Northwest Michigan grape and saskatoon regional report – June 2, 2015

A few signs of recovery from the winter cold and the May 20 frost are visible, and a few vineyards are showing shoot growth.

Curculio feeding and egglaying scars on saskatoon.
Curculio feeding and egglaying scars on saskatoon.

We are now seeing a few signs of recovery from the winter cold and May 20 freeze event. The majority of vinifera vineyards still look miserable, but there are a few sites where there is shoot growth from buds on the fruiting wire in at least part of the vineyard. Some of our severely injured vinifera varieties at the Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center (NWMHRC) are pushing out a few shoots from buds very low on the vine. Rootstocks are also producing a number of shoots, so it will be necessary to verify where your live shoots are coming from.

Except for a few sites that appear to be OK, the goal for vinifera blocks this year will be like last year – keep as many live shoots as possible, keep them growing upright to keep them out of the way of tractors and machinery and work toward a better year to come. Some of the hybrid varieties are looking better now, with good shoot growth and nice flower clusters showing. Secondary buds have pushed at some nodes where the shoots from primary buds have been killed. I’d like to hear from growers about which hybrids have come through well and which ones were hurt this year (contact Duke Elsner at elsner@msu.edu). At the NWMHRC variety trial, Chambourcin and NY 81.0315.17 are clearly the worst of the hybrids.

Adult potato leafhoppers have arrived in Grand Traverse region vineyards.

Saskatoon fruit development has progressed to the small green berry stage. Poorly pollinated berries are still falling off, but the crop looks good. Insect activity really picked up during the last week. Curculio adults are now laying eggs, producing very characteristically-shaped scars on the fruit. There has also been some foliar and fruit injury from obliquebanded leafroller larvae at some sites. Woolly aphid colonies are curling leaves. We have now seen the first symptoms of rust infection on berries. 

saskatoon insect injuries 
Saskatoon injuries from left to right: leafroller, curculio feeding, curculio egglaying and curculio feeding.

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