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Northwest Berry Foundation's

WEEK 15• APRIL 10, 2019 4-22-16. Willamette Valley, OR.

THIS ISSUE
Regional Field Reports
Industry Calendar
Industry News
Crop Management
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 REGIONAL FIELD REPORTS 2

4-10-18. Photo by Jason Myer.

WILL A METTE VALLEY, OREGON 4-9-19

First SWD trap reports: We’ve only got a few traps that have been out for a full week but
indications are that the February cold weather did virtually nothing to affect the SWD
population. Fairly high, consistent numbers but the major red flag indicator is that there’s
virtually a 50/50 split between males and females. Males are much less likely to overwinter
than females—they’re more susceptible to cold and lack of food. What this says is that a lot
of males over-wintered. So, our present situation is that SWD is starting the season with
high numbers (it’s ahead of schedule) and our crop is starting out behind schedule. The
main variable that could affect this heightened risk potential would be high temperatures
and that certainly would bring its own downside.
Mummy berry is high risk. I think we all know this. Long periods of tissue wetness, lots of
rain to interrupt application schedules---that’s what we’ve got.
Bloom in blues is just beginning. There will be some early hives brought in by the end of
this week mainly for Legacy. But there are sporadic open blooms in Patriot, Duke, Top
Shelf, Last Call…etc. It’s looking like we’ll limp into 10% bloom with mild temps and rain
ongoing. Next week we’ll see hives in greater number but that could be early. But I hear the
beekeepers are moving them out of the almonds so they might not have anywhere else to
go with them.
Blackberries appear to have escaped cold damage. They’re looking pretty good at this
point.
Strawberries are sending up flower trusses. Bloom should be starting soon although again
no warm weather in sight so it won’t be fast or very even by the looks of it.

WILL A METTE VALLEY, OREGON 4-2-19

Haven't had much time to look through June bearing
strawberry fields this week but seeing a few growers
planting day neutrals into plastic the last couple
weeks. Photo (right) is of a 10 day old planting so
plants are pushing right along (photo taken 4/4/19).
Talking to a few growers up in NW Washington it
sounds like strawberry bed preparations including
fumigation started happening last week so planting
will commence after this series of rains going through
the area finish up.

WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON 4-9-19

We are seeing the same here as far as bloom goes and
bud development in the Blues. Raspberry lateral bud
elongation is slow with a lot of uneven growth. The last
time I saw this we had a very sporadic harvest. 4-4-19. Photo by Julie Pond.
 REGIONAL FIELD REPORTS 3
FR ASER VALLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA 4-9-19
The weather has definitely changed to a period of cooler and wetter conditions for the
next week or so. So mummyberry risks are high here and preventative measures need
to continue on susceptible varieties. The earlier warm weather appears to have pushed
Dukes along to the extent that some precocious bloom has appeared as well as quite a
bit of pink bud. If it hadn't cooled off I think we would be seeing a much advanced early
bloom in this variety. A burst of heat could really change things though. Fertilizing
continues in the blues and raspberries.

Columbia Star. Fraser Valley, BC. 4-8-19. Photo by David Mutz.

Lochness. Fraser Valley, BC. 4-8-19. Photo by David Mutz.

FR ASER VALLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA 4-8-19

Cold damage in blackberries: Wanted to report last week in regards to blackberry
damage but was just too busy. There’s definitely damage up here, with Columbia Star
looking the worst, Lochness is quite variable, and Chester seems to be ok, I was told by
another grower.
On raspberries: Meekers, especially first year and Wakefield seem to look the worst.
Squamish, Rudi, and Chemainus all seem to be looking pretty good.
 BLUEBERRY BUD DEVELOPMENT 4

Willamette Valley, Oregon

Photos are from same fields on close to the same day from each year

PATRIOT BLUEJAY DUKE DR APER TOP SHELF LIBERTY AUROR A L AST C ALL

WEEK 14 4 -5-19

WEEK 14, 4 -6-18

WEEK 14, 4 -7-17

WEEK 13,4 -8-16

PATRIOT BLUEJAY DUKE DR APER TOP SHELF LIBERTY AUROR A L AST C ALL
 INDUSTRY C ALENDAR 5

VISIT TH E WE ATH E R C A FE ®
Go here for Rufus La Lone's uniquely informative long-range
forecasts for the PNW.®

Unger Farms plasticulture demonstration for fresh market strawberry bed preparation. 8-9-15.

