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The Berry Basket The Berry Basket Newsletter for Missouri Small Fruit and Vegetable Growers Volume 6 Number 2 Summer 2003 Contents: Controlling Blueberry Pests Controlling Blueberry Pests ....................... 1 Evans Library Receives Grant ................... 4 By Ben Fuqua Summer Softwood Propagation.................. 5 Fall Gardening ............................................. 7 Controlling birds, diseases, insects, and Ozark Bamboo Garden ............................... 8 mammals is crucial in producing high yields of Watering Plants: When & How Much? ... 10 quality blueberries. While pests, in general, Fireblight .................................................... 11 cause less damage in blueberries than in some Peento Peaches ........................................... 12 other fruit crops, more problems can be ASEV Meeting 2003 in Reno .................... 13 expected as blueberry acreage increases and A Trip to Turkey.......................................... 14 established plants get older. Although the News and Events ........................................ 15 blueberry harvest season for this year is over for most Missouri growers, pest control strategies should be reevaluated and revised as needed From the Editors before the 2004 berry crop. Birds: Birds are a real menace and represent by Marilyn Odneal one of the biggest challenges for blueberry Too much rain aggravated our fireblight growers in Missouri. Robins, finches, grackles, problem at the Fruit Experiment Station this spring sparrows, cedar waxwings, and nearly every and now too little is causing concern. To help us other species of birds apparently have developed deal, Dan Waldstein covers fireblight management an amazing appetite for ripe blueberries. Birds and Jennifer Barnes writes about watering plants seem to know when the berries are beginning to for best results. We try to look on the bright side ripen and automatically show up. Some of the in any case, so let’s congratulate Suzi Teghtmeyer smaller birds simply peck the berries, on winning a grant for the Paul Evans Library of puncturing the fruit and making a mess of the Fruit Science designed to preserve an important fruit cluster, while other birds will remove the part of Missouri history, through rain or shine. whole berry from the plant. Each berry damaged or destroyed by birds is one less berry for human Berry Basket Newsletter Staff: Patrick Byers, Gaylord Moore and Marilyn Odneal - eds. consumption and therefore a loss of income to Pamela Mayer - layout, photo editing, proofing, mailing the grower. The extent of bird damage tends to list. vary from year to year and from one planting to Teresa Inman - posting and sending. another. Most blueberry growers in Missouri Please direct comments to: lose a minimum of 10-20% of their crop each Marilyn Odneal, SMSU-Mountain Grove, 9740 Red Spring Road, Mountain Grove, MO 65711 year to birds and losses as high as 80-90% have phone: 417-926-4105, fax: 417-926-7421 been reported at some locations. e-mail: [email protected] Birds are difficult, if not impossible, to Internet: http://mtngrv.smsu.edu control. Visual/auditory frightening devices, netting, and chemical repellants have all been University of Missouri System, Lincoln University, U.S.D.A. Local University Extension Councils Cooperating & Southwest Missouri State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability or status as a Vietnam-era veteran in employment or programs. 2 Berry Basket used for bird control. Visual (scarecrows, plastic Missouri seem to be susceptible to the disease to owls, balloons, bright ribbons, etc.) and auditory some degree. Two other fungal diseases of concern are stem canker and twig blight. Both devices (CO2 cannons, firecrackers, sirens, screamers, etc.) have been used with limited infect canes of blueberry plants, but currently success in scaring birds away from blueberry are less of a problem than stem blight in plantings. Best results occur when the devices Missouri. are combined and frequently moved around in The most practical way to control the fungal the planting. diseases in blueberries is to promptly remove Nets will exclude nearly 100% of the birds, infected canes. Diseased canes and branches thereby increasing berry yields and fruit quality should be cut as close to the crown as possible, (by allowing berries to fully ripen). The removed from the planting, and burned to downside to netting is the initial cost of $1500 prevent spreading the inoculum. Disinfecting to $3000 per acre for nets, wires, and trellis pruning tools (loppers, shears, hand pruners) support frame, although the costs are usually between cuts with a bleach or alcohol solution will recouped very quickly through increased berry also help reduce the