SW Michigan Fruit Update
Southwest Michigan Fruit Update, June 26, 2007
Weather
Last week was warm with highs in the 80s and lows around 60F. The last few days have been hot with highs over 90. A cold front on June 19 scattered about a quarter inch of rain across the region. Another cold front this week has a slight chance of rain. Soils are dry and soil moisture reserves are low. Annual crops such as corn and soybeans are wilting in the field and growers who can are irrigating. Under these conditions crops can use up to a quarter of an inch of water a day. The forecast is for continued warm weather with little chance of rain. We are about 10 to 14 days ahead of normal and fruit are ripening early.
Southwest
Michigan Growing Degree Days (GDD) Totals
|
Grapes from April 1 |
|||
Location |
GDD 42 |
GDD 45 |
GDD 50 |
GDD 50 |
1801 |
1546 |
1164 |
1057 |
|
1739 |
1487 |
1112 |
1014 |
|
1691 |
1444 |
1075 |
974 |
|
1637 |
1391 |
1026 |
931 |
|
1816 |
1563 |
1177 |
1040 |
|
1783 |
1532 |
1148 |
1021 |
|
1608 |
1364 |
1010 |
917 |
|
1565 |
1331 |
972 |
892 |
|
Insects
Japanese beetles are easy to find. We are catching blueberry maggot and cherry fruit fly. San Jose scale crawlers are settling on the fruit. Aphid numbers are building. We are catching peach tree borer.
Tree fruit
Peaches are 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter. Oriental fruit moths trap catches are rising. The second generation of Oriental Fruit Moth was biofixed for June 18. Control sprays are targeted for 200 GDD past Biofix, the beginning of egg hatch. We have already accumulated this amount and growers need to protect their fruit. Peach tree borer trunk sprays should be applied soon.
Tart cherry harvest is underway. Fruit size and quality look good. There is little sign of cherry leaf spot.
Sweet cherry harvest continues. Eastern cherry fruit fly maggots and cherry fruit worm larvae have been found in fruit. Growers should maintain brown rot protection.
Plum fruit are about an inch in diameter.
Apple fruits are 1-¼ to 1 ½ inches in diameter. Codling moth trap catches are down. Obilquebanded leafrollers are past peak egg hatch. A spike in Oriental fruit moths indicates that the second-generation flight is starting and egg hatch has begun. European red mites number are building in some orchards and hard to find in others. Aphids are common on actively growing shoots. Leafhopper burn from potato leafhopper is easy to find. At this point in time growers are typically applying an insecticide treatment every other week, due to multiple pest emergence. Growers should include a fungicide in their next cover spray to control sooty blotch and flyspeck. Bill Shane has calculated that we have accumulated 200 hours of wetness since petal fall and disease symptoms begin to appear at 250 hours. We can pick up 4 to 6 hours of wetness when we have heavy dews even if we have no rain.
Pear fruit are 1-¼ inches in diameter. Pear Psylla adults are flying.
Small fruit
In Blueberry harvest is well underway for early varieties. Growers you can irrigate should be applying water now to maintain fruit size. Sprinkler irrigation is conducive to fruit rot development and fungicide protection is very important in these fields. Blueberry maggot is flying. Be sure to check the new Blueberry IPM Newsletter at the MSU Blueberry Site.
Grapes: Concords are nearing berry touch and vinifera are at buckshot berry. Berry growth has been rapid. Berries are about half of the final berry weight at about 1200 GDD base 50 after April 1. We are now around 1000 and should be close to 1200 next week. Grape berry moth larvae are moving into the fruit. Given the dry conditions, powdery mildew in the primary disease concern but growers should apply fungicides control black rot, phomopsis and downy mildew. All these diseases have been found in sprayed vineyards. We expect to see more Japanese and grape leafhopper numbers are beginning to build. The annual Viticulture Day is scheduled for July 25. See the SWMREC website for more information. Check the MSU Grape website for scouting updates.
Strawberry harvest is over. Growers are renovating fields. Growers should consider Admire treatment to control Potato Leafhopper on renovated plants.
In Raspberries: Growers are harvesting both red raspberry and black raspberries. Japanese beetles and potato leafhopper are easy to find. Early treatment will discourage feeding.
Cranberries are pinhead fruit and a post bloom fungicide treatment should be applied.
Upcoming Meetings
The next Monday Fruit Update meeting will be Monday July 3, 5 PM, at the Fruit Acres Farm in Berrien County. There are RUP credits available for the Monday Fruit Update meetings.
The next grape IPM scouting meeting will be July 12 at Bob Dongvillo's farm, south of Scottdale; and August 19 at Lemon Creek Vineyards, west of Berrien Springs. These meetings start at 6 PM. For more information on these meetings call Mark Longstroth at (269) 675-8313.
