberries are in…Read more about Crop Conditions[Read More]
April 23 Conditions – Engelbrecht’s Countryside Orchard, Evansville Recent warm weather has spurred a lot of growth. Peaches and nectarines currently range from petal fall to shuck split (depending upon variety), and sweet cherries are setting fruit. Apples are in full bloom and the pollinators are busy.