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Northwest Berry Foundation

Sunscald on raspberries 2004 by Tom Peerbolt

Week 38
September 23, 2020
Tom Peerbolt
Northwest Berry Foundation
WHAT'S INSIDE
Regional Reports
Industry Resources As the Northwest Berry Foundation Director, I’m very pleased to announce
that the Foundation has signed an agreement with the USDA’s Northwest
Industry News Center for Small Fruits Research (NCSFR) to manage communications and
outreach efforts for them. The primary tasks NBF is taking on are:
Industry Calendar
• Website development with a searchable database of berry and grape
Pest & Disease Alerts research
• New logo and branding for all NCSFR work
Pest Management • Development of social media outlets for disseminating information
and broadening the target audience
• Annual conference planning and organization. To be held virtual this
year on Dec. 14-16. We are just starting the planning process, further
details coming soon.
• Competitive research grants management. Advertise grant
deadlines and research priorities to solicit new and continuing research
proposals. Organize peer review panels to facilitate funding decisions and
Subscribe >> advertise a list of funded projects.
• Quarterly communications newsletter. Develop research and
researcher factsheets to disseminate to the Northwest berry industry and
growers.
• Commission meeting attendance and reporting on NCSFR
activities.

Greta, Julie, Jason, Alex and I here at the NBF are very much looking forward
to this partnership and being able to use NBF’s resources to strengthen and
enhance the NCSFR’s links within the northwest berry community. We’ll do
our best to inform the growers and industry of all the essential research going
on at the Center as well as communicating industry needs and concerns to
the researchers. It’s a responsibility we take very seriously. Thanks to all of
you who have helped make this possible.

Have a good week!

Small Fruit Update is

produced once a week
during the growing
season and then
bimonthly outside the
growing season.
 R EG I O N A L F I E L D R E P O RTS 2

This will be our final crop report of the 2020 season. Thank you very much to our contributors
from across Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. These reports would not be possible
without you and we sincerely appreciate your input during the past season.

EASTERN WASHINGTON (9/20) From Alan Schreiber, Executive Director of the Washington
Blueberry Commission:

• Blueberries: Fresh harvest is just about wrapped up with growers picking the last of the
Rabbiteyes, Last Call and other late season varieties.

BRITISH COLUMBIA, FRASER VALLEY (9/21) From Chuck Mouritzen, Southwest Crop Consulting,
Chilliwack, BC:

• Blueberries: Things really winding down here in the Fraser valley. Some third pick Elliot
coming off and a bit of Aurora. But the expected rain this week should end it all, I think. Post-
harvest activities are ongoing with some late foliar applications and some weed control for
winter annuals being applied. Field prep for new plantings this fall and for early spring are also
under way.

BRITISH COLUMBIA, FRASER VALLEY (9/22)

• Blueberries: Very limited volume of blueberries coming into the packing facilities now. The
smoke has cleared finally, and we are looking at a torrential downpour of almost five inches of
rain from Tuesday to Sunday this week.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

• The North American Strawberry Growers Association has released an

invitation to the strawberry research community to submit proposals. View
research priorities and application here.
• Deadline for submission is November 1, 2020.

• The Oregon Blueberry Commission has released the 2021 Request For
Proposals. View full details here.
• Deadline for submission is November 25, 2020.

• The Washington Red Raspberry Commission has released the 2021 Research
Priorities and Request For Proposals. View full details here.
• Deadline for submission is December 12, 2020.

• WSDA will be releasing the Specialty Crop Block Grant Request for Concept Proposals for FY21
in October. View further details here.
• Deadline for submission is January 14th, 2021.
 I N D U ST RY R E S O U RC E S 3

Mark your Calendars for Winter Conferences

This year the Washington Small Fruit Conference will be held virtually.
When? December 2-4 This three-day conference focuses on the latest
research and developments in berries and other small fruits. Registration
coming soon!

Northwest Small Fruits

Research Virtual Conference
December 14-16, 2020
Hosted by the Northwest Center for Small Fruits
Details and registration coming soon! Research

Blueberries
• Subscribe to the Behind the Blue newsletter by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and
stay up to date on the latests news.

Register today!

Don't miss Dr. Bernadine Strik's six-week long online course from Sept. 25 through Nov. 6.

This course, offered by OSU, is designed to start with development of an in-depth knowledge of
blueberry plant physiology and how to grow a blueberry bush, boosting your understanding of
how plants will respond to weather/climate, pests, and production practices. Register today.

Podcasts for the Industry

• The Business of Blueberries: A brand new podcast brought to you by the U.S.
Highbush Blueberry Council hosted by Kasey Cronquist and Rod Cook.