APRIL 17, 2019: WASHINGTON RED R ASPBERRY COMMISSION MEETING 1 PM -

5:00 PM at WRRC office (204 Hawley Street Lynden, WA)
APRIL 17, 2019: WASHINGTON BLUEBERRY COMMISSION MEETING 11:00 AM at
Steakhouse 9 (115 E Homestead Blvd Ste A Lynden, WA 99264) For more information,
contact Alan Schreiber at (509) 266-4303 or [email protected].
APRIL 22, 2019: OREGON BLUEBERRY COMMISSION MEETING (BUDGET
HEARING) noon at Chemeketa Events at Winema, Building 48, Room 210 ( 4001 Winema
Pl NE, Salem, OR 97305). Contact Lisa Ostlund for more information.
M AY 7 -9, 2019: BERRY HEALTH BENEFITS SYMPOSIUM Portland, OR, Contact
Darcy Kochis for more information. Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland Downtown (319
SW Pine Street, Portland, OR 97204). Go here for more information and registration.
M AY 9, 2019: OREGON STR AWBERRY COMMISSION MEETING 5.00 pm Budget &
6.00 pm Regular Mtg. For more information, contact Philip Gütt (541-758-4043)
M AY 10, 2019: ORGANIC STR AWBERRY M ANAGEMENT WORKSHOP 1 pm - 4 pm
at North Willamette Research and Extension Center, Aurora, OR. "Step up your fresh
market strawberry game. This hands-on workshop will teach you about extending your
season - both earlier and later - with low tunnels, how to successfully employ fertigation,
the nuts and bolts of nutrition and fertility, and organic pest management. Join Small
Farms Agent, Javier Fernandez-Salvador for this in-depth look at organic strawberry
production." Go here for more information & registration.

SEE THE FULL INDUSTRY C ALENDAR ON WWW.NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG/C ALENDAR

 INDUSTRY NEWS 6

H I G H LI G HTS
Blueberries in Charts: Prices enter their
jumpy phase (4/9, Fresh Fruit Portal)
Oregon: On-farm processing bill headed
for vote in Oregon House (4/4, Capital
Press)
WSU to use new refrigerators in study to
help save honeybees (4/8, Fruit Grower
News)
UAV (drone) remote sensing in berry crops
(2/19, You Tube) Three and a half minute video

L A BO R
Growers get proactive for workers relations
(3/26, Fruit Growers News)
Immigration, border policies compound
labor woes (4/4, The Packer)

CO M PA N I ES
Driscoll’s worker health and safety
program recognized (4/3, Fruit Grower
News)
Naturipe Farms names innovation and
sustainability director (4/3, Fruit Grower
News)

M A R K ETI N G
California strawberry commission plans BER RY H A RVESTER VI D EOS
promotional programs (4/4, The Packer) Haven 5440 Top Load Harvester (11/5/19)
Kokan Air Blueberry Harvester (2/11/19)
I NTER N ATI O N A L Oxbo Raspberry & Blueberry Harvesters
Serbian berry sector needs new approach (7/1/18)
for fresh market (4/5, Fresh Plaza) Weremczuk Berry Harvesters (11/9/18)
Germany: Total blueberry imports have Old BEI sway machine (12/5/18)
tripled since 2014 (4/4, Fresh Plaza)
PPHU “Wachowski” (9/10/18)
 CROP M A N AGE M ENT, WEEK 15 7

NUTRIENT M ANAGEMENT
We're getting into a traditional time for
applying fertilizer. Many growers still
apply the first blueberry application
just before the buds break. Research
has shown that the plant takes up
very little nitrogen before late April.
Recommended timing for split
applications in the Willamette Valley is
1/3 in late April, 1/3 in mid-May and 1/3
in mid-June.
• OSU’s “Nutrient Management in
Blueberries”
• OSU’s “Nutrient Management Guide
for Caneberries”

Pseudomonas syringae (bacterial canker) symptoms in blueberries

ALL CROPS
• Weed management.
• Scout for and plan for Voles: Vole activity is apparent in many blueberry, caneberry, and
strawberry fields. Management of voles is most effective in the spring before they start
multiplying like…voles. Kind of like weeds ( & starlings)—get them before their reproduction
cycle kicks in!

