SW Michigan Fruit Update

Check the Index for earlier postings

August 30, 2005

Mark Longstroth
Bill Shane
Al Gaus

Weather

Last week’s weather was warm and dry with highs near 80s and lows near 60. There was rain early Saturday but most areas received less than a tenth of an inch Allegan and Kalamazoo counties received about 0.25 to 0.3 inches.  This week’s forecast is for cooler weather with little chance for rain. 

Southwest Michigan Growing Degree Day Totals March 1 through August 28, 2005				Grapes April 1
Location	GDD 42	GDD 45	GDD 50	GDD 50
SWMREC:	3545	3123	2461	2440
Bainbridge:	3606	3179	2509	2484
Hartford:	3321	2905	2252	2232
Grand Junction:	3589	3165	2505	2575
Fennville:	3354	2941	2294	2275

Tree fruit

Trap catches are variable from site to site.  Generally, Oriental fruit moth numbers are up while codling moth numbers are low.  Redbanded leafroller trap catches are high and climbing while obliquebanded leafroller trap catches are low.  Apple maggot and blueberry maggot numbers are low.  Japanese Beetles are scarce. 

Peach harvest continues. Oriental fruit moth trap catches are high. I think the fourth generation is flying. Brown rot is showing up here and there.  San Jose scale has been reported on a lot of peaches. Growers should consider dormant oil treatments to reduce this pest during the winter season.

In Apples, we are harvesting Gala, Macintosh and Jonathan. Golden Delicious harvest for processing will begin this week in some orchards. 
Apple Maturity Updates will begin this week. Look for updates after Labor Day.
Trap catches for codling moth are low and I expect a third generation of codling moth to beginning flying soon, see the articles in last weeks Fruit CAT Alert.  Oriental fruit moth trap catches are up indicating the flight of a fourth generation is starting. Growers need to protect against Oriental fruit moth and codling moth for several more weeks.  White apple leafhopper nymphs are easy to find. Examine 50 leaves from 10 different trees and treat if the average is more than one nymph per leaf. Trap catch for Obliquebanded leafroller is low.  Redbanded Leafroller flight is heavy.  We caught few apple maggots last week.

Small fruit

Blueberry: Most growers have finished harvest.

Grape harvest of early table grapes is underway. Niagara grape harvest will begin soon.  Grape berry moth egg hatch increased sharply last week with the beginning of the third generation flight. Insecticide sprays to control egg hatch should be applied. See the article in the July 26 Fruit CAT alert on “Controlling mid-season grape berry moth.” Disease pressure this dry summer has been light and there is little need for fungicides mixed with the insecticides needed to control Grape berry moth.

Fall Raspberry harvest is continues. With heavy dews every night growers need to protect against fruit rots especially gray mold and botrytis. Neem Oil materials would be good insect repellent materials to use to prevent or reduce Asian Multicolored Lady Beetles and late Japanese Beetles from feeding on the fruit.