Plant development and disease damage

Many fields are well along with regard to bloom (even though it has been fairly cold the last few days).

For those that haven't treated for Botrytis yet (later fields) it would be important to consider an application prior to the rainfall event on Friday.

We have been seeing a lot of Monilinia infection around, with some of it being quite severe, below is a picture from late last week that shows some of the damage.

8th Monilinia Update for Nova Scotia - May 15, 2017

All areas of mainland Nova Scotia are well past the 40% F2 stage.  We are starting to see some cups drying up across Central NS, but there is still some risk of infection, particularly in traditionally later fields and areas.  If controls have been not applied to these later fields it should be considered as last night through Tuesday evening maybe considered an infection period in your area.

Realizing it is May in Nova Scotia, the forecast looks quite good as it is calling for mainly sunny conditions after Tuesday until Monday the 22nd. If this weather pattern holds, apothecia cups will dry up in most areas and Monilinia infection risk will decrease rapidly.

Of Note: There could be some scattered rainfall events in eastern Nova Scotia over the next week - ie. Antigonish and Guysborough Counties as well as Cape Breton, so keep a close eye on your weather.

The infection risk for much of western Nova Scotia is over and growers should begin to think about Botrytis strategies in those areas.

There are still some very late fields in Cape Breton that are still very early in development and control options should still be considered over the next week or so.

Sites reporting from Cape Breton are:

Foot Cape - 35% F2 taken on Friday (over 40% as of today)
Keppoch - 4% F2 taken on Friday
Dunnigan - 10% F2  taken on Friday

We will still be monitoring cups over the next week or so, to see if we are getting close to the end of the Monilinia season.

Other Production notes:

We are also rapidly approaching pollination season, we appear to be slightly ahead of recent years so growers should be prepared as it is likely that flowers will open quickly as we approach late May.

I also noted some early shoot development on some sprout fields today. If you are planning to use Velpar, it should be done soon.  Use caution if tank mixing herbicides when shoots are emerging.

The next update will be either late in the day on Thursday or Friday morning.

4th Monilinia Blight Update for Nova Scotia 2015

It is with great sadness that I have to report, that our colleague and friend Rick Delbridge passed away early this morning.  Rick was an extremely kind and generous man, an exceptional Agrologist and made a huge impact to the wild blueberry industry throughout his career.

Rick along with Paul Hildebrand were pioneers in blight monitoring for the wild blueberry industry. As many of you know Rick led the Monilinia and Botrytis monitoring programs "blighline" for many years, and was still involved into this spring.

He will be missed by all who knew him. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.

Rick had a great passion for plant pathology and I know he would want to make sure the Monilinia report got out to growers, so here it goes.

Fruit buds are beginning to move across the province, but we have seen great variation in development depending on slope, location and how long the snow has been off the field.

Newville lake -11% F2
Athol - 7 & 9% F2 (two fields)
Windham Hill - 4% F2
Oxford - 23% F2
Westchester - 3% F2
Pigeon Hill (Charles Ripley field) - 7% F2
Canaan Mountain - 20% F2
Parrsboro - 0% F2
Woods Mountain - 0% F2

Swallow road - 5% F2
Spiddle Hill - 10% F2

East Mines - 11% F2
Montrose - 11% F2
Highland Village - 23% F2
Londonderry - 19% F2

Cooks Brook - 40% F2  (1 pin)
Glenmore - 16.5 % F2
Benvie Hill - 24% F2

Rawdon 30% F2

Caledonia (Wednesday) - 18% F2 (moving fast)

There is some possible wet periods approaching at the end of the weekend.  With the projected temperatures, some fields will be beyond 40% F2 by Monday and if there is a significant wet period, a control may be warranted.

Farmers that have fields, in traditionally early areas, should be paying close attention to fruit bud development this weekend.

Mid fall Check-in

We're half way through October, and have had frost in various parts of the province (although not today - feels almost tropical).


