SW Michigan Fruit Update
Southwest Michigan Fruit Update, June 18, 2007
Weather
Last week was hot with highs near 90F and lows around 60F. There was no rain last week and soil moisture reserves in sandy soils are exhausted. Crop growth has slowed due to the hot, dry conditions. A cold front moved through the region Tuesday morning (June 19) bringing a little rain (0.1-0.3 inches). Soils are still dry. The forecast is for cooler weather with little chance of rain.
Southwest
Michigan Growing Degree Days (GDD) Totals
|
Grapes from April 1 |
|||
Location |
GDD 42 |
GDD 45 |
GDD 50 |
GDD 50 |
1599 |
1364 |
1018 |
911 |
|
1533 |
1312 |
972 |
874 |
|
1508 |
1281 |
947 |
847 |
|
1458 |
1234 |
904 |
809 |
|
1622 |
1390 |
1040 |
886 |
|
1594 |
1363 |
1014 |
869 |
|
1424 |
1206 |
882 |
789 |
|
1393 |
1171 |
846 |
766 |
|
Insects
Rose Chafers are finished. Both Japanese beetle and False Japanese beetle are out. We are also catching blueberry maggot and cherry fruit fly. Japanese beetle and fruit fly should emerge in good numbers if we get rain. Aphid numbers are building. We are catching peach tree borer.
Tree fruit
Peaches are at pit hardening and the fruit are 1.5 inches in diameter. We are still finding Oriental fruit moth larvae feeding in the shoot tips and fruit. The second generation of Oriental fruit moths is emerging in some areas. Peach powdery mildew or rusty spot can be found. There is leaf drop due to bacterial spot.
Tart cherries fruit are red and harvest will begin this weekend. Maintain protection for cherry leaf spot. Growers should monitor cherry fruit fly traps. There is some leaf fall due to bacterial canker and cherry leaf spot.
Sweet cherries harvest of early varieties continues. Eastern cherry fruit fly was caught late last week. Birds are a significant problem. Tuesday’s rain was a brown rot infection event so fungicides controls should be applied.
Plum fruit are about an inch in diameter.
Apple fruits are 1-¼ to 1 ½ inches in diameter. Fire blight is a serious problem in some orchards. Windy conditions Monday with thunderstorms Tuesday morning can spread fire blight by trauma blight infection. Aphids and leafhoppers can also spread the disease. Codling moth trap catches are up and we can expect an increase in egg hatch later this week. Eighth inch larvae were found feeding in the fruit. Obilquebanded leafrollers are at peak egg hatch, 600 GDD after biofix. A spike in Oriental fruit moths indicates that the e second-generation flight is starting. European red mites number are building in some orchards and hard to find in others. Aphids are common on actively growing shoots. Growers should treat young nonbearing trees to control potato leafhopper.
Pear fruit are 1-¼ inches in diameter. Pear Psylla adults are flying.
Small fruit
In Blueberries early varieties such as Weymouth are ripening and early harvest should begin this week. Early coloring fruit in mid season varieties may be due to mummy berry fruit rots. Cutting the berry open reveals the inside is white near the seeds. Shriveled fruit indicates fruit worms feeding in the fruit. Blueberry maggot is flying. Be sure to check the new Blueberry IPM Newsletter at the MSU Blueberry Site.
Grapes: Concords are at buckshot berry and
vinifera are at berry shatter. Berry growth has been rapid with the heat.
Berries are about half of the final berry weight at about 1200 GDD base 50 after April
1. We are now in the high 800s and should be close to 1200 in about 10 days. Grape berry moth larvae are
feeding in the berry clusters and will soon move into the fruit. Now is the time for
the second post bloom spray to control grape berry moth and diseases. Given the dry
conditions, powdery mildew in the primary disease concern but growers should apply
fungicides control black rot, phomopsis and downy mildew. All these diseases can be
found in minimally sprayed vineyards. We expect to see more Japanese beetles after
this rain. Check the MSU Grape website for scouting updates.
Strawberry harvest is winding down. The hot dry conditions caused fruit to ripen rapidly and size suffered. Sap beetles are attacking ripe fruit. Growers should prepare for renovation.
Raspberries: Summer red raspberry and black raspberries are coloring and harvest should begin soon. Japanese beetles usually emerge with the first ripe fruit and early treatment will discourage feeding.
Cranberries are blooming.
Upcoming Meetings
The next Monday Fruit Update meeting will be Monday June 25, 5 PM, at the Fruit Acres Farm in Berrien County. There are RUP credits available for the Monday Fruit Update meetings.
The next grape IPM scouting meeting will be July 12 at Bob Dongvillo's farm, south of Scottdale; and August 19 at Lemon Creek Vineyards, west of Berrien Springs. These meetings start at 6 PM. For more information on these meetings call Mark Longstroth at (269) 675-8313.
