SMALL FRUIT UPDATE | WEEK 27 |  

JUN 30, 2021

Sun-scalded raspberries. Photo by Tom Peerbolt.

WHAT'S INSIDE Raspberry Industry Loses One of its Pioneers

INDUSTRY RESOURCES
From the Commission:

Anyone connected to the berry industry in northwest WA and British Columbia knows Darryl
GROWER RESOURCES Ehlers. Memories of his big heart and unique brain cast a large shadow over us when we heard
of his death on Monday, June 21st.
INDUSTRY NEWS WRRC awarded Darryl its Industry Service Award in 2019. This video tribute to Darryl captures
his “philosophy of life”, his abundant energy, and passion for farming. Go here for a four minute
Darryl video.
PEST MANAGEMENT
He was a true character, friend, and berry pioneer. He is missed already!

SFU SPONSORS For Darryl’s obituary as well as one of his poems Click here

Observations from Dr Bernadine Strik on the recent heat wave & it’s affect on
the fruit at the OSU Research Station in Aurora, OR
This heat has had significant impact on the berries at the OSU-NWREC and has had significant
impact to our growers in the region. It is so hard to see so much damage and our thoughts are
with growers as they struggle through this. I will focus here on what we have seen at the NWREC.

Our max/min temperatures:

Saturday into Sunday 106/70F
Subscribe Here Sunday 111/84F
Monday 113/62
Relative humidity has been really low from 11 to 44% and typically at the low end during the
Small Fruit Update is
hotter part of the day.
produced once a week
These conditions are not good for berries; raspberries and blackberries, in particular are
during the growing temperate crops and are showing a lot of damage.
season and bimonthly
outside the growing Trailing blackberry: We machine picked our Columbia Star pruning/training/water use trial for
season (Oct - Feb) the first time Thursday June 24. We had very good quality on the king berries. The second
harvest was Monday morning (June 28) and It was 84F when we started at 6:00am. Despite
good irrigation, there was significant damage. I estimate about 10% of fruit damaged on the
eastern side of the row (mainly jamming or soft red drupelets on part of these berries) and up to
80% damage on the western side of the row (jamming of ripe or nearly ripe fruit and white
drupelets on large sections of immature fruit). I thus estimate a loss of 50% of the yield (since
first harvest) to heat damage (fruit that are not suitable for IQF) – we were able to get good
quality fruit (mainly from eastern side of row) off and some damaged fruit off. On the western
side of the rows, many fruiting lateral leaves are torched on the edges – caused by stomates
closing during the heat and plants not being able to access sufficient water as a result. I’ve
attached pictures of the E and W side of the row and of damaged fruit (and scorched leaves on
W side). We will harvest again on Thursday.
We have been hand-picking the breeding plots . On Monday there was no damage to erect or semi-erect cultivars
(immature fruit) evident. However, significant heat damage was seen on the western side of many trailing blackberry
cultivars (including Columbia Star, Marion and Black Diamond). All of these plots are grown with drip irrigation and soil
water levels are good (we do not have capability of evaporative cooling).

Red Raspberry: Floricane-fruiting: First machine harvest of earliest breeding program selections was on June 22 and then
again June 24 and 29. Fruit quality on June 24 was outstanding. However, a lot of red raspberry fruit from various
selections and standard cultivars had jammed (heat damage) by Monday June 28. Symptoms of jamming fruit and white
drupelets on burned immature fruit as well as some leaf burning are shown in pictures. We will need to see how thing
progress on later ripening fruit.
Primocane-fruiting: There is some leaf burning at the tips of primocanes, more so on younger/shorter ones than on older,
taller ones. These primocanes should continue to grow now that temperatures are improving without much adverse effect.
Note that if any cane tip growth is killed by sunburn/scorching then theseLeaf Sun
canes Scorch
would Blackberry.
branch leading Photo by Tom
to a 3-week Peerbolt
delay in
harvest (on that particular cane).

Black raspberry: ‘Munger’ and our selections were machine harvested for the first time on June 22 and again on June 28-
29. Fruit quality was excellent for the first harvest; however, the heat has led to drying of fruit (picture of advanced
selection included). Fruit are being held tight on the receptacles making it difficult to get off. We are getting fruit harvested
but yields and quality are down. We will need to see how thing progress on later ripening fruit.

Blueberry: We finished the first hand-pick of our mature organic ‘Dukes’ on Friday June 25. Quality was excellent and with
the heat that week, a very large share of the total yield was picked. We will have one more harvest. There is very little
sun/heat damage on the remaining Duke fruit. I walked through and did some cursory evaluations of sunburn/heat
damage in our blueberry breeding and research trials. Note that all are drip irrigated with weed mat. We are NOT capable
of evaporative cooling. Many growers are able to do so in this region and I expect that they have had success reducing
damage as a result. At the OSU-NWREC damage within cultivar was worse in young fields where more weed mat is
exposed (increases canopy temperature).