Mowing - Many people ask when they should start mowing.  For me there is no huge rush.  If the plant still has green leaves, it is still photosynthesizing and putting resources into the rhyzomes. This is a good thing.  The greener the plant is the harder it is to mow, which can add fuel costs.  Hardened off plants tend to mow cleaner as well.  However, I do not like spring mowing, and feel that it should be all completed in the fall if at all possible.  Spring mowing can work fine, but it introduces weather and soil moisture variables that can make life very difficult for the grower.


Just a reminder if you are planning to use Chateau, do so only after mowing and preferably a week or two after mowing.


It is still too early for Kerb at this point.  The weather we have had, has not allowed soil temperatures to drop low enough to ensure you won't lose effectiveness of the herbicide.  I think it is a good idea to wait until we get into November before thinking about Kerb applications.
Also, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has put together a 2nd edition of "A pocket Guide to IPM scouting of Wild Blueberries". Click here Pocket IPM scouting guide This is a really great resource for all wild blueberry growers.

Berries turning blue, time to monitor

I've been seeing the first blue'ish berries around central NS.  Now is the time to get Blueberry maggot traps into your fields.


Also SWD traps should be placed on field borders beginning this week.


UPDATE:


The PMRA has just revoked the approval of Ripcord for use on Highbush and Lowbush blueberries for SWD control.


As a result we still have Malathion, Delegate and Entrust as products with an emergency registration for control of SWD.  Exirel has a full registration on blueberries for SWD control, but there are some import restrictions in other countries.


Contact your processor or buyer to see what is allowable for their markets.


Here is the updated guide Allowable products for control of SWD

11th Monilinia Update for Nova Scotia

All major growing areas in Nova Scotia are beyond or well beyond the 50% F2 stage of floral development, including Cape Breton.


We are still seeing mature, nearly mature cups in sites across central Nova Scotia.  Infection risk is still present in central and eastern regions of the province.


Many areas would have had an infection period either Sunday evening or Monday evening.  If Proline or propiconazole based products (Topas, Jade, Mission etc.) were put on just before these infection periods, the buds would have been protected.  If an application hasn't yet been applied, a propiconazole based product should be used in order to get the kick back control.


An application made on the weekend or early this week will provide protection for 7-10 days and that will get all fields through the monilinia season in Central Nova Scotia.  The exception to this would be extremely late areas (ie. Cape Breton etc.).


Of Note: Bloom is developing quickly in the western end of the Province. Growers should be considering botrytis management options in this region.  Botrytis controls should be applied before a major wet period and during early bloom.


Also: Sprout fields are developing quickly.  Velpar and Sinbar applications need to be made shortly, as the risk of plant damage increases as plants begin to emerge from the ground.


Check back on Friday for the next update

9th Monilinia Update for Nova Scotia

There were a couple of infection periods over the last couple of days, depending on where you were in the Province.


In order to trigger a high level infection period you obviously need a wet period, but temperature plays a big role on how long that wet period needs to be.
If it is 2 degrees C, we need 24 hrs of wetness to get a high level infection period.


If it is 18 degrees C, we only need 6 hrs of wetness.


It has been cool over the last few days, so in some areas the length of the wet period may not have been long enough to cause an infection period.




If you are well over 40 % F2 and it has been more than 7 days since your last application, a 2nd application might be warranted.


Click on the following link to go to the Monilinia Factsheet for more information.


Very little rain is forecasted for the next 6 days.  If your fields are just approaching the 40-50% F2 stage it would be advisable to wait to just before the next forecasted rainfall event before making an application.  The more floral buds open during an application, the more floral buds that will be protected through an infection period.


Also, with these warm temperatures, sprout fields will begin to move quickly.  Velpar and Sinbar applications should be going on now in most areas of central NS.


This is the list of floral bud stages across Nova Scotia.


