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• Maine wild blueberry crop falls with disease, lack of pollination (8/27, US News)

• Equipment stolen from Langley blueberry farm recovered, Surrey man charged (8/29, Abbotsford News)

COMPANIES• J.M. Smucker Co. will focus on overhauling its older brands (8/24, The Wall Street Journal)

• Australia: Profits more than double at Costa Group in FY2017 (8/25, Fresh Fruit Portal)

CONSUMERS• Avoiding pesticides is the biggest reason consumers buy organic (8/24, Newswire)

• Buyer Beware: 6 Fake foods you shouldn’t buy at the grocery store (8/29, Culture Cheatsheet) Blueberries are number 6.

TECHNOLOGY• Autonomus robots and drones will operate future farms (8/24, Capital Press)

INTERNATIONAL• Argentina: Key blueberry production region kicks off harvest season & forecasts rise in exports (8/25, Fresh Fruit Portal)

• Chile: Chile embarks on blueberry trade mission to India and Dubai (8/29, Fresh Plaza)

• Poland: Polish Blueberry Cooperative takes Asian expansion to new horizons (8/29, Fresh Fruit Portal)

• Serbia: Japanese trading house invests in Serbian raspberry company through Dole subsidiary (8/28, Fresh Fruit Portal)

SMALL FRUIT UPDATEThe Northwest Berry Foundation's

Week 35 • August 30, 2017

Stay involved with the NW berry community on our facebook

page and visit our website.

Go here for NW Degree Day Information from Dr. Len Coop.

Visit The Weather Cafe®, Rufus La Lone's uniquely informative

long-range forecasts for the PNW.

2INSIDE THIS

ISSUE:

• Industry Calendar• Regional Crop

Reports • Pest Management

• Industry News• SWD Management• SWD Risk Factors

SEPTEMBER 13:OSU TABLE GRAPE

FIELD DAY

1 p.m. -4:30 pmNorth Willamette

Research & Extension Center, Aurora, OR.

Go here for the agenda. Free event

BERRY HEALTH BENEFITS SYMPOSIUM

The planning process has begun for the 2019 Berry Health Benefits

Symposium. We encourage any group interested in hosting the conference in your region to apply.

Multiple groups can also come together to co host.

The questions asked in this application are to give the

committee the basic details of the region needed to

make the location decision. The committee will meet in late Oct. and a decision will be announced by Nov 1st.

Go here for the application (due by Oct 16th.)

Darcy KochisFood First Marketing

503-505-3876

• As we get into the last couple of weeks of our trapping program and traps are removed from growers who have finished harvest, the comparative value from past weeks and past years is decreasing.• Ideally there’d be a monitoring program that was year-round, same locations and not just in place when relevant to the grower paying for the service.• However, presently, this data is available & shared in the SFU only as a secondary useage. The primary service is for the growers involved who fund the program. NO public funding is involved.• Averages have stayed quite consistent over the past 3 weeks, though we are starting to see some larger numbers come out of some post harvest fields. • A couple of the fresh market farms that have been contributing higher counts had their traps pulled the previous week, so their typically high numbers are not a part of this average, • Thus this week’s numbers can be assumed to be lower than they otherwise would be. • The above average farms are as follows: - Farm A (20.33) - Farm B (9.71) - Farm C (6.93) - Farm D (4.25)Go here for the entire report.

SPOTTED WING DROSOPHILA:WILLAMETTE VALLEY WEEK 35 REPORT

Jason Myer, Field Research Supervisor, PCM

3REGIONAL REPORTS

Northern Washington, Whatcom County (Monday, 8/28)• Blueberries: Heat and dry is the biggest news. Most all Elliott is having a tough time making fresh quality due to soft and undersize (HEAT related, I think). Aurora has been a pleasant surprise with good size, good flavor, and good firmness. I didn't think Aurora would take the heat, but it has looked pretty good. Some late machine pick (mostly 3rd Blue Crop) still coming in, but getting pretty limited. Found our first batch of SWD in fruit this weekend (Blue Crop) Pushing water source to the max to keep up. I think many systems were not built to take this kind of long term hot, dry stress.

