SW Michigan 2004 Fruit Summary
September 27, 2004
The winter of 2003-2004 was a normal Michigan winter. No
winter damage has been reported yet. Hard frosts in early October set the plants on the
path to winter early. Sub-zero temperatures, in early January, caused little damage. Early
frosts in March and on April 5 caused slight damage to cherries and other early stone
fruit. A hard frost occurred across Western Michigan on May 3, 2004. Temperatures ranged
from 28 to 26 F in good fruit sites. Lows of 25 to 22 F were more common. These freezing temperatures damaged
tree fruit during and after bloom. Damage varied widely from site to site depending on
elevation, air drainage and crop development. Southern Berrien and scattered areas of
Northern Berrien County suffered the most.
2004 started out dry but May was a wet month. Heavy thunderstorms and high winds marked the end of May – some orchards lost several thousand trees to high winds. Rain was common in June but by July soils were drying out and dry conditions were the rule in the summer. Summer was cooler than normal. Highs in the 80s were unusual and few were strung together in July and August. September was warm and dry with good ripening conditions. The major weather problems were the May frost and heavy rains in late spring which allowed many plant diseases to become well established. The last two weeks have been warm and summer like weather.
Tree fruit
Insects were not a major problem in 2004 for growers who maintained good spray coverage. The same wet and cool conditions after bloom that encouraged disease development also reduced insect pressure in the early season. Plum curculio egg laying was late and caught some growers after they had thought that this pest had gone. Japanese beetle numbers were low across the region and the population seems to be in decline.
Apricots started with a light bloom and most lost their fruit due to the May frost.
Peach yields were also reduced by frost. Peach leaf curl symptoms were generally scarce. May’s heavy rains allowed bacterial spot to get off to a rapid start but Oriental Fruit Moth was not much of a problem. Split pits were common in early varieties due to fast fruit growth early in the season. The crop matured early due to the early bloom and modest crop load. Fruit quality was generally good to excellent and growers generally found good markets for the entire season. X-disease symptoms were easy to find in some orchards.
Cherries were hit hard by the May frost. The final crop was a little better than average for SW Michigan. The heavy May rain was good for cherry leaf spot development and most growers had to struggle to maintain their leaves until harvest. The heavy frequent rains washed off protectants and frequent wetting periods caused allowed infections even when SI fungicides were applied at 10-day intervals. Orchard defoliation was severe on tart cherries in most cases and even some sweet cherries and the trees are entering winter in a weakened condition.
Plums, especially Japanese types, were hurt by the frost and few insect problems were reported. Brown rot was a problem in some plantings at harvest. Bacterial canker was common on fruit of susceptible varieties grown in sandy sites.
In Apples, the frost took most
of the king bloom and in many cases most of the fruit off the bottoms of the trees.
Diseases and fruit finish were a major problem. Early season scab control was good but the
rains after bloom caused problems where early season control was poor. The cool wet
weather resulted in russeting from many causes, long wetting periods, powdery mildew and
frost rings. There were good conditions for fire blight blossom infections but cool
weather after bloom seemed to suppress disease development. A major thunderstorm with high
winds and hail crossed the region just as blossom blight symptoms were appearing and
trauma blight was wide spread. Fire blight was wide spread throughout the region and some
young orchards were decimated but the lack of large tracts of young trees kept the disease
from killing large numbers of trees throughout the region as in the 2000 fireblight
epidemic.
There were few major insect problems. European red mite flared in June in some orchards where no controls were applied. Codling moth egg hatch was suppressed in the beginning so then end of the second generation coincided with warm weather in August and there was a heavy flight. Late season Oriental fruit moth was also a problem. Spotted tentiform leafminer and White apple leafhopper have generally not been a problem lately.
Apple harvest progressed rapidly due to the relatively light crop and the sunny fall days that have helped to color fruit.
Pears were hurt by frost and most of the harvested fruit had frost marks.
Small fruit
In Blueberries, we again saw the death of many canes in the bushes. Most of the affected bushes in 2004 were also affected in 2003 and it appears that what we are seeing is the death of weakened canes. Damage was most apparent where growers had pruned out most or all of the new growth from the crowns of the plant. In general blueberries suffered little frost damage and the cool moist growing season allowed them to ripen a good crop and get 4 or 5 pickings of many varieties. Anthracnose fruit rot right before first harvest was a problem for a few growers. No other diseases or insects were major problems and we have the potential for a good crop next year.
Grapes
were following a very heavy crop year in 2003 and the weakened vines were not very
fruitful. The May 3 frost occurred just as the flower clusters were exposed on 4-inch
shoots. Damage was wide spread and the weak secondary buds had few flower clusters. Wet
conditions before bloom resulted in disease problems as the fruit ripened. Fruit losses
were mainly due to phomopsis and black rot. Downy Mildew was common at the end of the
season. Grape leafhoppers and Japanese beetles were scarce but grape
berry moth became a problem late in the season with the warm conditions at the end of
August. Damage is heavy in some vineyards. The 2004 turned out to be about half of a full
crop with yields averaging 3 tons/acre. With vigorous healthy vines and a light crop, the
crop potential for next year is excellent.
In Strawberries, early frost reduced the crop in some fields but the cool moist conditions were good for fruit and plant growth. Diseases and insects problems were not common. Warm weather at the beginning of harvest resulted in a short harvest season. Potato leafhoppers stunted new growth in many plantings.
In general, raspberry yields were not hurt by the frosts. In summer raspberries, it was winter damage that reduced the crop. The spring frosts did stunt primocane growth. Fall Raspberry harvest continues. Fruit rots especially gray mold and blue mold are a problem for some growers.
