SW Michigan Fruit Update
Van Buren MSUE Home
Fruit Pages
Check the Index for earlier postings
Southwest Michigan, June 16, 2009
Weather
Last week’s weather was variable with highs alternating from the high 60s to the high 70s. Lows were generally in the 50s. Rain fell Monday, Thursday and Saturday (June 8, 11 and 13). Thursday’s rain was a daylong wetting event in the southern counties. Warm weather with highs near 80 and lows in the 60s with scattered thunderstorms are forecast for this week. We are currently lagging about a week behind normal in heat accumulations. Northern areas are lagging behind the southern growing region. We have picked up more rain than normal and soil moisture levels are generally good.
Southwest
Michigan Growing Degree Day Totals
|
Grapes, from April 1 |
|||
Location |
GDD 42 |
GDD 45 |
GDD 50 |
GDD 50 |
1124 |
917 |
613 |
573 |
|
1009 |
812 |
525 |
499 |
|
You can find weather and IPM information for Southwest Michigan at the Enviroweather website. Here is a link a table of SW Michigan’s Growing Degree-Days from March 1 through June 14, 2009. Our heat accumulations are lagging several days behind normal. There is a nice set of maps accessible from the Enviroweather website showing variation from the 30 year average.
Insects
Rose chafers emerged early last week (June 9). Potato leafhopper activity has increased. Obliquebanded leafroller was biofixed June 8. San Jose scale crawler should be out.
Tree fruit
Apricot fruit are about 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter.
Peach fruits are about 1.25 to 1.5 inches in diameter and growers are hand thinning. Tarnished plant bugs are feeding on the fruit. Oriental fruit moth larvae have been found in the fruit. It appears that the first flight of Oriental fruit moth has ended and growers and scouts should change pheromones in their traps in anticipation of the second flight. Lesser peach tree borers are flying.
Sweet cherry fruits are red and harvest is about a week away. Birds are a problem. With the possibility of thunderstorms most days this week, protect sweet cherry from brown rot. Growers also need to protect against cherry leaf spot. Warmer weather could cause one last spasm of plum curculio egg laying. We expect cherry fruit flies to emerge in a couple weeks.
Tart cherries are coloring. Generally there are a few green fruit on the northern side of the trees. ‘Balaton’ cherries are still green. Yellowing of the leaves due to cherry leaf spot or bacterial canker is generally scarce. Growers should be applying ethephon sprays soon to loosen cherries prior to harvest.
In Plums, European plums are 18 to 20 mm in diameter. Oriental plums are 20 to 24 mm. Vigorous shoot growth continues in plums and growers should maintain fungicides to reduce black knot.
Apple fruitlets are generally an inch in diameter. Early varieties such as ‘Paula Red’ and ‘Zestar!’ are about 1.5 inches. Fruit drop continues and fruit set varies from heavy to light. Generally growers are pleased with fruit set in most varieties. Large waxy fruit are relatively resistant to apple scab infection, but fruit and leaf scab are relatively common. The bright orange cedar apple rust symptoms are showing on apple leaves. Fireblight symptoms are increasing. This could be a significant problem if we have severe thunderstorms now while there is active growth and bacterial ooze. Codling moth trap catches are variable. Codling moth Biofix was May 19 or 20 for most of the region and many growers have already applied their first sprays. Obliquebanded leafroller was biofixed June 8 and we have accumulated about 170 GDD base 42 since Biofix. Egg hatch of Obilquebanded leafroller begins about 400 to 450 GDD after biofix (first sustained catch of adult moths). Stippling from white apple leafhopper feeding can be seen. Green apple aphids can be found in terminals. Potato leafhopper feeding symptoms have been found on young apple trees. Spotted tentiform leafminer mines are visible. European red mites numbers are building. Oriental fruit moth trap catch numbers are way down signaling the end of the first flight.
Pear fruit are 20 to 22 mm in diameter. Pear Psylla eggs and larvae are easier to find. Signs of leaf and fruit pear scab can be found on abandoned trees.
Small
fruit
Blueberries fruit are pea sized. Growers should maintain protection against anthracnose fruit rot and the cherry fruitworm and cranberry fruitworm where they are a problem. We are finding small leafroller larvae in some fields. The first generation of tussock moth is defoliating some fields. Look at the Michigan Blueberry IPM Newsletter posted by Paul Jenkins at the Berry Entomology Lab.
Grape bloom continues. Niagara bloom is ending. Concord and most French hybrid grapes are in full bloom. Bloom in vinifera grapes is just beginning. Phomopsis leaf lesions are easy to find in most vineyards. Rose chafers are out but are not numerous enough to treat in most situations. Grape berry moth sprays should wait until the end of bloom. Grape Leafhopper adults can be found. See the most recent copy of Grape IPM Newsletter at the MSU Grape current conditions webpage. Here is a link a table of SW Michigan’s Grape Growing Degree-Days from April 1 to June 15, 2009. There will be a grape IPM meeting at Tim Seppala’s vineyard at 5101 County Road 354, Southeast of Lawton.
Strawberry harvest is under way. Because of the cool weather fruit size has not been large and fruits are slow to ripen. Growers have had a hard time supplying demand and often need to close early or remain closed for several days to allow fruit to ripen.
Raspberry and Blackberry bloom are winding down. Fungicides should be applied to protect the fruit and suppress leaves. Sawfly and leafroller larvae can be found on the leaves.
Miscellaneous
There is a High Tunnel production meeting at SWMREC on Wednesday June 17, 2009
There is an upcoming Blueberry weed control meeting on Thursday, June 18 at 6 to 8 PM, at the Getzoff Farm, 7093 116th St. west of Glenn.
The next Monday Fruit IPM Update meeting will be, Monday June 22, at the Fruit Acres Farm in Berrien County. The final Monday meeting will be June 29.
There will be a grape IPM meeting at Tim Seppala’s vineyard at 5101 County Road 354, Southeast of Lawton. This meeting is good for one RUP credit.