British Columbia, Fraser Valley (Monday, 8/28)• Blueberries: First pick of Elliott pretty well done. Fruit quality due to softness has been a considerable issue. Aurora is picking better quality than Elliott as Craig mentioned. This warm (hot), dry weather shows no signs of let up for next 10 days at least. And while it makes fresh harvesting conditions good, it is challenging for quality. Looks like we'll pick till Sept 15-20th with probable steep declines in volume with each pick of late season varieties. We've had minuscule amounts of rainfall the last two months (about 45% of normal) so irrigation is incredibly important right now to finish the crop and to ensure good pre-dormancy development.

• Raspberries: I'm a bit concerned about raspberries this fall as many fields suffered late season mite buildups and soil conditions even with irrigation are very dry.

4

September 6 — Washington Red Raspberry Commission meeting 1796 Front Street Lynden, Washington 98264. Contact Henry Bierlink for details.

September 11— Application of Biodegradable Mulches for Improved Red Raspberry Production from 2 p.m.- 4 p.m. at Enfield Farms, 1064 Birch Bay Lynden Road, Lynden, WA 98264. Go here for the agenda. Contact Lisa Wasko DeVetter for more information. WSDA pesticide credits available.

September 13— OSU Table Grape Field Day 1 p.m. -4:30 pm North Willamette Research & Extension Center, Aurora, OR. Go here for the agenda. Free event

September 20 — Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission meeting 6 pm - 9 pm. Hayden’s Lakefront Grill 8187 SW Tualatin-Sherwood Rd, Tualatin, OR. Contact Philip Gütt for more details.

September 25 — Oregon Blueberry Commission meeting noon. Chemeketa Events at Winema, Building 48, Room 210. Contact Lisa Ostlund for more details or call 503.364.2944.

September 26 — Oregon Strawberry Commission meeting 6 -9 p.m. McMenamins Hotel Oregon, 310 NE Evans St, McMinnville, OR. Contact Philip Gütt for more details.

October 25 — Washington Red Raspberry Commission meeting 1796 Front Street Lynden, Washington 98264. Contact Henry Bierlink for details.

November 1 — Northwest Berry Foundation's Fresh Market Strawberry Workshop Wellspring Conference Center (in Legacy Woodburn Health Center) Contact Jo Peterson for more details or call the Northwest Berry Foundation at 503-285-0908.

November 27 — Washington Red Raspberry Commission meeting 1796 Front Street Lynden, Washington 98264. Contact Henry Bierlink for details.

November 29 - Dec. 1 — Small Fruit Conference and Lynden Ag Show, NW Washington Fairgrounds, Lynden, WA. For more information, contact WSU Whatcom County Extension at (360) 778-5800 or go here.

January 8, 2018 — Oregon Blueberry Commission meeting Chemeketa Events at Winema, Building 48, Room 210. 7:30 - 11:30 a.m.: research updates, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: committee meetings, 12:30 p.m.: commission meeting. Contact Lisa Ostlund for more details or call 503.364.2944.

February 19, 2018 — 2018 Blueberry Conference all day at Salem Convention Center, Salem, OR. Contact Lisa Ostlund for more details or call 503.364.2944.

February 21-24, 2018 – North American Raspberry & Blackberry Conference Opening reception Feb. 21, tour on Feb. 22, and educational sessions and tradeshow on Feb 23-24. Conference at Ventura Beach Marriott in Ventura, California. You can make online hotel reservations under the group rate. Ventura, CA For more information, email NARBA, call 919-542-4037, or go here.

INDUSTRY CALENDAR

If you'd like to add a meeting or event to the calendar, email the Northwest Berry Foundation office or call us at 503-285-0908.

5INDUSTRY NEWS

MAGAZINES & WEBSITES• Fruit Grower News: blueberries,

raspberries and blackberries• The Packer: blueberries, blackberries,

raspberries , strawberries.• Growing Produce: recent berry articles.

• Fruit Grower News: blueberries,raspberries & blackberries

• Andnowyouknow.com: blueberries,blackberries, raspberries,

strawberries.• Fresh Fruit Portal: blueberries,

blackberries, raspberries,strawberries.