Oxford - 40% F2
Athol - 40% F2
Parrsboro (Airport field) - 24% F2
Diligent River - 11%
2nd field in Diligent river - 38% F2
Fox Point - 32% F2


Farmington - 24% F2
Westchester - 40% F2
Windham Hill - 73% F2


Tatamagouche mountain area - 49-58% F2
Earltown -  45% F2
Kemptown (early field) - 63% F2


Glenmore - 60% F2
Dean - 38% F2


Central region (Great Village through Mt. Thom) - most fields are at or beyond the 40% F2 stage


Pictou County - Approaching the 40% F2 stage in some areas


Cape Breton - no F2 buds yet




Check back for the next update in the late afternoon on Friday, May 16th.

Happy Thanksgiving, happy mowing and fall weed control

I've always thought of Thanksgiving as a good time to think about mowing.  Typically there have been a few hard frosts, which tends to make mowing a little bit easier. 

Here are a couple of tips to think about as you look at mowing.

1) The tighter the mow the better. Ideally you want to cut the stem off below the lowest node, this will force the plant to regrow from the rhizome. You can get away with a higher mow, but it often leads to weaker stems.
2) Avoid scalping the ground, (ie. mowing too low).  This will stress the plant, especially on heavy soils.
3) Well maintained flail mowers work best
4) If there are still a lot of leaves left on the plant, it's best to wait a bit before mowing.  If the leaves are still on the plant, it is likely still putting resources into the roots, which is a good thing for overall plant health.  A lot of leaves means the plant is still fairly active and it will be much harder to mow (means driving slower and it will require more fuel)

Chateau and Moss control
Some people are looking at Chateau for moss control.  Make sure this application is made after mowing. It is also a pretty good idea to wait a week or two after mowing, so the stems are sealed up a bit.  Chateau can be harsh on active blueberry tissue.

Kerb
Many growers are also looking at controlling fescue with Kerb.  Here are a couple of observations I have made over the years that seem to optimize control.

1) If you have a problem with fescue, go full rate.
2) Spraying early is really rolling the dice.  Wait until soil temperature is decreasing below 10 degrees C.  The most successful applications are often made past mid November.
3) If you are only seeing fescue in one section of a field, spray a bit more of that area than you think you need to.  Wind, harvesters and mowers have likely spread the seed further than you can see.
4) Pre-mixing Kerb before putting it in the tank is a must!  Helps reduce clogging and allows for more uniform control.
5) Burning and Kerb in the same year could be counter productive.  In some cases a really hot burn has reduced the efficacy of Kerb in May.

Happy Thanksgiving, looking forward to seeing everyone at the AGM on November 22nd and 23rd in Truro.

10th Wild Blueberry Blight-line update

The Wild Blueberry Blight-line is brought to you by WBPANS, Perennia and Delbridge Disease Management.

The 10^th update for Tuesday May 14^th is as follows:

We had multiple infection periods through most of the province from last Thursday through Monday. 

All monitored sites in Nova Scotia are well beyond the 40% F2 stage.  As well, most monitored sites in the province are showing cups that have dried up or are in the process of drying up.  This means disease risk is rapidly decreasing but there is still some disease risk, particularly in later developing fields. The disease risk has passed in the western end of the province.

Many growers made an application last Wednesday or Thursday.  If those fields had a high proportion of fruit buds open at the time of application, those fields should still be protected until this Friday at least.

If the first application was made last week, and fruit buds were only at 40% open, a second application should be considered.

Later developing fields (ie. Guysborough County and Cape Breton) should consider an application if they have not already done so.  This application would cover the infection period that occurred on Sunday evening.

Note: Sprout fields are starting to pop through.  It is also a good time to begin checking for leaf feeding insects (ie. spanworm and fleabeetle) . 

Numbers for Cape Breton

Keppoch – 48% F2

Foote Cape – 84.4% F2

The Next update will be Friday May 17^th, in the late afternoon.

Seeing "Blue" berries and Field Day Reminder

I was in the Debert area today and took this picture of ripe blueberries.  This is a reminder to get your blueberry maggot fly traps into the fields.  Once you start to see ripe berries the traps need to go out.

