S MA L L F R U I T U PDA TE | WEEK 34 |  

AU GUST 19, 202 1

Powder Blue frog perch. Willamette Valley, OR

WHAT'S INSIDE Julie Pond

N OR TH W E ST BER RY FO UN DA TIO N
INDUSTRY RESOURCES

GROWER RESOURCES Blackberry Orange Rust Alert:

INDUSTRY NEWS Over the last year there have been Orange Rust infections found on floricanes and primocanes in
commercial blackberry fields. While recently found in Black Diamond, this infection has also been
PEST MANAGEMENT periodically found in other cultivars in addition to certain biotypes of wild Himalayan blackberry.
Black raspberry is also susceptible. It is a very serious threat to plants as it is a systemic
SFU SPONSORS infection as opposed to the more common Cane and Leaf Rust. Plants will exhibit the rust
symptoms year after year, harboring the infection in all above and below ground parts of the
plant. Primocanes emerging from the ground will automatically exhibit the symptoms.

What to look for:

Few, weak and deformed primocanes emerging from infected crowns/roots.
Shoots that are mysteriously without thorns and floricanes that never produce flowers.
Bright orange color rust pustules on lower leaf surfaces which are not to be confused with
more yellow colored Cane and Leaf Rust.

Preventing the spread:

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Contact your local extension agent or send in plants for identification to determine Orange
Rust presence if you are in doubt.
Small Fruit Update is Cull plants (roots and all) as soon as symptoms are observed and dispose of infected parts.
produced once a week Removing only above ground plant parts will only delay until new, infected shoots emerge
during the growing with spores.
season and bimonthly Use certified planting stock for any future plantings.
outside the growing Use fungicides for future prevention only as there is no way to manage existing infections.
season (Oct - Feb)

With lots of eyes on plants as harvest finishes and cane training begins, now is a good time to be
aware of what you are seeing in your fields. If this is unknowingly in someone's field it is a threat
to everyone. Please be diligent and stop the spread.
 Nutrient Management
Soil Testing
All crops: Pre-planting soil testing is critical.
Adjusting soil pH & incorporating nutrients (like
potassium and phosphorus) that don’t move
readily from surface applications should happen
before planting.
Strawberries: For annual/short term crops like
strawberries, soil testing is usually the only
method used for adjusting nutrient programs.
After renovation is recommended for multi-year
plantings.
Soil testing to diagnose problems: Most useful
when combined with in-field observations,
results of annual leaf tissue sampling, and a
history of a fertility program and other soil/tissue
tests.
Seasonal timing: Fall or spring is common, but
it’s very important to be consistent! There can be
big differences if you test in the spring in one
year and fall in the another. Don’t test in spring
after any fertilization. •
Location of sampling: Between the dripline and
base of the plants & enough to be representative
of the entire field. Move any mulch aside before
collecting a soil sample.
For a concise explanation of the how to take and
how to interpret soil and tissue sampling, use
this six page guide: Nutrient Management of
Berry Crops in Oregon (2013)
Nutrition Resources for Berry Growers
Strawberry Nutrient Management Guide
Oregon and Washington (May, 2019/Oregon
State University)
Nutrient Management for Blueberries in
Oregon (Published: Nov. 2006; Reviewed:
June, 2016/Oregon State University)
Caneberries Nutrient Management Guide
(Published: Jan. 2006; Reviewed: July,
2016/Oregon State University)
NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG
RECOMMENDED TIMING & FREQUENCY OF
TESTING
Soil Sampling
Always before planting.
For analyzing problem situations.
Only every few years for maintenance checks. Not
needed every year.
Tissue Sampling
Every year at the same time –for blueberries and
floricane raspberries and blackberries this is the last
week in July through the first week in August.
For analyzing problem situations—take samples from
both healthy and unhealthy areas of the field for
comparing.
RECOMMENDED PROTOCOLS/ COMMENTS FOR
TISSUE TESTING
Blueberries-- Collect the most recent, fully-expanded
leaf with the petiole attached (leaf stem) only from
shoots below where fruit is/was located.
Raspberries & Blackberries-- Collect the most recent,
fully-expanded leaf with the petiole attached (leaf
stem) only from the primocanes-- about 12 inches
from the tip.
Cultivars should be sampled separately, as should
any problem areas in the field.
If they are covered with dust, rinse them briefly and
let them air dry; otherwise do not wash.
All blueberry and floricane fruiting caneberry
cultivars, regardless of ripening time, should be
sampled in the late-July to early-August window.
Leaf nutrient concentrations naturally change
throughout the season (from spring to autumn) so
these published standards are NOT applicable if you
sample tissue outside the late July-early August
sampling time.
Other Considerations
It’s best to pair results of tissue tests with in-field
observations when deciding on whether or not to
modify a nutrient management program.
PAGE 02
 Grower Resources

