S MA L L F R U I T U P DA TE | WEEK 36 |  

S E PTEMBER 1, 202 1

Full circle bee benefits Photo by Julie Pond 8-24-2021

WHAT'S INSIDE Julie Pond

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

GROWER RESOURCES
I’m always surprised when early morning field visits are pushed back to
accommodate for a later sunrise. Are we at the tail end of the season already? Are
INDUSTRY NEWS
the field technicians really packing up the bulk of their traps and taking final
assessments of post harvest fields? Is fall only three week away?
PEST MANAGEMENT

Right now I’m often observing vegetative growth on plants, and my thoughts are
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already on the next season and where they need to be before they shut down. This
season was unprecedented, and you can see it in the leaves. The extreme heat
singed early spring growth, followed by the later summer growth that rose from
those points.

I don’t think I am the only one to admit that I personally feel some of that burn after
a season like this. But there’s a lesson in resilience in that second wave of growth,
a lesson about growing through past hard times and trying again. Like those
raspberry canes and blueberry bushes, I’m preparing for the next season of growth
Subscribe Here to get me to better days and a new harvest.

Small Fruit Update is

produced once a week
during the growing
season and bimonthly
outside the growing
season (Oct - Feb)

Sun through the Ocklockanee. Photo by Julie Pond 7-29-2021

 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 (8/30) From Chuck Mouritzen, Southwest Crop Consulting, Chilliwack, BC
Blueberries: Not a lot to report that's new. We're finishing first pick on Aurora and Last Call and into second
pick on Elliots in some areas. The small rain we had last week didn't appear to impact berries in a negative way.
We could certainly use a good rain, but that's a double edged sword when the late pick is going on. Post harvest
activities in blues and raspberries are ramping up with some foliar applications and granular fall fertilization
ongoing.

Strawberries: Definitely feel a change in the weather though. Cooler day and night temperatures and increasing
relative humidity is really noticeable. Powdery mildew in day neutrals is intensifying with this change.

Western Oregon, Willamette Valley (8/30) From Julie Pond, PCM, Portland, OR
All berries: Off season plans are in full swing. SWD larvae in the fruit are found regionally. SWD adult trap
counts are also increasing. Not surprising considering the time of the year.

British Columbia, Fraser Valley From Jason Smith, Grower (8/30)

Blueberries: Starting to harvest Aurora in western Valley this week. A lot of Elliot has been picked at least once.
Bluecrop and Hardyblue cleanup happening this week. Things slowing down on harvest side but as has been
mentioned foliar and liquid fertilizers been applied as well as weed controls, etc going on. Pests have been
manageable for the most part.

Water and dust in the Willamette Valley. Photo by Julie Pond 8-24-2021

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

PEST ALERT
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ORANGE
Click Here to view
RUST ALERT
the NCSFR
Summer
Newsletter

PODCASTS OF THE INDUSTRY

The Business of Blueberries: A podcast from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council hosted by
Kasey Cronquist and Rod Cook.
G U SS AU TO MATIO N ITS SIG HTS O N B LU EB ER R IES

NEWSLETTERS OF THE INDUSTRY

Washington Blueberry Commission - Assessments and the NABC & USHBC Conference

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 06
FEATURED LINKS
Blueberry farmers warn of ‘disaster’ crop (8/27, BBC)

Bringing soft fruit production to tropical urban regions through franchising (8/24, Fresh Plaza)

U.S Agricultural exports FY2022 forecast up $4.0 billion to record $177.5 billion (8/30, Fresh Plaza)

Hortifruit Peru to launch three new blueberry varieties in 2022 (8/30, Fresh Plaza)

NORTH AMERICA
Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana READ MORE
(8/30, Fresh Plaza)

SOUTH AMERICA
500 seasonal workers from Honduras and Ecuador will participate in Huelva’s next strawberry campaign READ MORE
(8/30, Fresh Plaza)

“This season’s first shipping container of Peruvian OZblu blueberries sold out immediately” READ MORE
(8/30, Fresh Plaza)

EUROPE
Spanish fruit and vegetable exports increased considerably in June READ MORE
(8/25, Fresh Plaza)

Raspberry volumes starting to pick up READ MORE

(8/27, Fresh Plaza)

AUSTRALIA
A large course of support from Australian growers and industry bodies after news that an Ag Visa is significantly READ MORE
closer to reality
(8/24, Fresh Plaza)

Cascade Delight primocanes in the Willamette Valley. Photo by Julie Pond 8-11-2021

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 07
 Industry Calendar

SEPTEMBER 2021
Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Meeting
01 WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2021 AT 9AM | ZOOM DETAILS: HTTPS://ZOOM.US/J/97819048111

Washington Red Raspberry Commission Board Meeting

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

Washington Red Raspberry Commission Post-Harvest Celebration

16 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 | 4:30 – 8:00PM, SAMSON ESTATES | EVERSON, WA

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

Oregon Blueberry Commission Meeting

20
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20. EMAIL THE OBC OFFICE FOR ZOOM RSVP. IN PERSON LOCATION TBD.

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 08
 THE SMALL FRUIT UPDATE
WE E K 3 6 | S E P T E M B E R 0 1 , 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.