GROWER RESOURCE• Strawberry Plasticulture Demonstration Video (2 Minutes)

COMPANIES• SB Group affiliates join forces to form Gid-dings Fruit (8/28, Fresh Fruit Portal)• Wish Farms adds raspberries to complete berry line (8/29, The Packer)

RESEARCH • USDA invests $35 million in specialty crop research (8/24, USDA News Release)• California strawberry industry awarded $8.8 million to manage diseases (8/28, Fresh Fruit Portal)• Research to help wean strawberry industry from chemical fumigants (8/29, Capital Press)

MARKET • Amazon will complete its acquisition of Whole Foods Market 8/28 & immediately re-duce prices (8/24, Amazon Press Release)• High produce prices driving away consum-ers (8/24, Supermarket News)• Americans are confused about food and un-sure where to turn for answers, survey shows (8/24, San Francisco Chronicle) “More than one-third of Americans do not know that foods with no GMO ingredients contain genes….For the record, all foods contain genes, and so do people…”

THE WEST• California Strawberry Commisssion food truck touts strawberries, raises funds to feed kids (8/28, Capital Press)

TRADE & POLITICS• Why Florida farmers want to kill NAFTA (8/25, Bloomberg Businessweek) This applies to berry growers in the NW as well.

INTERNATIONAL• Blueberry promotion on the agenda at Aus-tralia Business Week in India (8/27, Fresh Fruit Portal)

BERRY RESEARCH BLOGS• Strawberries and Caneberries by

Mark Bolda, UC Davis Berry Extension Agent. Reports on issues from California. . Recent entry (8/18) Strawberries make

the pages of the ‘New Yorker’ • Team rubus By Gina Fernandez, North

Carolina State Small Fruit Specialist. Reports on issues in blackberries and

raspberries from the Southeast. . Recent entry (8/2) Leaf Tissue Sampling Time

for Blackberry Crop

ONLINE PUBLICATIONS• Washington Red Raspberry

Commission Newsletter—Summer 2017• WhatCom AG Monthly Produced

by WSU Whatcom County Extension. Excellent berry information.

• British Columbia Berry Grower Magazine Quarterly publication with

some great information. Small Fruit News-July Edition Quarterly

Publication put out by a consortium of six Southeastern universities with a lot of berry research h news from their region.

MARKET REPORTS• National Berry Report Daily fresh market berry reports generated from

data from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. Hosted by the

California Strawberry Commission.• Weekly Market Report from General

Produce• Weekly Chilean Blueberry

Committee Crop & Exports report

6SWD RISK FACTORS

Large, overhanging bushes Ripe, shaded fruit inside the bushes

Himalayan blackberries in field border. Overhead irrigation.

Field history of SWD issues. More than 7 days since last insecticide application.

7SWD MANAGEMENT

• Spottedwing.org Information from the 5 year SCRI regional project that just concluded. Cooperating organizations: OSU, WSU, Agri-Foods Canada, UC Davis, UC Berkeley, Peerbolt Crop Management & the USDA.

• Spottedwing.org/SWD external links resources.

• USpest.org SWD Extension Documents Many of Amy Dreves’ generated SWD materials on managing and monitoring SWD.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

• SWD information brochure in English (Published June, 2015)

• SWD information brochure in Punjabi (Published June, 2015)

OREGON AND WASHINGTON

• Blueberries: SWD pesticide options and information

• Raspberries and blackberries: SWD pesticide options and information

• Strawberries: SWD pesticide options and information

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Noncrop Host Plants of Spotted Wing Drosophila in North America (Extension Bulletin published April 2015)

• Solid set canopy delivery system (Project’s website) This is a large research project going on with tree fruits but which shares a lot of principals in common with the berry research work on ‘mistigation’ systems for delivering applications particularly for spotted wing drosophila management. Looks like a very sound approach.

• SWD I.D. Card (UC Extension)

• PCM factsheet on SWD risk factors

MONITORING BERRIES FOR SWD LARVAE IN THE FIELD

• Put a sample of fruit to be tested in a gallon size sealable plastic bag.

• Pour in enough salt water solution to allow the fruit to float (solution is: 1 cup of salt per gallon of water). Mark bag with field code/date. Gently crush/break open fruit.

• For a quick check in the field after a designated period of time (at least 15 minutes) hold the baggie up to light. This helps to see the larvae in the solution.

