New Fungicides for Berry Crops

A number of new fungicides have been labelled for use on berry crops in recent months

· NOVA 40W (myclobutanil) for powdery mildew on strawberries (DowAgroSciences)

· PRISTINE WG (boscalid + pyraclostrobin) for anthracnose, common leaf spot, botrytis and powdery mildew on strawberries, for botrytis grey mould and anthracnose on raspberries and blackberries, and for anthracnose, botrytis and phomopsis on the blueberries. Also registered for these diseases on the berry group which includes elderberries, currants and gooseberries. (BASF, Engage Agro)

· SCALA SC ( pyrimethanil) for botrytis control on strawberries (Bayer CropScience)

· SWITCH 62.5 WG (cyprodinil + fludioxonil) for botrytis control on strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, and for anthracnose fruit rot on blueberries (Syngenta Crop Protection, Engage Agro)

· TOPAS 250E (propiconazole) for common leaf spot on strawberries (Syngenta Crop Protection, Engage Agro )

You can search for and download labels from the PMRA website at http://www.pmra-arla.gc.ca

This is not a pest!

This is not a pest!
At this time of year we often see Robber flies resting on foliage of fruit and vegetable crops. These large flies are beneficial and feed on other insects.

First bugs in strawberries

Strawberry clipper weevils are ready to feed on strawberry buds. Be sure to scout early and row covered crops.

We found the first tarnished plant bugs in strawberries yesterday in Simcoe. Scouts should begin checking twice weekly in strawberries for these pests, as soon as bloom is present.

Weed seedlings galore

Weed seedlings galore! Is anyone seeing problems like this in strawberry fields? There are several control options for a problem like this, but the window is short.
Sinbar is the only herbicide that might burn off small seedlings at this stage. However, strawberry plants are also susceptible to Sinbar at this timing. Don't apply Sinbar within two weeks of Poast or Fusilade, and don't apply after first bloom.

Alternately, wait until the seedlings are a bit larger, and approach with a wick wiper and glysphosate. This application must be made before bloom as well.

How does such a problem occur? Did the seeds come in on the straw?
Was a herbicide applied last fall before mulching?
If so was the rate correct?

Yikes, look at the field violets !

Field violets, or field pansies, are problem weeds for strawberry growers.
Rob Grohs, a weed scientist at the University of Guelph in Simcoe, provided some information on why this weed can be such a problem.

Field pansy is a winter annual weed. This means that it is one of a class of plants which germinates in the late summer or fall, over winters as a seedling or small plant, then continues growth in the spring. Winter annuals cannot withstand hot weather, and generally set seed and die as summer weather begins. Winter annuals are problem weeds for strawberry growers for several reasons. First, the lack of fall or spring tillage in strawberries means that the growth of winter annuals is not disturbed. Second, winter mulch provides protection for these weeds, and increases winter survival. And third, renovation does not affect winter annual weeds, as they have usually produced seed and died by the time renovation is performed. Renovation does disturb summer annual weeds (weeds which germinate in the spring and die in the fall), so winter annual weeds tend to become dominant in strawberries

Biology: Field pansy flowers from April to October. The flowers can be cross-pollinated by insects but are self-fertile and largely autogamous. Each seed capsule contains around 75 seeds and a plant may produce 1,500 to 2,500 seeds. An isolated plant growing in favourable conditions can produce many more seeds but in competition with a cereal crop seed production is much lower. Plants can be found in fruit for 7 months of the year.

Persistence and Spread: Seed longevity in soil is at least 4 years. Seeds broadcast onto the soil surface, then ploughed to 20 cm and followed over a 6-year period of cropping with winter or spring wheat had a mean annual decline rate of 48% and an estimated time to 95% loss of 4-6 years.

In dry conditions some mature seed capsules split open explosively and disperse the seeds over 2 m from the parent. Other seeds remain in the capsules even after soil cultivation leading to small but dense patches of seedlings emerging in unison.

Up to 55% of seeds remain on the plant at cereal harvest and many are collected up with the cereal straw. The seeds are dispersed when the straw is used as mulch or for animal bedding.

Welcome

Welcome to the Ontario Berry Blog. This page is for agronomists, scouts, and consultants. We'll use it to post information and photos about berry production and pest management. Blog moderators are Pam Fisher, OMAFRA Berry Crop Specialist, and Leslie Huffman, OMAFRA Weed Management Program Lead.

Please ask questions, share information, and stay connected with the berry business. Photos are welcome. Send them to Pam or Leslie by email and we will post them for you. Remember this link, and log on to the Ontario Berry Blog often. There's always something new!

Remember the url!
http://ontberry.blogspot.com/

First fungicides for raspberry

Raspberry cane disease control starts with an application of Lime Sulfur before new growth is 1/4 inch green. This fungicide kills fungus that has overwintered on the cane. The trick is to apply lime sulfur when the fungus wakes up from winter, but before there is much new green growth. Lime sulfur applied after 1/4 inch green is more likely to cause leaf burning.

Publication #360 Update

Publication #360, OMAFRA Fruit Production Recommendations, has been revised. It will be printed and available on-line in May, and in OMAFRA offices in June.

New registrations for berry crops include:

*Admire 240F for white grub control in blueberries
*Dipel 2X DF for cranberry and cherry fruitworm in blueberries
*Scala SC for botrytis control in strawberries
*Nova 40W for powdery mildew control in strawberries.

Berry IPM Scout Training

A training session for berry scouts, consultants, and growers interested in scouting for berry pests, will be held Friday May 19, 2006 at the Simcoe OMAFRA office.

This 1-day session includes presentations and a field trip. Raspberries and Strawberries are included in this session. Training for scouts of blueberries is available on request.

For new scouts, Intro to Integrated Pest Management will be held in Guelph on April 26.
For a list of scout training sessions on other crops see: click here

Pre-register by calling the OMAFRA Agricultural Information Contact Center at 1-877-424-1300.