BLUEBERRIES

• Disease Alert: Mummyberry. Throughout the Northwest we’re close to fields being
vulnerable to infections. Be ready with a management program by the time fields at risk
reach ‘green tip stage’. That’s when new infections can begin. So, what is "green tip stage"?
Click here for a chart from Michigan State of the various stages of blueberry growth
development. See also: Mummyberry primer from Michigan State.
Some critical points:
• The optimum temperature for spore release and infection is 50 to 57ºF (10 to 14ºC). Figure
on when temperatures go over 45F in our area you’re into the danger zone.
• At least 12 hours of wetness is required for infection.

• Scout for Pseudomonas (Bacterial Canker) Water-soaked lesions usually appear in February
in some fields that then develop into reddish brown to black cankers. See Northwest Berry
Foundation Research Update on bacterial blight first posted on 1/3/13.
• Plan for Bird issues & Starling management: Right now starlings are beginning to fledge.
Population control becomes very difficult later into the season because they multiply rapidly.
- European starlings and their control (Cornell University)
• Winter Moth/ Bruce Span Worm: Scouting for winter moth larvae should start as soon as the
buds start swelling. We’ve had reports in previous years of problems beginning this early but it’s
usually in a couple of weeks. More of an ongoing issue in the northern growing regions but also
an occasional, locally severe problem in some Oregon and SW Washington fields.
• Scale Insects: A dormant oil or Esteem (pyriproxyfen) can be used while blueberries are
dormant.
 CROP M A N AGE M ENT, WEEK 15 8
R ASPBERRIES
Raspberry Crown Borer If you've had borer problems in the past, March is the time to drench
for crown borer management in caneberries.
Cane Blight: A good time to spot symptoms of cane blight is as the buds break. Infected canes
will show either no bud break if the cane has been girdled or one-sided bud break if the
infection is on one side. Scrape canes to look for rust colored streaks usually coming up from
machine harvester scars. There is no treatment for cane blight once it’s present, only prevention.
The time to prevent next year's canes from getting infected is to apply an appropriate fungicide
immediately after harvest when fresh wounds normally become infected.
Phytophthora Root Rot: March is the time to use a fungicide drench in raspberries. Warm,
saturated soils are the conditions that favor this organism, allowing it to spread quickly.

BLACKBERRIES
Raspberry Crown Borer If you've had borer problems
in the past, March is the time to drench for crown borer
management in caneberries.
Redberry Mite (evergreen blackberries): Dormant
sprays of lime/sulfur or elemental sulfur for Blackberry
Rust and Redberry Mite are recommended in March.
Purple Blotch (blackberries): Check for cane lesions that
are easy to see as the weather warms but the foliage has
not yet emerged. It’s a good time to assess disease level.
Blackberry Rust (Phragmidium Rust) (Evergreen
blackberries): Dormant spray of lime/sulfur or
elemental sulfur for Blackberry Rust and Redberry
Mites is recommended in March to prevent later
problems.

STR AWBERRIES
Clay Colored Weevils (southern strawberries): This
early emerging species is usually just considered a pest
of raspberries in northern growing areas where it feeds
on newly emerging shoots and buds. But in the last few
years emerged adult Clay Colored Weevils have been
recovered from SW Washington southern strawberry
Purple blotch in blackberries
fields and blueberry fields.

L ATE WINTER / E A R LY SPR I N G WE ATH ER R ISK I N FO R M ATI O N

Check this chart of Blueberry growth stages and critical spring temperatures
(Michigan State Extension). The relevant stages & temperature thresholds from
the chart:
Bud Swell: “Visible swelling of buds; scales separated. Can tolerate 10-15 F (-12 to -9 C)”.
Tight cluster: “Individual flowers distinguishable. Can tolerate 20-23 F (-7 to -5 C)”.

Other early spring weather management information links:

(blueberries) Using your sprinkler system to protect blueberries from freezes
(All berries) Frost protection: Tips & techniques
(blueberries) Frost & Freeze protection: Blueberries
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