REGIONAL FIELD REPORTS

British Columbia, Fraser Valley (8/9) From Chuck Mouritzen, Southwest Crop Consulting, Chilliwack, BC
Blueberry: First pick Liberty is complete and going in on second pick Draper. Both varieties are down versus
last year among most of my grower group. Not big second picks expected. Elliot’s have started hand picks and
I expect machines will enter late in the week or by next weekend. Post harvest activities continue and leaf
sampling for nutrient analysis are pretty well completed. I’d say vegetative growth in blueberries for most fields
is pretty good considering the drought conditions. But crop load has probably played a big part as well.

Raspberry: Raspberries are now seeing some increased mite activity. In some fields control action may be
required as dry conditions seem to be impacting primocane growth. A positive for caneberries has been the
lack of defoliation due to yellow rust which hasn’t been a late season issue so far this year.

Western Oregon, Willamette Valley (8/9) From Julie Pond, PCM, Portland, OR
Blueberry: Plants almost seem acclimated to the heat so no real heat related effects on the plant but the fruit is
just not sizing. Smaller fruit seems to show less shrivel or external heat damage. One SWD larvae was found in
a conventional machine harvesting liberty fruit sample. Most growers are still moving as much export fruit as
they can even under the conditions. Aurora and Last Call along with other Rabiteye cultivars are still actively
harvesting for fresh.

Strawberry: Day Neutral yields are all over the place. Mite pressure + charcoal rot + possible verticillium
concerns + thrips all are playing a role in the variability. Supply is down for sure even at this point.

Blackberry: Primocane growth is decent in irrigated fields. Fruit that is still harvesting is starting to feel SWD
pressure. The heat has dampened that population again so it still continues to be the lowest SWD pressure
season I've seen. Some of the current picks of Triple Crown will have the incomplete pollination due to the heat
effects at that stage of bloom.

Triple Crown in Willamette Valley 8/11. Photo by Julie Pond SWD larvae in raspberry. Willamette Valley 8/11. Photo by Julie Pond

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 03
Regional Monitoring

August 5, 2021

VIEW FULL REPORT SIGN UP HERE

REGIONAL MONITORING
(This is a repeat of last week’s information as the new report wasn’t received in time to include in this week’s edition.)

Welcome to this week's Agragene Regional SWD Report.

We have been seeing a steady increase in the SWD population over the past couple weeks. This past week
we saw a larger jump due to some big trap counts that came from a few trapping sites in the Linn and
Marion county areas. One site even had counts with over a thousand SWD in the trap which hasn't happened
since the beginning of January. The range of counts we see is vast with some traps catching zero, while
others having very high counts. This is reflective of SWD behavior at this time of year where large numbers of
flies will swarm and move about en masse, and if our traps are around, we catch a lot of flies. The theory on
this is that they are trying to disperse as widely as possible as it is yet another survival tactic for their species
to survive from one year to the next. Weather has continued to be hot, so even this recent growth has been
relatively modest for what it could otherwise be.

Location Total SWD

S A U V IE IS L A ND 190

BA NKS 8

FORE S T G ROV E 0

CORNE L IU S 4

HIL L S BORO 19

YA M HIL L 10

DU NDE E 0

M CM INNV IL L E 9

W IL S ONV IL L E 0

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 04
 Industry News

Survey: How do you get your blueberries pollinated?

As part of a USDA-funded project to improve blueberry pollination, a research team across the US is trying to get a
better understanding of how blueberry growers get their fields pollinated. In addition to the fieldwork being conducted
at blueberry farms in MI, OR, WA, and FL, we want to learn about pollination practices from blueberry farms across the
US. Whether you have 1 acre or 1000 acres, are a U-pick or large scale commercial farmer, please fill out the short
survey below.

COMPLETE SURVEY

PODCASTS OF THE INDUSTRY

The Business of Blueberries: A podcast from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council hosted by
Kasey Cronquist and Rod Cook.
WHAT DO ES THE DATA SAY AB O U T B LU EB ER R IES?