• For a more thorough examination, after a designated period of time (at least 15 minutes), pour the fruit and salt solution out into a shallow tray and use a piece of wire mesh screen to hold the fruit down making it easier to separate the larvae from the fruit.

SWD larva

SWD larvae

8PEST MANAGEMENT

ALL CROPS• Maintain SWD fruit sampling, monitoring and management plan in any fields still harvesting.

• Weed management.

• Post-harvest—soil and leaf test for evaluation of nutrients.

o OSU's Blueberry Nutrient (and testing) Guidelines

o OSU's Caneberry Nutrient (and testing) Guidelines.

• Post harvest—can treat for SWD management if field is adjacent to vulnerable fruit crop.

• Scout for Root Weevil adults Black Vine, Rough Strawberry, Strawberry Root Weevils.

• Water management.

BLUEBERRIESHarvest ongoing in a few fields.

• Bird management.

• Scout for mummyberry infected fruit.

• Stay on top of aphid management where scorch virus transmission is an issue.

• Scout for leafroller larvae and treat as needed.

• Scout for virus symptoms and send in samples for testing as needed (Shock virus; Scorch virus).

• Scout for scale insects.

• Scout for weevil notching on leaves and for adult weevils.

• Scout for azalea bark scale in southern fields.

• Scout for blueberry gall midge damage.

• Can use pheromone traps to monitor for leafrollers.

• Scout for berry symptoms like green fruit botrytis, hail damage, mummyberry, etc.

RASPBERRIESProcessed (harvest finished):

• Scout for cane collapse symptoms & determine cause (Phytophthora Root Rot, Verticillium, crown borers, overwatering, etc.)

• Scout for yellow rust and assess treatment options.

• Scout for twospotted mites and yellow mites.

• Scout for virus symptoms and send in samples for testing as needed.

• Scout for cane blight and cane botrytis symptoms.

• (North) Scout for raspberry beetle feeding symptoms.

• Scout for aphids and treat as needed.

Late season, fresh market:

• Scout for weevils and treat as needed (Black Vine, Rough Strawberry, Strawberry Root Weevils).

• (North) Scout for Raspberry Fruitworm feeding symptoms.

• Scout for virus symptoms and send in samples for testing as needed (RBDV, TRsV)

• Scout for fruit mold and treat as needed.

• Scout for Yellow Rust and assess treatment options.

• Scout for Two-spotted Mites and Yellow mites, and treat as needed.

• Scout for aphids and treat as needed.

• Scout for leafroller larvae.

Photo by Jason Myer.

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BLACKBERRIESLate season variety (harvest ongoing):

• Scout for cane collapse symptoms & determine cause (Phytophthora root rot, verticillium, crown borers, overwatering, etc.)

• Scout for leafroller larvae and treat as needed to prevent fruit contaminant problems. (orange tortrix and oblique Banded)

• Can apply fungicides for fruit/blossom rot.

• Scout for virus symptoms and send in samples for testing as needed.

• Scout for cane and leaf rust.

• Watch for fruit molds and treat as needed.

• Scout for and treat as needed blackberry rust in Evergreen blackberries.

• Scout for two spotted spider mites and treat as needed in

susceptible cultivars.

• Can apply horticultural oil for Redberry mite management at green fruit stage in susceptible cultivars.

STRAWBERRIESAll strawberries:

• Evaluate weak growing areas and check plants for weevil larvae, root rot and/or cold damage.

• (South) Can scout for Strawberry Crown Moth Larvae.

• Scout for weevil adults and notching.

Processed market-June bearers (Finished harvesting):

• Weed Control at strawberry renovation (6/26/12, Michigan State Extension)

• Mow and treat immediately for SCM/SWD if needed.

• Mow and renovate 2-4 weeks after harvest unless pest pressure require mowing and treating sooner.

• Apply main fertilizer application as needed.

Fresh market (still harvesting):

• Scout for Lygus Bugs.

• Scout for thrips.

• Scout for fruit quality symptoms like mold (Botrytis), cat facing, slug damage, anthracnose, etc.

• Can apply slug bait as needed.

• Scout for Powdery Mildew and treat as needed.

• Scout for Twospotted Spider Mites and predatory, beneficial mites.

• Scout for aphids, lady beetles, aphid mummies (parasitized aphids), and other beneficial insects that feed on aphids.

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