spreading of inoculum to sales. Netting is also very labor intensive, as the healthy plants. Fungicides can be applied, but they nets must be put up and taken down each year. are not very effective in controlling either stem blight Methyl anthranilate is a chemical bird or stem canker. repellant that has shown mixed results in Phythophthora root rot is a fungal disease Missouri. Some growers have reported good that attacks the roots of blueberry plants. bird control where methyl anthranilate was used, Phythophthora root rot caused extensive damage while others had limited or no response. in some of the early (1970s) plantings in Applying the repellant just prior to berry Missouri and still remains the most devastating ripening (before the birds taste the ripe berries) disease in blueberry plantings. Blueberry plants seems to be one of the keys to effective use of infected with Phythophthora are most frequently methyl anthranilate. found in low-lying, wet or poorly drained areas. Diseases: Although blueberries generally have The above ground symptoms of Phytophthora fewer disease problems than most other fruit root rot include yellowing or reddening and crops, the warm, humid climate in Missouri subsequent dying of leaves throughout the plant. creates an excellent environment for several Below ground, the roots die and decay. Since fungal diseases. Fungal diseases can attack Phythophthora root rot is primarily found in wet, blueberry canes, roots, as well as the fruit. A few poorly drained soils, the key to controlling this viral diseases have also been isolated from disease is good site selection and good drainage blueberry plantings in Missouri, although they of soil water. Avoid planting sites in areas where do not occur as frequently as the fungal water stands for even a short period of time after diseases. a rain. Sites with minor soil drainage problems At the present time, the most economically can be used for blueberries, if drainage is destructive of the fungal diseases in highbush improved by incorporating large quantities of blueberries is stem blight. Stem blight affects organic matter into the soil before planting, individual canes or stems within a blueberry installing a drainage (tile) system, or setting plant, with one or more canes dying each year blueberry plants on ridges or berms. Irrigation until the entire plant is dead. Canes infected should also be carefully monitored and regulated with stem blight tend to lose vigor very quickly, in these soils to prevent over-watering. A second with leaves turning from green to yellow to red. key in controlling Phytophthora root rot is to Some cultivars (varieties) of blueberries appear buy disease-free plants. Many of the to have more resistance to stem blight than Phytophthora root rot problems in Missouri others, although most varieties grown in were traced to plants propagated by non-certified Summer, 2003 3 3 nurseries. The fungicide, metalaxyl is approved for approximately /8 inches long and has a metallic treating Phythophthora infected soils, but is much green body with bronze colored outer wings. more effective when good soil drainage is also The beetle emerges in late June to early July, provided. right in the middle of the blueberry season in Major fungal diseases that affect the fruit of Missouri. The beetles damage plant leaves, blueberries in Missouri are the fruit rots. leaving a skeletonized leaf that is full of holes Botrytis, Anthracnose, and Alternaria fruit rots and ineffective for photosynthesis. They also frequently are found when berry ripening occurs feed on ripe berries, destroying many berries during wet, warm weather conditions. While within the cluster, and leaving a gooey mess on growers have no control of the weather, proper the remaining fruit. While adult beetles can be pruning to allow good penetration of sunlight controlled with foliar applied insecticides, and good air movement through the plant will timing the spray applications in relation to fruit greatly reduce fruit damage from these diseases. harvest is sometimes difficult. Fungicides may be needed to control fruit rot The immatures spend approximately 10 problems in some years. months of the year in the soil as a white grub. Necrotic ringspot and red ringspot are two White grubs feed on blueberry plant roots, viral diseases that have been found in Missouri although the plant may not show any outward blueberry plantings. Symptoms of necrotic symptoms until stressed for water. Grub ringspot may include overall plant stunting, with damaged plants usually have low vigor and deformed chlorotic leaves exhibiting small reduced yields. The big problem is that no necrotic spots. The spots may fall out, leaving a insecticides are registered for soil application
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