Spotted
lanternfly a new invasive concern: A new invasive pest of small fruit crops and
vineyards moved into eastern Pennsylvania in 2014, and has
been spreading. In 2017, the range increased from 6 to
13 Pennsylvania counties, and also into Delaware, New York and
northern Virginia. Specimens of dead
adults and egg
masses were found in January 2018 (actually 2017
individuals). This pest poses an important risk for
grape, orchard and tree crops. Click here for an Adobe
Presenter talk on this species. A fact
sheet is available from Virginia Tech (a
USDA fact sheet is available in Spanish). In
addition, there is a Virginia Tech Pest Alert, with
additional information on recognition and reporting (this is
also available in Spanish).
Now that spotted lanternfly has been found in Virginia,it will be important to follow its spread
through the state. To report a suspected find,
please follow this link: https://ext.vt.edu/spotted-lanternfly.
2019
Revisions to Fruit Pest Management recommendations:
The revised Pest Management Guide
for Home Fruit, Commercial Vineyards, Commercial Small Fruits,
and Hops, are now available. The tree fruit manual,
separate from the Pest Management Guide series, is in
production, and we hope to have it ready for our fruit
schools.
The guides are available free online
in PDF, and will also be available for purchase.
Brown marmorated stink bug and Virginia fruit: See
StopBMSB.org web site! A new addition to the stink
bug complex is brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål). Brown
marmorated stink bug (BMSB) has recently been introduced from
Asia into the northeastern U.S. It was first detected in
1998 in Allentown, Pennsylvania (see NAPIS map;
this map underrepresents the situation in Virginia). It was later found in New
Jersey, Maryland and Delaware, and in October 2004 it was
found in Montgomery County, Virginia, and in Tennessee in
2008. Injury in tree fruits
can be severe, exceeding 25% (individual blocks have been
estimated to have much higher levels of fruit injury).
Externally, fruit may have multiple reddish dents at feeding
sites, resembling hail strikes. Upon cutting into fruit,
corky areas are seen in the flesh of the fruit. In vineyards, a unique problem is posed.
Stink bugs may be harvested along with clusters and be
transported to the winery in lugs or bins, where the wine can
be imparted with a "stink bug taint". Research is
underway to test short-residual insecticides to knock down
BMSB from clusters at harvest. For further information and images, see the Brown marmorated
stink bug page. A working group on organic management of
BMSB has been established, with their own web site.
There is opportunity to participate in grower forums. Listen to Adobe Presenter
presentation on BMSB in vineyards and caneberries (14
min.).
New
edition!Mid-Atlantic
Berry
Guide -
Produced by Penn State, Rutgers Univ., Univ. Delaware, West
Virginia Univ., Univ. Maryland and Virginia Tech. Order
through Penn State for $20.00.
Spotted wing drosophila:
A new invasive pest of small fruit crops and vineyards moved
through Virginia in late summer 2011. Spotted wing
drosophila, Drosophila suzukii,
differs from other species of vinegar or pomace flies in that it
lays eggs in ripening fruit on the vine or plant, rather than in
overripe or rotting fruit material. This has the potential
to be a major problem for growers of soft-fruited crops.
More information is posted in a SWD page
in the Virginia Fruit web site. Hear an Adobe
Presenter presentation on spotted wing drosophila in
vineyard and berry crops. In May 2013, 24(c) labels were
approved for malathion 8F for blueberries and caneberries grown in
Virginia. Blueberry:
Allowing up to 2.5 pts/acre for spotted wing drosophila.
Maximum number of applications is 2, with a minimum of 5 days
between applications. Do not exceed a total maximum from all
sources of malathion of 5 lb ai/acre/year. Do not apply
within 1 day of harvest. Caneberries: Allowing an additional application for spotted wing
drosophila. The maximum application rate is 2.0
pts/acre; the maximum number of applications per year is 4, and
the minimum retreatment interval is 7 days. Do not exceed a
total maximum use rate of all sources of malathion of 8 lb
ai/acre/year. Do not apply within 1 day of harvest.
Horticultural
Topics:
Shift-trellises for Brambles: The
late Dr. Herb Stiles published two experiment station bulletins on
trellising systems for brambles (Va. Agric. Exp. Stn Bull. 95-2
and 99-1). Abstracts are available here for publications on Shift
trellis and Limited
Arm Rotation Shift Trellis systems. For the entire
publications, go the the Horticultural Topic sections.
Miscellaneous
Topics:
New name for NABGA: The North American
Bramble Growers has changed its name! It is now the North American
Raspberry and Blackberry Association, NARBA. There is new contact information as
well. The new e-mail is info@raspberryblackberry.com, and
the new phone is 919-542-4037.
New! The College of Agriculture and Life
Science at Virginia Tech has established a new on-line Master's in
Agriculture and Life Sciences. This curriculum
has been approved by the State Council of Higher Education and is
now accepting applications for Fall semester 2007. In this
program, you can earn a master's degree in agriculture while
working in your current job - emphasis is on education for
place-bound learners, and all courses are taken on-line. In
addition to a core area, there are courses offered in five areas
of concentration: (1) Biosecurity, Bioregulations and Public
Health, (2) Education, (3) Environmental Science, (4) Food Safety,
and (5) Plant Science and Pest Management. In addition to
course work, the student completes a
project decided upon in consultation with your major
advisor. Lists
of
courses within each concentration may be found in the web
site linked above. This program was recently the subject of
an interview by Jeff
Ishee with Virginia Public Televsion's Virginia Farming. For
more information, contact Doug Pfeiffer (dgpfeiff at vt.edu) or Sharon Proffitt (sproffit at vt.edu) (see 2008-2009 Extended Campus tuition
rates).
Virginia Berry Conference: The 6th
Annual Virginia Berry Production and Marketing Conference was held
on the Virginia State University campus on March 14, 2013.
See the program
linked archived here.