In all fields, damage is more evident at the top of the bush and the west side of the canopy where it’s hotter. Very little
damage was seen in young or old Duke. Young Draper had damage to fruit but there was little damage in mature Draper.
Reka fruit are badly sunburned (ripe and immature fruit). Sunburn of fruit in vulnerable places in Bluegold. Some leaf edge
and shoot tip burning in Mini Blues and very little fruit softening (of early blue fruit), but no sunburn of fruit. Very little
damage in mature Bluecrop. Young and mature Aurora have VERY BAD sunburn of more than 60% of green fruit (no blue
showing yet; picture included). In contrast there is almost no damage in mature Elliott. Also good news is that I saw very
little damage in Legacy. Also our mature Liberty which is not yet showing any blue color has no damage to fruit or leaves.

Strawberry: We will finish up most cultivars on June 29. Day neutrals in a colleague’s trial are slowing down in this heat.
New breeding trial planting (from early last week) looks good with overhead irrigation.

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 02
 Columbia Star Blackberry June 28, 2021
Machine Harvest in progress during heatwave On left: Westside On Right: Eastside
Photos by Bernadine Strik

Examples of heatwave damage, Late June 2021. All photos taken at the OSU North Willamette R & E
Center. Aurora, OR

Munger Black Raspberry (Blackcap), June 29 Aurora, OR.

Aurora blueberry, June 28, Aurora, OR. Photo by Bernadine Strik
Photo by Amanda Vance

Red raspberry, June 29, Aurora, OR. Photo by Amanda Vance Red raspberry, June 29, Aurora, OR. Photo by Amanda Vance

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 03
 Blueberry Bud Development

DUKE STARTED HARVEST 6-22-21

PATR I O T BLUEJAY DUKE DRAP E R TOP S H E LF LIBE R T Y AURO R A LAST C A L L CALY P S O

WEEK 26 6/25/21
WEEK 25 6/26/20
WEEK 25 6/21/19
WEEK 25 6/22/18

PATR I O T BLUEJAY DUKE DRAP E R TOP S H E LF LIBE R T Y AURO R A LAST C A L L CALY P S O

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 04
 Grower Resources

REGIONAL FIELD REPORTS

Northern Washington, Whatcom & Skagit Counties (6/29) From Tom Walters, Walters Ag Research, Anacortes, WA
Raspberries: Raspberry fields I’ve seen in Whatcom all have some sun scald on red fruit. The best cases are later varieties
(WakeField) that don’t have much early fruit, or varieties/selections that have a lot of foliage shading fruit (WakeField
again, WSU 2088). However, wherever foliage is weak, fruit is sunburnt, definitely not suitable for IQF. I hope we can pick
through this to better fruit next week. Stinks for early varieties like Wake Haven and Cascade Premier, though. So much
for presenting fruit outside the canopy! Worst fields I saw have >50% damage to red fruit, best were 10-15%. Saw a couple
of truly struggling Wake Haven fields, bad sunburn and just too much fruit for the awful conditions. Fruit and leaf sunburn
below.

Blueberries: Blueberries not showing damage as uniformly as Meeker-many fields look OK. Bluecrop is flopping over in a
couple of places, even though it doesn’t have a heavy crop load yet. Saw some extensive (10-15%) damage on west side
of rows of Draper near Sumas.

Western Oregon, Willamette Valley (6/29) From Amanda Stevens, Nottinghamshire Farms
Organic Day Neutral Strawberries: The strawberries actually look okay compared to the cane and blueberries. We were
able to keep the drip on for most of the 3 days. The ripe berries are very red and taste almost like strawberry flavored
sugar.
We were only just keeping up on hoeing but are now 4-5 days behind due to quitting early on Saturday and Monday and
the heat not holding back the weeds as much as the plants.

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 05
 Heat Damage photos from Amanda Stevens

Western Oregon, Willamette Valley (6/28) From Darren Sinn, Willamette Valley grower
Blackberries: We are busy trying to just live through this moment (pick fruit, keep irrigation on, keep reefers running, etc.).
As I type, all the fruit is literally cooking on the bushes. We will see how the dust clears in the next couple days.
So far it isn’t pretty and it has the signs of a natural disaster. Our farmers need prayers that they will have an income this
year.