• The Evolution of the Blueberry Industry with Mark Hurst (9/18)

• PolliNation: A podcast from OSU Extension Service that tells the stories of bold strides
on improving pollinator health. Hosted by Dr. Andony Melathopoulos.

• Episode 153: Miles Dakin - Bee Friendly Farming (September 2020)

 I N D U ST RY N E WS
The Weather Cafe®
Click here for Rufus
La Lone's longrange
forecasts for the
PNW®
Featured Links
Maine wild blueberry industry reels from
drought, frost, virus (9/19, Seattle Times)
Blueberry imports from Latin America increase
to meet year-round demand (9/22, Fruit Grower
News)
Nourse Farms completes first season with new
nutrient injection and irrigation system (9/21,
Greenfield Recorder) Long-cane blackberry
production.
How growers overcome the challenges of
transitioning to organic (9/21, Fresh Fruit Portal)
Wall Street is set to start trading in a new
commodity – water (9/22, Fresh Fruit Portal)
Chilean perspective on the ITC investigation
into the effects of imported blueberries on the
domestic producers (9/21, Blueberry Consulting)
U.S. blueberry growers question influx of foreign
berries (9/22, Capital Press)
Podcast
Two perspectives on seasonal trade protection
(The Packer) 45 minutes
Politics
Trump and Biden wage a big battle over one
electoral vote in rural Maine (9/22, L.A. Times)
Federal Farm Support
U.S. announces new $14 billion farmer aid,
expands eligible specialty crops (9/21, Fresh Fruit
Portal)
Fed aid swells farm bank accounts—for now (9/4,
Brownfield Ag)
Pest management
New method to combat SWD, help revive New
York berry industry (8/27, Phys Org) Exclusion
netting.
4
Degree Day
Information
Click here for
Dr. Len Coop's
Northwest Degree Day
Information
Pesticide regulation
Oregon extends Chlorpyrifos, Restricted Use
Pesticide comment period (9/21, ODA)
Fires
Western wildfire concerns move from California
to Oregon (9/18, The Packer)
Labor
Bad air quality from California fires causes labor
challenges (9/22, Fresh Plaza)
Strawberries
Meet the $50 strawberries that NYC’s high-end
chefs are fawning over (11/21/19, Eater NY)
Genetics/Breeding
University of Florida blueberry breeding update
(9/22, VSC News)
China
China: Blueberries are grown under giant
agrivoltaic systems (9/17, Blueberry Consulting)
Giddings Fruit Co.: Special breeding programs are
designed to meet Chinese consumers’ preferences
(9/18, Fresh Plaza)
Chile
Chilean blueberry industry forecasts stable export
volumes (9/22, Fresh Fruit Portal)
Argentina
Argentina has started its 2020 blueberry export
season (9/17, Agronometrics)
Retail
U.S.: “Solid momentum” in retail fruit sales going
into fall (9/17, Fresh Fruit Portal)
 I N D U ST RY C A L E N D A R 5

Columbia Star blackberry 7/2/18 by Jason Myer

SEPT 25 - NOV 6
Blueberry Physiology, Production Systems & Management Online Course.
This blueberry course led by Bernadine Strik at OSU has been very popular! Register for this 6-week long
course and read further details here.

SEPT 28 - OCT 1
NABC/USHBC Virtual Conference & Expo. 7AM-6PM. This year, the North American
Blueberry Council (NABC) and U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) are expanding their reach by going
virtual, showcasing industry leaders, tech, genetics, innovation and more! Register for free today.

OCT 14
Washington Blueberry Commission Meeting. This meeting will likely be held through
Zoom. Further details coming soon. If you would like to attend please contact Alan: aschreib@centurytel.net

OCT 26
Oregon Blueberry Commission Meeting. 7:30AM. This meeting will be held through Zoom.
Please contact the commission at 503-364-2944 if you would like to attend.

OCT 27-29
Nutrient cycling, soil health, and Food Safety Virtual Conference. Nutrient cycling
and recycling, fate and transport of nutrients across multiple landscapes of agriculture, and food safety related
to water irrigation management will be the focus of the conference. View event details here. Register for this
event here.

OCT 28
WA Red Raspberry Commission Board Meeting. 1-5PM. This meeting will be held through
Zoom. If you would like to attend, please contact the commission (henry@red-raspberry.org) and they'll send
you the meeting link.

DEC 2-4
Washington Small Fruit Conference. This conference will be held virtually this year. This
three-day conference focuses on the latest research and developments in berries and other small fruits.
Registration coming soon.

DEC 14-16
Northwest Small Fruits Research Virtual Conference. Hosted by the Northwest Center
for Small Fruits Research. Details and registration coming soon!