PolliNation: A podcast from Oregon State University Extension Service hosted by Dr. Andony
Melathopoulos.
188 - SPENC ER LEO NAR D - FAB LE O F THE B EES ( PAR T 1)

FEATURED LINKS
Produce for Better Health Foundation teams with Kroger Health, American Egg Board & Naturipe Farms for back-to-school
promotion (8/12, The Packer)

The power of high tunnel specialty crop growing examined (8/16, Fruit Grower News)

Washington State adds emergency rules to protect workers from heat and wildfire smoke (8/16, Fresh Plaza)

US Mexico and Canada agreement seasonal perishable products weekly update (8/16, Fresh Plaza)

Update: first Whatcom ‘murder hornet’ tracker found, but doesn’t lead researchers to nest (8/16, Tri-City Herald)

PEST CONCERNS
1st live Asian Giant ‘Murder Hornet’ of 2021 spotted in Washington State READ MORE
(8/13, NPR)

Washington State confirms first live sighting of murder hornet in 2021 READ MORE
(8/12, KOMONews.com)

The first living Asian Giant ‘murder’ Hornet of 2021 has been found in Washington State READ MORE
(8/16, Smithsonian Magazine)

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 05
 Halls Beauty blackberry spent floricanes in the Willamette Valley

TECHNOLOGY
Collaborate to Innovate READ MORE
(8/11, Good Fruit Grower)

Berry Company Driscoll’s installs solar at Santa Maria cooling facility READ MORE
(8/11, Fruit Grower News)

NORTH AMERICA
Gladstone Land acquires organic blueberry orchards in Oregon and California READ MORE
(8/13, Fresh Plaza)

Export revenues from blueberries down READ MORE

(8/11, Fresh Plaza)

SOUTH AMERICA
High Asian demand for Peruvian Blueberries READ MORE
(8/16, Fresh Fruit Portal)

PEOPLE
People: Dole names industry veteran as senior sales manager of diversified products, North America READ MORE
(8/13, The Packer)

EUROPE
France: Red fruits of Haute-Loire suffer from the weather READ MORE
(8/16, Fresh Plaza)

French blueberry production in danger: insurance companies no longer want to insure crops READ MORE
(8/16, Fresh Plaza)
First shipment of Ukrainian blueberries delivered to Uzbekistan READ MORE
(8/11, Fresh Plaza)

SWD larvae in raspberry. Willamette Valley 8/11. Photo by Julie Pond

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 06
 Industry Calendar

SEPTEMBER 2021
Washington Red Raspberry Commission Board Meeting
15
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 | 4:30 – 8:00PM, SAMSON ESTATES | EVERSON, WA

Washington Red Raspberry Commission Post-Harvest Celebration

16
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021, 1PM -5 PM

09/27 Innovate 2021: USHBC + NABC Tech Symposium and Fall Meetings
-
10/01 REGISTER HERE

Blueberry Physiology, Production Systems & Management

24
THE COURSE THAT STARTS SEPT 24 2021 WILL BE THE LAST ONE OFFERED AS BERNADINE WILL BE
RETIRING. REGISTER HERE

OCTOBER 2021
Oregon Strawberry Commission Meeting
06
DETAILS TO COME SOON

Washington Blueberry Commission Meeting

12
TUESDAY, 10AM. CONTACT ALAN SCHREIBER FOR MEETING LINK AT (509)226-4300

DECEMBER 2021
2021 NCSFR Conference
13 - 15
TO BOOK A HOTEL ROOM, CLICK HERE. MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT ELISA
FORD AT INFO@NWBERRIES.ORG

The Small Fruit Update is published by the Northwest Berry Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit. Our mission is to support the northwest small fruit
industry through education, research and information access. The SFU is made possible through the generosity of our sponsors and readers like you. Donate
today, and together we can help our berry growing community thrive.

Thank you for your support!

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NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 07
 THE SMALL FRUIT UPDATE
WE E K 3 4 | A U G U S T 1 9 , 2 0 2 1

This is the sole industry publication, For more information or requests please
gathering grower and producer news, contact:
and regional field reports to unite,
stabilize, and strengthen the Northwest Abby Gearing,
berry growing region (Canada and US). SFU Designer & Editor
abby@nwberries.org
Production is independent of
government and commercial control Tom Peerbolt,
and made possible by the following NBF Director & Editor
commission & councils. tom@peerbolt.com.