British Columbia, Fraser Valley (6/28) From Chuck Mouritzen, Southwest Crop Consulting, Chilliwack, BC
Blueberries: As has been stated we've gone through a very bad patch of super hot weather here since last Friday(25th)
with temps 40-43C (104-109F). Some pretty severe fruit and plant sunburning, which varies with location and variety and
plant age. It's a bit early to know what our losses maybe but it will be significant in both the blues and the raspberries.
Probably by the end of the week we'll have a better idea. This is a big blow to an already challenged crop in my opinion. I
think growers and industry people here are dazed by the change that has just occurred so dramatically. The rest of the
week will continue to be hot but probably in the 29-35C range which will be like a cold front compared to what we've been
through. Still will be stressful but at least manageable.

British Columbia, Fraser Valley (6/29) From Jason Smith, Fraser Berry Farms, Abbotsford, B.C., Chilliwack, BC
Blueberries: I’m writing this from a shady spot with thermometer reading 43 Celsius (109 F).
Heat has hammered fruit.
Phone has been lit up since Friday all day every day asking what can be done. Pictures of cooked white fruit coming out of
eastern Valley where there is sandier soils and fruit is farther ahead. Some saying 20% and some about 45 minutes west
(Abbotsford) telling me 30+% damage. Greener the fruit and bigger and fuller the plants less damage.
Certain newer varieties really getting hammered while others faring much better. Think this is really something growers
will need to look at when making planting decisions as this is going to become a lot more regular according to the climate
people.
Will see where things end up in a week or so and effect on early, and later fresh for some varieties, for the fresh market.

Eastern Washington 6/29): From Alan Schreiber, Washington Blueberry Commission Executive Director
Blueberries: Eastern Washington is supposed to reach 117 degrees on Tuesday. We are seeing significant sunburn
damage to Aurora. Sunscald on green fruit. Reduction in fruit quality on ripe fruit. Interestingly, blueberries grown under
shade cloth seems largely unaffected. This year will probably pay for the cost of shading fruit. I am concerned that
eastern Washington crop that is being picked now will have a 10-day window where a significant volume will have to be
diverted to the processed market. Combine that will the amount diverted from southern Oregon for the same reason and
wonder if there is enough line time to handle all of it. Eastern Washington is heading towards the finish of the second
pass of Duke. The hot weather seems to be consolidating the season by advancing mid-season varieties such as Draper.
Draper looks like it could start harvest before the second pick of Duke is completed.

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 06
Northern Washington, Whatcom & Skagit Counties (6/29) From Lisa Wasko Devetter, Small Fruit Horticulturist, WSU NWREC,
Mount Vernon
What an emotional time right now as we assess impacts of the extreme heat on regional berry crops. The passing of
Darryl Ehlers has also been heavy on the heart. I pass on my sincere condolences and words of support as we assess the
damage and move forward.

I've been in meetings most of the day, but checked on several fields and talked with a few field persons in Whatcom and
Skagit counties. Thus, these observations are still preliminary:
Blueberries in Skagit County look so far, okay. 'Liberty' and 'Draper' still have lots of green fruit. I saw some slight
sunscald on ripe 'Reka' and 'Duke' fruits, but it was very minimal in the fields I visited.
Raspberries are most affected in Skagit compared to blueberries. Photos of 'Meeker' and 'WakeField' are attached.
We have about ~5% of exposed fruit that is white or jamming. Immature, developing fruit, particularly if shaded,
appear healthy and I'm optimistic it will pull through. Primocane growth is good, but some floricane leaves are
showing signs of damage despite constant irrigation and mulch. Weaker plants are more affected.
In Whatcom, reports I have are that the Sumas and Everson areas are most affected. There is variability based on
cultivar and for blueberry, cultivars with ripe fruit seem most affected. I'm hearing reports of damage in 'Duke' and
'Calypso'. Will be making rounds in fields in Whatcom soon. Note that many of these fields do not have evaporative
cooling and irrigation was on constantly - it just got too hot.
In Mount Vernon and Burlington (Skagit County), the record high was 96 F at 3 pm 6/28.
In Lynden (Whatcom County), a record high of 103 F was reached the afternoons of both 6/27 and 6/28.
In Sumas (Whatcom County), the record high was 105.6 F at 2 pm on 6/28 and for three days temperatures reached
100 F or above.
Note: Weather data are from WSU AgWeatherNet and there is variation from field to field

I don't have reports for Eastern Washington yet. I was there last week and despite the heat, crops looked good. These
systems have evaporative cooling and more accustomed to dealing with the heat, but even then our Prosser station
recorded a high temperature of 109.5 F today (6/29) and every day since 6/26 has been over 100 F. Internal temperatures
of fruit can be much higher than air temperatures and lead to heat and UV damage.

