In this Issue:
GUEST ARTICLE
Food Alliance - IPM at the State Fair!?!
VEGETABLE NEWS
GRAPE NEWS
STRAWBERRY NEWS
August in the Berry Patch
APPLE NEWS
WEB SITES
| Vol 2 No.13 | August 22, 2005 |
August in the Berry Patch
Reprinted from: “Specialty Crops Management Newsletter,” August 2005, by Thaddeus McCamant, Northland Community & Technical College, Detroit Lakes, MN
August is an important month for your berry fields. Next year's crop is developing in the crowns and you will want your plants to have a healthy canopy by the end of August. Fortunately, the hardest work in your fields is done for the year and you can spend some time enjoying the rest of summer. Heat is hard on berry plants and berry growers.
Heat slows photosynthesis and growth in both new and renovated berry fields. Plants are putting out sufficient runners, but the runners in some varieties are quite short which means the rows are not filling in where a plant died. I am assuming the short runners are caused by the heat. Unfortunately, there is little you can do to keep your plants cool short of installing air conditioners in your fields. Often, the plants will perk up when the temperature cools in September. Take care of yourselves and don't let the heat wear you down.
Irrigation is essential during a hot summer. On a hot, dry August day, berry plants use about a quarter of an inch of water per day. In addition to needing water for growth, the soil must be wet for runners to form roots. You should plan on applying at least an inch of water per week. If you have a cloudy day, you may want to water your plants so that the soil can stay wet long enough for runners to peg in. Daughter plants should peg in before September in order to become large enough to produce fruit next summer.
Leaf diseases have been very common this year. During the rainy June, leaf spot and leaf scorch began to kill leaves in many fields. During the hot, dry July, powdery mildew caused leaves to curl up. Powdery mildew symptoms are similar to potato leafhopper, but usually you can see the white fungal mass on the lower sides of curled up leaves if there is powdery mildew. Scientists have yet to develop thresholds for spraying either powdery mildew or potato leafhopper and one of my books says to ignore postharvest leaf diseases. Bill Turechek at New York has a more realistic approach stating that a 30% infection in late summer will reduce yields the following spring. Unfortunately, by the time you see the leaf diseases, your yield has already been hurt. You are better off spraying a fungicide in early August, before the diseases become severe.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Co-Editors: Bill Hutchison (hutch002@umn.edu), Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, Jeanne Ciborowski, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Ag. Resources Management and Development Division, and Suzanne Wold-Burkness (woldx018@umn.edu), Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota
The Newsletter is published weekly from May through August, cooperatively, by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the University of Minnesota (U of MN). Reports are posted on the U of MN and MDA web sites on Fridays. If you have suggestions and/or comments, please send your contributions by 4 p.m., Wednesday to Jeanne Ciborowski, 651-297-3217, jeanne.ciborowski@state.mn.us , MDA, 90 W. Plato Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55107-2094. You can access the Newsletter at the U of MN web site in htm format at: www.vegedge.umn.edu/MNFruit&VegNews/mnindex.htm and at the MDA web site in pdf format at: www.mda.state.mn.us/biocon/fruitreports/
Partial funding for this publication is provided through partnership agreements with the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (MFVGA) and the United States Department of Agriculture – Risk Management Agency (RMA). These institutions are equal opportunity providers.
DISCLAIMER
Reference to products in this publication is not intended to be an endorsement to the exclusion of others which may have similar uses. Any person using products listed in this publication assumes full responsibility for their use in accordance with current manufacturer directions.
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