2013 Production Guide for Organic Blueberries NYS IPM Publication No. 225 Integrated Pest Management New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets ORGANIC BLUEBERRY PRODUCTION Coordinating Editors Juliet Carroll (Cornell University, New York State IPM Program) Marvin Pritts* (Cornell University, Department of Horticulture) Catherine Heidenreich* (Cornell University, Department of Horticulture) Contributors and Resources Kerik Cox* (Cornell University, Department of Plant Pathology and Plant Microbe-Biology) Greg Loeb* (Cornell University, Department of Entomology) Michael Helms* (Cornell University, Pesticide Management Education Program) Andrew Landers (Cornell University, Department of Entomology) Paul Curtis (Cornell University, Department of Natural Resources) Laura McDermott (Cornell Cooperative Extension, Capital District Vegetable and Small Fruit Program) *Pesticide Information and Regulatory Compliance Staff Writers Elizabeth Graeper Thomas (Cornell University, New York State IPM Program) Theodora Bucien (Cornell University, New York State IPM Program) Editing for the 2013 update Mary Kirkwyland (New York State IPM Program) Michelle Marks (New York State IPM Program) Special Appreciation Format based on the Pest Management Guidelines for Berry Crops ipmguidelines.org/BerryCrops/, content editor Marvin Pritts and coordinating editor Cathy Heidenreich; and on the Production Guide for Organic Grapes, coordinating editors Tim Weigle and Juliet Carroll. Funded in part by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The guidelines in this bulletin reflect the authors’ best effort to interpret a complex body of scientific research, and to translate this into practical management options. Following the guidance provided in this bulletin does not assure compliance with any applicable law, rule, regulation or standard, or the achievement of particular discharge levels from agricultural land. Every effort has been made to provide correct, complete, and up-to-date pest management information for New York State at the time this publication was released for printing (May 2013). Changes in pesticide registrations, regulations, and guidelines occurring after publication are available in county Cornell Cooperative Extension offices or from the Pesticide Management Education Program web site (pmep.cce.cornell.edu). Trade names used herein are for convenience only. No endorsement of products is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products implied. This guide is not a substitute for pesticide labeling. Always read the product label before applying any pesticide. Updates and additional information for this guide are available at www.nysipm.cornell.edu/organic_guide. Please submit comments or suggested changes for these guides to [email protected]. This guide is published by the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program, which is funded through Cornell University, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and USDA-NIFA. Cornell Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities. NYS IPM Publication number 225, June 2013. http://www.nysipm.cornell.edu. 2013 1 ORGANIC BLUEBERRY PRODUCTION TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................ 3 1. GENERAL ORGANIC MANAGEMENT PRACTICES .......................................................................................... 3 1.1 Organic Certification ........................................................................................................................................ 3 1.2 Organic Farm Plan ........................................................................................................................................... 3 2. SOIL HEALTH ............................................................................................................................................. 4 3. SITE SELECTION ......................................................................................................................................... 4 3.1 Organic Certification Site Requirements ......................................................................................................... 4 3.2 Soil and Air Drainage and Soil Depth ............................................................................................................... 5 3.3 Soil Testing ....................................................................................................................................................... 5 3.4 Irrigation Water Source ................................................................................................................................... 6 4. COVER CROPS – Before Planting and Row Middles .................................................................................... 6 4.1 Goals and Timing for Preplant Cover Crops .................................................................................................... 6 4.2 Cover Crops for Row Middles .......................................................................................................................... 7 5. VARIETY SELECTION .................................................................................................................................. 8 6. NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ......................................................................................................................... 8 6.1 Soil and Leaf Analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 9 6.2 Soil pH .............................................................................................................................................................. 9 6.3 Managing Nutrients ....................................................................................................................................... 10 6.4 Preparing a Nitrogen Budget ......................................................................................................................... 11 7. ORGANIC BLUEBERRY IPM ....................................................................................................................... 13 7.1 Developing a Blueberry IPM Strategy ............................................................................................................ 13 7.2 Weed Management ....................................................................................................................................... 14 7.3 Principles of Insect and Disease Management .............................................................................................. 15 7.4 DISEASES OF PRIMARY CONCERN .................................................................................................................. 16 7.5 OTHER DISEASES OF NOTE ............................................................................................................................ 22 7.6 INSECTS OF PRIMARY CONCERN ................................................................................................................... 26 7.7 MINOR AND SPORADIC INSECT PESTS ........................................................................................................... 32 7.8 Wildlife Management .................................................................................................................................... 36 7.9 Considerations During Harvest and Post-harvest .......................................................................................... 38 8. FOOD SAFETY ......................................................................................................................................... 38 9. SMALL-SCALE SPRAYER TECHNOLOGY ...................................................................................................... 39 9.1 Spraying Small Blueberry Plantings: .............................................................................................................. 39 9.2 Selecting a Small Sprayer for the Small, Organic Blueberry Planting ............................................................ 41 10. PESTICIDES MENTIONED IN THIS PUBLICATION ...................................................................................... 42 10.1 Pesticides Labeled for use in Organic Blueberry Production ...................................................................... 44 10.2 Pesticide Regulatory Considerations ........................................................................................................... 44 10.3 Optimizing Pesticide Effectiveness .............................................................................................................. 45 11. REFERENCES AND RESOURCES ............................................................................................................... 45 12. GLOSSARY ............................................................................................................................................. 48 2013 2 ORGANIC BLUEBERRY PRODUCTION INTRODUCTION This guide for organic blueberry production is an outline of cultural and pest management practices and includes topics that have an impact on improving plant health and reducing pest problems. The guide is divided into sections, but the interrelated quality of organic cropping systems