August 2022 - 16

FRUIT CROP UPDATE
Pest, disease controls keep Michigan blueberry
growers busy
By Gary Pullano
Senior FGN Correspondent
An online survey of Michigan
blueberry growers confirmed the
biggest challenges in 2021 involved
insect control, with nearly 22% of
respondents listing it as the top issue.
But disease management challenges
were quickly cropping up as a major
concern.
The survey results were shared by
Michigan State University (MSU)
Small Fruit Program specialists Carlos
Garcia-Salazar, Rufus Isaacs and
Timothy Miles during the 2022 PreBloom
Blueberry Meeting in May,
presented in a hybrid format of inperson
and online audiences.
Other grower problems that
received mention were marketing
(19%), lack of labor (16%), disease
control (12%), summer drought
(10%), spring frost (9%), winter
damage (8%) and food safety (4%).
The online survey had about a
12% response rate, Garcia said, and
brought 55 grower responses.
" One thing I like is the responses
come from the same growers every
year, so we know that we are making
progress, " Garcia-Salazar said.
Nearly 4,900 acres of blueberries
were represented in the survey.
Blueberries surveyed represented 22%
of the Michigan blueberry planted
area. The total production value was
calculated at $9.6 million.
A total of 2,242 blueberry acres were
harvested, with production at about
12 million pounds. The yield per acre
Spotted wing drosophila. Photo: Tim Martinson
in 2021 was 5,370 pounds per acre.
The average price per pound for fresh
blueberries (53% of the crop) was
$1.50. They represented $9.6 million
in production value.
The total 2021 production value for
the surveyed crop was calculated at
$11.8 million.
The average price per pound for
processing blueberries (47% per crop)
was 45 cents.
SWD and other pests
Spotted wing drosophila (SWD)
remained a top pest concern for
growers, who used a variety of
insecticides to ward off the fruit fly.
D. suzukii, originally from southeast
Asia, has become a major pest species
in America and Europe, because
it infests fruit early during the
ripening stage, in contrast with other
drosophila species that generally infest
only rotting fruit.
The survey determined Mustang
Maxx (21%) was the most frequent
pesticide used by growers for SWD.
It was followed by Imidan (18%),
Entrust (13%) and Malathion (12%).
At least 50% of the growers reported
seven seasonal applications of
pesticide for SWD.
" In 2000 we used an average of
eight applications, so we were able to
save one application in 2021, " GarciaSalazar
said.
Mustang Maxx was applied the most
frequently (an average of 2.94 times)
during the season for SWD, followed
by Imidan (2.7), Malathion (1.9),
Lannate (1.8), Brigade (1.4), Entrust
(1.29), Hero (0.8) and Danitol (0.6).
Blueberry stem gall wasp (BSGW)
was another pest challenge in 2021,
with 1,115 of the surveyed acres
reportedly infested. The varieties
receiving treatments for BSGW were
Jersey (330 acres), Liberty (162 acres)
and other varieties (623 acres). Top
pesticides used for the pest were
Lannate (32%), Mustang Maxx (30%),
Sivento (15%), Lannate+Mustang
Maxx (15%) and Exerel (9%).
Garcia-Salazar said that some
processors are going to stop taking
Jerseys, due to high rates of gall wasp
on that variety.
" Some growers have just decided to
renovate, and take (Jerseys) out of the
field. One thing I saw this season after
doing some scouting is I've seen more
Duke affected by the gall wasp, " he said.
According to the survey, growers
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August 2022

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