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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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 planted, covering the bed with […]
Posted in: Summer 2021 -
Douglas G. Pfeiffer, Dept. Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA 24060, dgpfeiff@vt.edu 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 think of them as invasive, […]
Posted in: Summer 2021 -
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 is increasing and has expanded […]
Posted in: Summer 2021 -
Douglas G. Pfeiffer, Dept. Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA 24060, dgpfeiff@vt.edu 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, with two large black spots. […]
Posted in: Summer 2021 -
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 years plug plants were planted […]
Posted in: Summer 2021 -
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 issues/priorities known to stakeholders throughout […]
Posted in: Spring 2021 -
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 of updating production statistics and […]
Posted in: Spring 2021 -
By Dr. Gina Fernandez, Small Fruit Specialist at NC State University Spring 2021 has been WET in North Carolina, at this time, blackberry buds are just beginning to swell (see figure 1). Chores and timing may be somewhat different in your area or for your cropping system. For IPM recommendations and general production practices, […]
Posted in: Spring 2021 -
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