You will also notice the weed in the picture.  It is fairy common annual weed "Hemp nettle".
It has pink flowers and very hairy leaves and stems.

You can get blueberry maggot fly traps from the WBPANS office in Debert

902-662-3306 

wbpans@ns.aliantzinc.ca

WBPANS Field Day Reminder - It will be held again this year at the Institute in Debert (168 Dakota Rd.) on Saturday, July 21st. (9:00am - 4:00pm)

Cold weather damage

Many of you may have gotten an e-mail last week talking about cold injury. I have also been getting calls about delayed development in certain crop fields.

This is a quote from Paul Hildebrand - "Earlier this week Willy travelled to Westchester Mountain and he noticed poor foliage development in some fields. This is due to the cold nights we had around April 30. The growing point in the vegetative bud is blackened and only a few leaves per leaf shoot develop. Also, flower buds are stunted and/or are turning brown. These symptoms are not due to Monilinia blight. We are not sure how wide spread this problem is, but it likely will affect yields in some fields. Apple growers have reported injury in the Valley as well."

We are starting to see some monilinia blight out there but the cold weather symptoms look quite different. Take a look at a pictures Paul Hildebrand sent and the post I made yesterday on the blog to compare.

Management reminders

We are approaching mid bloom in many places in mainland Nova Scotia. We are seeing some good bloom around the province.

I was checking some fields yesterday and went to an area that was not treated for monilinia this year. The picture below shows the symptoms of monilinia that should be start to appear in fields if adequate control was not achieved.

This picture shows vegetative bud infections. Although it will cause leaf defoliation, the leaves will grow back and yield impacts will be less than if the fruit buds were infected.

Remember to look for insect feeding in your sprout fields. If the plants haven't popped through the ground yet and you are not in a traditionally late area, you may want to take a closer look as flea beetle or spanworm could be feeding on the new shoots.

Controlling grasses like poverty oat grass and tickle grass can start anytime now with Venture or Poast Ultra. Just remember if these products will only control grasses if they have emerged and are growing.

Note:
Callisto has a 85 day pre-harvest interval. If you are planning on applying it in the crop year, you have a very small window to use it unless you have a field that you pick in very late August or early September.

If anybody has questions, please feel free to contact me on my cell 890-0472.

Look at your blueberry fields!!

It is May 15th and the season is continuing to be ahead of "normal". Yesterday's warm weather really pushed along flower development in crop fields. I've been in several fields since last Thursday and have seen open flower since then. Yesterday a lot of flowers opened up, particularly on south facing slopes. If the warm weather continues, many fields in central NS will need pollinators soon.

If you are planning on using Pristine, the time is now.

Plants in sprout fields are starting to push through the ground. Soil applied herbicides like Velpar and Sinbar should be used with great caution at this time. If these products are allowed to dry onto emerged plants (open leaves) crop damage can occur.

It is also that time of year to take a close look for spring leaf feeding insects (Flea beetle and Spanworm). They typically begin to emerge in sprout fields at the same time as early bloom in crop fields.

The Growing Season Begins

We've already posted two blight updates on the lowbush blueberry blog. Things are moving along very quickly. Soils are really quite dry and with the forecasted weather to be sunny and warm the rest of this week, expect the growing season to jump ahead. At this point we are likely a week and a half ahead of normal.

Blueberry growers need to make sure sprayers are ready to go and begin checking crop fields for bud stages.

Later this week AgraPoint will have our updated pest guides up on our website, check them out to see application rates and new products available.

www.agrapoint.ca

Also on the mainpage you will see our beeline. Check this out if you are looking for beehive to rent for pollenation in NS.

I hope to keep this blog updated regularly, and let growers know what I'm seeing in the field.

Have a great season!

Blueberry plants are emerging - check your fields

With all the moisture of the last few weeks and the heat of the last couple of days, many growers are reporting that blueberry plants are popping through the ground in many sprout fields. This has implications with Velpar applications. As more plants emerge, the risk of crop damage from Velpar application begins to increase very rapidly.