Small Fruit News
The Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium posts articles and sends the SMALL FRUIT NEWS to subscribers four times annually.
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By Douglas G. Pfeiffer, Dept. of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA 24061 In January 2020, at the Southern Fruit and Vegetable Conference, a group of berry specialists met to discuss current issues in blackberry culture and pest management. This was for the purpose of producing a Pest Management Strategic Plan, an effort led by Gina Fernandez of…
Posted in: Spring 2021 -
By Douglas G. Pfeiffer, Dept. Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA 24060, dgpfeiff@vt.edu Spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), was first introduced into the US in 2008, first reaching the western states from Asia. It reached the Southeast in 2009, and continued to spread through much of the US through 2012, SWD has presented a huge…
Posted in: Spring 2021 -
By Aaron Cato, Extension Specialist, Horticulture IPM, University of Arkansas The buzz about broad mite seems to have picked up across the Southeast after reports of significant infestations in North Carolina during the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons. Broad mite has been a known pest of Southeast blackberry plantings for over a decade. The majority…
Posted in: Spring 2021 -
By Matthew Bertucci, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Sustainable Fruit and Vegetable Production, Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas Weed management is a familiar and challenging issue for many blackberry producers. According to a University of Arkansas survey, over 20% of growers in nine participating states described weed control as their top concern. And I suspect that…
Posted in: Spring 2021 -
By Dr. Renee Threlfall and Dr. Yue Chen Research Team: A.L. Gunderman1, J.A. Collins1, A.L. Myers2, R.T. Threlfall2, and Y. Chen11Department of Mechanical Engineering and 2Department of Food Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA Fresh-market blackberries are mostly hand harvested to the maintain quality of this delicate fruit from harvest to consumption. Labor shortages,…
Posted in: Spring 2021 -
By Ioannis E. Tzanetakis, Professor and Director of the Arkansas Clean Plant Center – University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Plants are not immune to viruses. Unlike many other pests and pathogens, once a plant is infected with a virus, it is infected for life. Blackberry is no exception. The most important virus disease in…
Posted in: Spring 2021 -
By Jonathan E. Oliver, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Georgia Background Numerous cane diseases can reduce the yield and lifespan of caneberries, and the warm, humid environment in the southeastern U.S. can provide ideal conditions for disease development. Among the diseases affecting caneberry production, one of the most devastating is cane blight. This disease…
Posted in: Spring 2021 -
The 2021 North American Raspberry & Blackberry Conference will be held virtually on February 22-25, 2021. The conference features more than 25 hours of presentations and panel discussions, plus posters, informal forums, and lots of opportunity for networking. Caneberry breeding receives special attention with eleven breeders and geneticists from around the world presenting. A special…
Posted in: Winter 2021 -
A Muscadine Learning and Networking Opportunity! March 1-3, 2021 The North Carolina Muscadine Grape Association invites all muscadine growers and wineries to participate in its 2021 virtual conference March 1-3. A “Fundamentals of Muscadine Production” webinar is March 1. March 2 features sessions on production and wine making and March 3 spotlights wineries in North…
Posted in: Winter 2021 -
The Southeastern Strawberry School Webinar Series was held throughout 2021. This series was hosted by the University of Arkansas in collaboration with university specialists from across the southeastern region. This webinar series was sponsored by the Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium and was *free* to county agents, and growers. Webinar Sessions: Part One: Dormancy –…
Posted in: Winter 2021