BLUE FOCUS NEWSLETTER- July 2025
(Perennia’s
Wild Blueberry Production Newsletter)
Hi, everyone
The wild blueberry harvest season is
fast approaching in Nova Scotia. Berries are ripening and turning blue. We were
fortunate to receive a decent amount of rain at the beginning of this week,
which was very helpful. I encourage growers to continue to monitor SWD
and Blueberry Maggots in crop fields to assist with insecticide application
pre-harvesting. In sprout fields, some important leaf diseases, including leaf
rust, start to impact blueberry plants after the rain. Please see more details
in the content below.
I wish all of you a successful and pleasant
harvest season!
Hugh
Hugh Lyu
Wild Blueberry Specialist, Perennia
hlyu@perennia.ca; 902-890-0472
July 25, 2025
Table of Contents:
GDD Updates (April 1- July 24)
Rainfall Reports (July 1- July 22)
SWD and Blueberry Maggot Management Information
Leaf Disease Management in Sprout Fields
GDD Updates (April 1- July 24)
Below are the latest GDD updates from several wild blueberry
weather stations.
Figures 1 and 2. GDD
accumulations from April 1 to July 24 on selected weather stations.
We are fast approaching 80-90% ripening in crop fields,
which means harvesting will begin very soon for early fields in the central part
of Nova Scotia. This is a critical time for balanced moisture in crop fields
for the berries’ development. In the next section, we report several stations’
total precipitation from July 1 to July 22.
Rainfall Reports (July 1- July 22)
Over the period, most blueberry regions would receive at
least one inch of rain, particularly from the two rain events occurring on July
18 and July 22 (Figures 3 and 4).
Figure 3. Rainfall daily
totals from Cape Breton Mesonet (mm), July 18
Figure 4. Rainfall daily
totals from Cape Breton Mesonet (mm), July 22
There is sufficient moisture for berry development in most
regions, but as shown above, some areas in Cumerland could benefit from a
little more moisture.
SWD and Blueberry Maggot Management Information
As berries ripen, we must observe SWD and Blueberry Maggot
populations for optimum spraying schedules. I want to show trapping photos and a
few quick points regarding monitoring and spraying for both insects.
We encourage growers to set up monitoring traps for their areas.
Although different types of traps could be used, we generally see two types of
traps in wild blueberry fields at this time of year.
Figure 5 is a yellow sticky trap that helps monitor
blueberry maggots (Blueberry Fruit Fly), and Figure 6 is a red solo cup that
attracts SWD flies.
Figure 5 (top) Yellow sticky trap for blueberry maggot, and
Figure 6 (bottom) red solo cup for SWD.
For more details about both insects’ biology, monitoring and
management, growers can use two resources to learn about SWD and Blueberry
Maggot:
-
SWD, Perennia: https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/SWD-factsheet_March2020.pdf.
-
Blueberry Maggot, University of Maine: https://extension.umaine.edu/blueberries/factsheets/insects/201-monitoring-for-the-blueberry-maggot/#:~:text=The%20blueberry%20maggot%2C%20or%20blueberry,is%20dependent%20upon%20soil%20temperature.
Growers should check traps regularly and identify the populations of interest insects. Figure 7 is an example of a yellow sticky trap with blueberry maggots.
Figure 7. A yellow
sticky trap with blueberry maggots.
Since SWD flies are smaller and harder to see, a magnifier could
help identify them. Figure 8 is a screenshot from the factsheet published by
Perennia. Growers should look for the male with red eyes and a single spot on
the top of each wing.
Figure 8. SWD
Management Information.
Leaf Disease Management in Sprout Fields
While growers prepare for harvesting, examining your sprout fields’ plant health and preparing for fungicide application as needed would be beneficial. We are in the middle of summer, and the unpredictable weather could increase leaf disease infections from Septoria leaf spot and Leaf rust. The graph below shows three key leaf diseases that could impact wild blueberry plant health and fruit bud development in our region (Figure 9).
Figure 9. Three wild
blueberry leaf diseases and their infection timelines
Perennia’s Online Pest Management Guide can help growers narrow
down registered products for interested diseases: https://www.perennia.ca/onlinepestmanagementguide/.
Please check with your buyers and processors for final chemical lists.