College of Agriculture & Natural Resources

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  Interview with Mario Miranda Sazo

  Published on November 4, 2025
  In this episode of MIFruitcast, Emily interviews Fruit Extension Specialist Mario Miranda Sazo from Cornell University. They chat about many different topics including the apple season in western New York, research projects that he is working on, and new projects that are on the horizon.

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  Tree Fruit Update with the MSU Extension Fruit Team

  Published on June 20, 2025
  This week, Derek Plotkowski Ph.D. and Jackie Perkins join the podcast to give updates on small fruits and tree fruit in Southeast and West Michigan.

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  Apple Season Recap

  Published on October 11, 2025
  Hello! This week Emily, Nikki, and Derek chat about how the apple season is wrapping up in each of their regions. Hope you enjoy this episode and make sure you get some Michigan apples!

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  Tree Fruit Update with Dr. Nikki Rothwell

  Published on June 8, 2025
  This week, MSU Extension Specialist Dr. Nikki Rothwell, joined me to talk about how the season is progressing for tree fruit here in Michigan.

• Shothole borer

  The adult is stocky with a hard black body and antennae, leg segments and tips of elytra reddish brown; its head is not visible from above.

• Lesser peachtree borer

  Adult is a clear-winged, metallic-blue moth that has two or more yellow bands across the abdomen, giving it a wasp-like appearance.

• Apple latent viruses

  Latent viruses are viruses that survive in their host without causing symptoms. These viruses are transmitted when a virus-infected scion is grafted onto a susceptible rootstock.

• Redbanded leafroller

  The adult's forewings are grayish brown with a subtle dark red and brown oblique band. The larva is pale green with a yellow or green head.

• Black cherry aphid

  Adults and nymphs are shiny black soft-bodied insects; adults may or may not have wings. Nymphs are smaller, but generally similar in appearance to the adults.

• Dry eye rot (blossom end rot)

  Symptoms begin at the calyx end of the fruit, causing a reddish discoloration at the site of infection. The rot is at first soft, but eventually dries out, turning tan to brown with a red border.

• White peach scale

  Adult female is creamy-white to reddish orange, and covered by a round waxy scale that is grayish to brownish white. Adult males are tiny yellow 2-winged insects, and nymphs are oval and white to orange.

• Nectria twig blight

  Typically, small cankers can be found girdling the base of cluster buds that bore fruit the previous year. This leads to the wilting and dying of leaves and twigs of current season's growth.

• Green stink bug

  Stink bug adults have a broad, flattened, shield-shaped body and a narrow head. The green stink bug is uniformly grass-green.

• Dusky stink bug

  Stink bug adults have a broad, flattened, shield-shaped body and a narrow head. The dusky stink bug is dark brown, with sharp shoulder projections.

• Fall webworm

  Adult is a white moth with dark spots on the wings, which may be less distinct in northern specimens. The pale yellow larva has a dark head and dark tubercles with clumps of hairs.

• Fruittree leafroller

  The adult is red-brown with mottling. The translucent green caterpillar has a reddish to dark brown head and an amber to pale green thoracic shield edged with brown.

• Rose chafer

  The rose chafer is a light tan beetle with a darker brown head and long legs. It is about 12 mm long. There is one generation per year.

• Pear plant bug (Green apple bug)

  The adult pear plant bug is brownish yellow with two dark bands on the thorax and the extremities of its anterior wings are yellowish in color.

• Necrotic leaf blotch

  Medium to large, irregular necrotic lesions occur on the foliage of mature leaves during mid- to late summer. The remaining green tissue generally turns yellow shortly after the appearance of symptoms.

• Bitter pit and cork spot

  Small, green to purplish to light brown, slightly sunken lesions appear on the surface of mature fruit. Individual lesions on the fruit surface are dry and do not extend deep into the fruit; however, cutting into the fruit can reveal numerous internal lesions.