Barclay Poling (ret.) and Mark Hoffmann, NC State University JULY Make key decisions about varieties and plant types for next season. Order your plants!! Remember, tips need to arrive 4-6 weeks prior to planting. Other immediate field operations: remove and recycle plastic – some growers use tobacco balers to compress…
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This list was developed by Dr. Gina Fernandez, Small Fruit Specialist at NC State University. Chores and timing may be somewhat different in your area or for your cropping system. Plant growth and development Fruit development for floricane-fruiting types Rapid primocane growth Flower bud development for primocane-fruiting types later in…
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Kristin Woods, Ph.D.; Regional Extension Agent; Food Safety, Commercial Horticulture, Poultry; Alabama Cooperative Extension System; Auburn University Do you occasionally get questions about produce safety certifications and regulations, but don’t have time to take a multiday course? This free two hour course may be for you. The Small Fruit Certifications…
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Danyang Liu, Jayesh Samtani, Jeffrey Derr, Charles Johnson, Xuemei Zhang, Virginia Tech. and David Butler, University of Tennessee Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is a promising preplant method that could be a potential alternative to chemical fumigation. Anaerobic soil disinfestation involves incorporating carbon amendments into the soil of beds to be…
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Douglas G. Pfeiffer, Dept. Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA 24060, We are now into the Japanese beetle (JB) season – This is an annual threat for us, though the severity varies quite a bit from year to year. Some invasive pests have been with us that we no longer…
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Bill Cline, Entomology and Plant Pathology Department, NCSU Horticultural Crops Research Station, Castle Hayne, NC; and Phil Brannen, Plant Pathology Department and Shane Breeden, CAES, University of Georgia, Athens, GA Muscadine grapes are widely grown in the southeastern U.S. for wine and for commercial fresh market and pick-your-own sales. Production…
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Douglas G. Pfeiffer, Dept. Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA 24060, There are two main spider mite pests that affect fruit crops in the east, but the most important one in our small fruit crops is the twospotted spider mite (TSM), Tetranychus urticae. This species is whitish to straw colored,…
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Dr. Amanda McWhirt, Horticulture Specialist, University of Arkansas We have conducted strawberry variety evaluations over the last two years to compare ten strawberry cultivars for yield, and fruit quality measures in Arkansas. Trials were conducted at the University of Arkansas Vegetable Research Station near Ft. Smith (zone 7b). In both…
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Small Fruit News Editors: Amanda McWhirt, Doug Pfeiffer, Jayesh Samtani, and Rebecca Melanson Over the last year, there have been multiple efforts to identify the major issues affecting blackberry production in the Southeastern U.S. and priorities for research in this area. In an effort to clearly make some of these…
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Margaret Worthington, Assistant Professor of Fruit Breeding and Genetics, Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas A national survey of growers and related industry professionals was recently conducted to assess the current status and needs for research and extension in the US blackberry industry. The survey was launched with the goal…
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