Fruit Program News
A particularly nasty case of brown rot has afflicted shoots of Danube and Balaton tart cherry at the UMass Orchard in Belchertown. It was confirmed as brown rot by Dan Cooley's lab, there was the thought it might bacterial canker, but that has been ruled out. Many shoots are afflicted and will have to be pruned out. Interestingly, we wonder if it is a case of European brown rot, which appears to be quite more virulent than the garden variety American brown rot. This outbreak emphasized the importance of timely bloom fungicide sprays, as this is when the brown rot infection got started. Fruits will have to be protected with fungicides when ripening too. For more information on European vs. American brown rot, see this article in Good Fruit Grower. And for timely fungicide application choices, see see the Cherries Spray Table in New England Tree Fruit Management Guide.
Potato leafhopper (PLH) have arrived in Massachusetts, and pose a pest threat to young apple trees in particular. Scout for the presence of PLH in young apple planting and treat with an effective insecticide before they damage and stunt apple foliage on newly planted trees. PLH on older, bearing orchards do not present as much a threat.
Annual Summer Meeting of the Massachusetts Fruit Growers’ Association
and UMass Orchard tour, in cooperation with University of Massachusetts Fruit Team
TUESDAY, July 10, 2018
UMass Cold Spring Orchard
391 Sabin St., Belchertown, Massachusetts
For more information and to pre-register on-line using a credit card...
Or to mail in your registration...
MFGA Summer Meeting Info and Mail-in Registration
To request Accessibility accomodations for this event, please visit the UMass disability services website and fill out a brief request form. https://www.umass.edu/disability/events
Gypsy moth caterpillars are actively chewing foliage in orchards (where they occur) as can be seen here at the UMass Orchard in Belchertown. Do not be too complacent about gypsy moth, particularly young apple trees/new plantings. (They don't seem to bother stone fruit.) B.t. (Dipel, etc.) can be used to (eventually) control them, but must be used NOW when they are small, and it will take a while to work. Almost any petal fall insecticide (carbaryl, Imidan, etc.) will give quick knock-down and is highly recommended where they are doing a lot of chewing! For more information on gypsy moth, see the UMass Extension Landscape Message dated May 18, 2018. (Click on the Insects link.)
Come join Sonia Schloemann (UMass) and Heather Faubert at Ward’s Berry Farm, 614 South Main St., Sharon, MA on Thursday May 24, 2018 at 5:30 PM. Guest speaker: Dale Ila Riggs, The Berry Patch in Stephentown, NY, will speak on exclusion netting to protect fruit against spotted wing drosophila and other pests. Sonia Schloemann, UMass Small Fruit Specialist and Heather Faubert, URI, will speak on current blueberry topics such as pruning, nutrition and insect management. Meeting is free with annual dues payment of $40, or $20 for non-RIFGA members. Light dinner will be served. Two hours of pesticide recertification credit available. Registration is not necessary.
Current Bud Stages, UMass Cold Spring Orchard, Belchertown, MA. May 14, 2018
https://ag.umass.edu/fruit/bud-stages/current-bud-stages-may-14-2018
Current bud stage photos, UMass Cold Spring Orchard, April 30, 2018. Photos by Jon Clements
http://ag.umass.edu/fruit/bud-stages/current-bud-stages-april-30-2018