JAN 28-30
Pacific Agriculture Show. BC's biggest agriculture show will be held virtually in 2021. Further details
coming soon! Read initial details here.
P E ST A N D D I S E A S E A L E RTS , W E E K 368

New Blossom Weevil

The following information comes from Carolyn Teasdale, Industry Specialist, from B.C.

A new blossom weevil, Anthonomus rubi, has recently been found in wild and low-spray
raspberry, blackberry and strawberry fields in the Fraser Valley and along the border with the
US. It’s likely that you have it in Washington fields too, so we wanted to make sure that it’s on
your radar for monitoring next year. It may have been impacting yields in some fields.

Here is what we know about it:

• The adult weevils are very small (3mm = 1/8 inch long). They lay their eggs in the flower
buds at the pre-bloom stage. The damaged flower buds don’t develop. Larvae and
pupae develop in the buds, adult weevils emerge from damaged buds. There is only one
generation per year.
• It has been found mainly in wild and unmanaged/low-spray raspberries, blackberries
and strawberries. It is not present in blueberries.
• Parasitic wasps have also been found associated with this pest in the Fraser Valley,
indicating that this pest may have been here for some time.
• Pre-bloom sprays are likely the best way to control this pest, SWD sprays will also help
keep populations low in commercial fields.

Blossom weevil damage by Eric Blossom weevil adult by Eric Blossom weevil adult by Carolyn
Gerbrandt Gerbrandt Teasdale

Spotted Wing Drosophila: Continued Pressure

SWD continues to be the greatest threat to berry crops. Continue to

monitor hotspot areas with frequent fruit sampling and treat fields that
may have leftover fruit as fields wrap up.

• A quick, 7-step guide for detecting SWD larvae in fruit

• A detailed guide for testing fruit for the presence of SWD
larvae
• Emerging Pest: SWD- A berry and stone fruit pest
SWD larvae 9/4/09
by Julie Pond
 L AT E S U M M E R P EST M A N AG E M E N T7
All Crops
• Monitor new plantings of all berries
for weeds, water, insects, diseases, and
nutrient deficiencies.
• Maintain SWD monitoring and
management plan.
• Weed Management.
• Soil and leaf testing for nutrient
evaluation. See OSU's Nutrient Mngmt
Guides for strawberries, caneberries, and
blueberries.
Strawberries
June Bearers are done. Fresh market picks
on day neutrals is ongoing and will continue
until the cold or rain stops them.
• Scout for Lygus bugs and treat as
needed.
• Scout for fruit damage symptoms
including cat facing, slug damage,
anthracnose, etc.
• Scout for root weevils, including black
vine, rough strawberry, and strawberry
root weevils.
• Scout for strawberry crown moth in
southern strawberries.
• Scout for powdery mildew and treat as
needed.
• Scout for twospotted spider mites and
predatory, beneficial mites.
• Watch for weak growing areas and check
rots for root or weevil larvae.
• Mow and renovate 2-4 weeks after
harvest unless pest pressure requires
immediate attention.
Blueberries
Late season harvest wrapping up.
• Scout for leaf symptoms: poor growth,
nutrient deficiencies, water stress,
herbicide damage, etc & determine if
actions are needed.
• Maintain bird management as harvest
finished up.
• Scout for blueberry gall midge.
• Scout for Shock and Scorch virus.
• Scout for leafroller larvae feeding.
• Scout for weevil notching.
• Monitor for mummyberry as needed.
Caneberries
• Scout for rose stem girdler (RSG). If
fields are known to have RSG pressure
or have been recently planted, monitor
fields diligently.
Raspberries
Processed picks are done. Fresh picks on
primocane fruiting varieties are ongoing and
will continue until cold weather stops them.
• Scout for cane collapse symptoms &
determine cause such as Phytophthora
root rot, Verticillium wilt, or watering
issues.
• Scout for twospotted spider mites and
yellow mites.
• Scout for cane blight and cane botrytis.
• Scout for clay colored weevils in
northern areas.
• Scout for yellow rust and assess
treatment options.
Blackberries
Chesters and late season varieties are
harvesting and primocane fruiters are just
coming on.
• Scout for cane collapse symptoms &
determine cause such as Phytophthora
root rot, Verticillium wilt, or watering
issues.
• Scout for cane and leaf rust and assess
treatment options.
• Scout for twospotted spider mites and
yellow mites.
• Can apply fungicides to prevent fruit
molds.
• Scout for blackberry rust in Evergreen
blackberries.
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About the
Small Fruit Upate
This is the sole industry publication
gathering grower and producer
news and weekly field reports to
unite, stabilize, and strengthen the
Northwest berry growing region
(Canada and US).
Production is independent of
government and commerical control
and made possible by the following
commission & councils.
Oregon Red Raspberry 9/3/2019 by Heather Fara Click group to learn more!

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