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 07
Regional Monitoring

June 10, 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 so far been barrelling through this season with low numbers of SWD and little sign of their
populations being able to build coming out of the winter months. However, given the nature of SWD,
we know that their populations will build, it is just a matter of when. This past week has given us the
first indication (albeit, very preliminary and based on a single set of data) that we might be seeing
the start of population growth this year. There are ample food sources and emerging hosts in the
environment right now, which -along with weather conditions returning to an ideal state for SWD-
makes it highly probable that their populations have an active biological imperative to procreate.

Location Total SWD

SAUV I E I S LAND 3

BANK S 0

FORE S T GROVE 1

CORN E L I US 0

HILL S B O RO 2

YAMH I L L 0

DUND E E 1

MCMI N N V ILLE 0

WILS O N V ILLE 1

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 08
 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

Updated as of May 24, 2021: ‘Maximum Pesticide Residue Limits (MRLs) for USA and Foreign
Markets’ for Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries and Strawberries VIEW SHEETS
Compiled by Dani Lightle, Pesticide Registration Research Leader, Oregon State University

Insecticide efficacy rankings for SWD Control

From a survey of national entomologists who work with SWD VIEW PDF

PODCASTS OF THE INDUSTRY

The Business of Blueberries: A podcast from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council hosted by
Kasey Cronquist and Rod Cook.
GROWER VISIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF BLUEBERRIES

FEATURED LINKS
Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission Special Meeting Scheduled for Wednesday, 6/30 at 1pm. Click here for
information. Heat damage to caneberries discussion.

Washington Red Raspberry Harvesting and Processing Tour (Premiered 8/12/20, WRRC) 14 minute video

Riding the berry revolution (6/21, The Grower) Greenhouse grower takes advantage of berry popularity

ProduceIQ: Industry prices struggle as berries lead decline (6/14, Blue Book Services)

New treatment could make honeybees immune to pesticides (6/28, Capital Press)

FOOD SAFETY
Dole brand fresh packed blueberries recalled due to Clyclospora
READ MORE
(6/26, The Packer)

LABOR
U.S. Supreme Court favors grower property rights over labor unions
READ MORE
(6/23, The Packer)

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 09
Oregon to keep COVID housing, workplace rules in place
READ MORE
(6/25, Capital Press)

PESTICIDES
Judge berates Monsanto over brief in Roundup cancer appeal
READ MORE
(6/25, Fresh Fruit Portal)

NORTH AMERICA
North Carolina blueberry prices up as severe weather caused shortages
READ MORE
(6/25, Fresh Plaza)

Georgia: Increased rain causes blueberry splitting problem

READ MORE
(6/25, VSC News)

SOUTH AMERICA
Peru’s fruit sector races to new heights
READ MORE
(6/29, Fresh Fruit Portal)

THE WEST
Meet California Blueberry Growers: The Steed Family
READ MORE
(6/22, YouTube)

CLIMATE/WATER
As drought deepens, no declaration planned in Washington
READ MORE
(6/28, Capital Press)

EUROPE
Republic of Georgia sees blueberry production growing
READ MORE
(6/25, Fresh Plaza)

CHINA MARKETING
US industry taking action on fresh blueberry retail and promotion in China
READ MORE
(6/28, Produce Report)

MARKETING
Naturipe Farms launches Summer of Snacking campaign
READ MORE
(6/24, Fresh Plaza)

COMPANIES
High-tech indoor farm AppHarvest to expand, launch into berries
READ MORE
(6/22, WDRB.com)

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 10
 Pest and Crop Management
Please note that our Pest and Crop Management section will return in
the near future.

Industry Calendar

JUNE 2021
Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission Special Meeting Notice Heat Damage to Caneberries
30
JUNE 30, 2021 11:00 AM JOIN HERE VIA ZOOM: ZOOM.US/J/98404167225 CALL IN NUMBER: 253 215 8782

JULY 2021
Washington Blueberry Commission Meeting
07
FURTHER DETAILS COMING SOON.

Caneberry Field Day View Agenda

07
WEDNESDAY, 1:00-5:00 PM

Washington Raspberry Field Day

14
WEDNESDAY, JULY 14TH 1-3PM AT THE HONCOOP FARM: 9696 NORTHWOOD ROAD, LYNDEN, WA.

Blueberry Field Day View Agenda

15
THURSDAY, 1:00 – 5:30 PM (END TIME IS APPROXIMATE AS DEPENDS ON LIST OF SPEAKERS/PRESENTATIONS)

SEPTEMBER 2021
Washington Red Raspberry Commission Board Meeting
15
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021, 1PM -5 PM

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small fruit industry through education, research and information access. The SFU is made possible through the generosity of our sponsors and
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NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 11
 THE SMALL FRUIT UPDATE
WEEK 27 | JUNE 30, 2021

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.