SW Michigan Fruit Update

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June 6, 2005

Mark Longstroth
Bill Shane
Al Gaus

Meetings

There will be prebloom Grape IPM meetings on Thursday June 2 in Berrien and Van Buren Counties. The Van Buren Meeting is at 10 AM, at the Cronenwett Farm, east of Lawton and the Berrien County Meeting is at SWMREC at 2 PM. There will be one MDA restricted use pesticide recertification credit available at this grape IPM meeting.

The next Monday Update meeting is Monday, June 13 at the Overhiser Fruit Stand on 109th Ave in Allegan County.
There will be one MDA restricted use pesticide recertification credit available at this meeting.

There are several Blueberry meetings planned for June 15 and June 22.

Weather

Last week was hot with highs in upper 70s and 80s with a high Sunday in the low 90s. Lows temperatures were in the 60s. A cold front moved through the region on Sunday dropping temperatures 20 degrees. Scattered thunderstorms accompanied this front. Precipitation from this storm varied from over an inch to less than a third of an inch. Hail fell in some areas of Northern Berrien and Western Van Buren counties. Cover crops were wilting but topsoils now have been recharged. This moisture will last less than a week under these hot windy conditions. Soil temperatures are about 75. This week’s forecast is for continued hot weather with highs in the 80s. There is a chance of thunderstorms this week, with a better chance during and after the weekend.

Southwest Michigan Growing Degree Day Totals March 1 through June 5, 2005				Grapes April 1
Location	GDD 42	GDD 45	GDD 50	GDD 50
SWMREC:	935	764	522	502
Bainbridge:	980	805	554	531
Hartford:	883	718	484	464
Grand Junction:	997	823	573	553
Fennville:	844	684	456	436

Tree fruit

Insect activity increased with warmer temperatures. Rose chafers are out. Fresh plum curculio egg laying scars were scarce. This pest can still be a problem.

Apricot fruits are about an inch in diameter, and most pits are hard. Bacterial spot symptoms are appearing on the fruit.

Peach fruit are almost an inch in diameter. June drop is continues and pit hardening has not begun. Rose chafers are out and often attack young peach fruit.  Oriental fruit moths are laying eggs. Biofix for the first flight was April 15 in Southern and Central Berrien County at 175 GDD base 45, we are now at 764 GDD, almost 600 GDD past Biofix. For the rest of the region, Oriental fruit moth Biofix was May 6 at 320 GDD base 45 and we are about 450 GDD past Biofix. The expected end of Oriental Fruit Moth egg hatch is at 650 GDD after biofix. Tarnished plant bug feeding scars have been found on young fruit. Plum curculio should be attacking peaches with the warm weather.

Cherries: Sweet Cherries are about 16 mm in diameter and early varieties are coloring. Birds are sampling the ripening fruit. Tart Cherries are 14 mm in diameter and fruit are yellowing. Leaf symptoms of bacterial canker were found in both tart and sweet cherries. Fruit symptoms were found on sweet cherry fruit. Cherry leaf spot symptoms were found in sweet and tart cherries. Sundays rain was a cherry leaf spot infection period. Growers protect against plum curculio. 

Plums are 20 mm in diameter and pits are hardening. No new plum curculio egg laying scars were found in plums near Paw Paw. 

Apple fruit are generally 20 mm to one inch in diameter. Fruit are differentiating into several size classes. This warm weather will hopefully cause many of the smaller fruit to fall and increase the June drop.

Blossom blight symptoms of fire blight appeared this weekend. The storm Sunday was a trauma infection period for fire blight, especially were there was hail. Green apple aphids are out and can spread the infection to healthy trees. No new apple leaf scab symptoms were found. Symptoms from the May 22 infection should visible. If scab lesions are found in the orchard, growers should continue to apply protectant materials to suppress fruit scab. Growers need to protect the fruit from plum curculio.  European red mites are scarce. Redbanded leafroller trap catches are zero indicating the end of the first the first generation. Oriental fruit moth trap catches are declining and the first generation should end soon. Spotted tentiform leafminer sap feeders and mines can be found in some orchards. No Obliquebanded leafroller adults have been caught. Growers and scouts should get their traps out this week. Codling moth trap catches are high. We biofixed for codling moth on May 20 at 334 GDD base 50. We are now at 522 GDDs, almost 200 GDD past biofix. Traditional control materials are applied at about 250 GDD after biofix. The warm temperatures forecast for this week mean that we will be picking up 20 GDD base 50 for much of the week and controls should be applied before the end of the week.

Pear bloom is over. Fruit are 20 mm in diameter.  Pear psylla is easy to find on unsprayed trees.

Small fruit

Blueberry fruit are larger than peas on early varieties. Cherry fruitworm and Cranberry fruitworm egg hatch has begun and feeding damage has been reported, so insecticides should be applied for these pests. Plum curculio egg laying scars are also reported in some fields. Tussock moth larvae are out. Blueberry aphids are becoming more numerous. Fungicide applications should focus on anthracnose fruit rot. There are a series of upcoming blueberry meetings on June 15 and June 27.

In Grapes are blooming. Rose chafers and rose chafer feeding damage were found Monday. Grape berry moth adults are being trapped, but egg laying has not begun, so insecticide sprays are not needed now. Thursday’s rain was a black rot infection. Phomopsis, black rot and downy mildew symptoms can be found. Growers should be protecting the flower clusters from diseases with bloom sprays or post bloom sprays before our next rain.

Strawberry harvest has begun in Berrien County and will start soon in Van Buren and Allegan counties.

Most Summer Raspberries varieties are blooming. Later varieties have not begun to bloom. Blackberries are blooming. Orange rust is abundant on wild raspberries and has n=been reported in blackberries.

Cranberries are in the jewel stage, just before the flower buds open. Cranberry shoots are 3 to 4 inches long. Pre bloom sprays to reduce fruit rots should be applied before the flowers open.

Miscellaneous

The next Monday Update meeting will be, Monday June 13at the Overhiser Fruit Stand in Allegan County at 5 PM. There will be one MDA restricted use pesticide recertification credit available at this meeting.