S M A L L F R U I T UPD A TE | W EEK 1 9 |  

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 2 2

Cascade Harvest flower buds in Willamette Valley. May 2, 2022 by Julie Pond

WHAT'S INSIDE Julie Pond

N O R T H WE ST B ER RY FO U N D A TIO N
INDUSTRY RESOURCES

GROWER RESOURCES Let’s talk about pollination because the struggle is real. The east side
is facing abnormally cold weather windows in recent weeks while
INDUSTRY NEWS west side folks are hitting record rainfalls for the month of April and it’s not
warm weather rainfall. The reality is that a few hours above 50f doesn’t allow
PEST MANAGEMENT much opportunity for pollination. Blueberry flower visitations are down
compared to most years. We’re certain to see some poor blueberry
SFU SPONSORS
pollination symptoms showing up soon.

Some tips to ensure pollination windows are effective:

Avoid any insecticide applications during bloom and time any other
sprays in the morning/evening when bees are not actively foraging.
Hive strength is important. Current research is beginning to find that hive
strength is trending more important that number of hives and hive
placement.
Keep hive entrances free of obstruction.
Subscribe Here
Pollinator habitat outside the crop bloom times helps to keep wild
Small Fruit Update is populations strong and consistent.
produced once a week Consider the bee strength along with the number of bees needed on the
during the growing
farm. Here is a 2021 Podcast breaking down Caneberry pollination needs
season and bimonthly
outside the growing
in the PNW.
season (Oct - Feb)
I’m really hoping that the recent weather outlook from The WxCafe™ holds
true next week!

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 01
 Grower Resources

REGIONAL FIELD REPORTS

Oregon, Willamette Valley (5/2) From Julie Pond, Peerbolt Crop Management, Portland, OR
Blueberries: Blooms are holding on. Growers are starting to call, mind-boggled that the weather is still not conducive to
most field work and especially not pollination. Pollination is creeping along. Hopefully next week’s stretch of decent
weather will be enough to give the remaining blooms a chance to pollinate properly.

Raspberries: Cascade Harvest has sets of blooms visible and good vegetation. Primocanes are 6 to 12 inches and
primocane burning is scheduled or happening as wet weather allows. Spermagonia and aecia stages of Yellow Rust are
showing up on inner leaves right now.

Blackberries: Columbia Star buds are prominent. Still cold colored leaf edges are consistently being found throughout the
fields. Primocanes are 4 to 8 inches. Cane and leaf Rust is showing up right now.

Northern Washington, Whatcom & Skagit Counties (4/30) From Lisa Wasko Devetter, Small Fruit
Horticulturist, WSU NWREC, Mount Vernon:
Blueberries: There is very little bloom in blueberries. 'Northland' is at about 10% bloom while most other cultivars still have
no bloom to just a few open flowers in the field despite honey bees arriving. We are hoping that when bloom starts there
will be sufficient honey bee foragers in blueberry fields and optimal weather days for good pollination, but it looks like
bloom will continue to inch along with the forecasted cool weather.

Raspberries: continue to grow and look slightly yellow with some flower buds starting to emerge in 'Meeker'.

Blackberries: Blackberry fields sustained lots of winter injury so production will be down on that crop.

Strawberries: Our program is trying to find weather windows to plant strawberries, but like many growers it has been
challenging to find windows to work the ground and plant.

British Columbia, Fraser Valley (5/2) From Chuck Mouritzen, Southwest Crop Consulting, Chilliwack, BC
Blueberries: Continue slow progress towards bloom due to the backward weather. And it's probably just as well
considering conditions are also not conducive to good bee foraging. Many bees are being placed out of logistical
necessity. But there will not be much for them to do as there's likely only less than 5% bloom out there. There is only
sporadic outbreaks of good weather day to day; the good news being that the bees do take advantage of those moments.
There is more and more vegetative bud damage becoming apparent due to the previous cold frosty weather . This when
combined with potential pollination issues could impact the crop down the road.

British Columbia, Fraser Valley (5/3) From Jason Smith, Grower

Blueberries: Flowers are opening up in Reka with Duke started and in that 0-10% range depending on field. The weather
forecast for the rest of the week is not great for plant growth or pollination. Hoping the sun and warmer temperatures my
weather app shows for next week actually happens. The only thing moving right now seems to be the grass and the
weeds.

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 02
Yellow rust stage in Cascade Harvest. May 2, 2022 by Albion bloom status in Eastern WA. April 28, 2022 by
Julie Pond Cody Edwards, Yakima Berry Co.

Columbia Star Blackberry flower bud stage. May 2,

2022 by Julie Pond

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 03
 Blueberry Bud Development

P ATR IO T BLUEJAY DU KE DR AP ER TO P SHELF LIB ER TY AU R O R A LAST C ALL

WEEK 18 4/30/2022
WEEK 18 4/30/2021
WEEK 18 5/08/20
WEEK 18 5/04/19

P ATR IO T BLUEJAY DU KE DR AP ER TO P SHELF LIB ER TY AU R O R A LAST C ALL

 Industry News

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Winter moth feeding on raspberry floral bud. April 22, 2022. Photo by Julie Pond

PODCASTS OF THE INDUSTRY

The Business of Blueberries: A podcast from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council hosted by Kasey
Cronquist and Rod Cook.
BEE AWARE OF NEW POLLINATION TECHNOLOGY

PolliNation: A podcast from Oregon State University Extension Service hosted by Dr. Andony
Melathopoulos.
210 - C O FFAN - WHAT’ S G O ING O N WITH WESTER N MO NAR C HS

NEWSLETTERS OF THE INDUSTRY

Behind The Blue: USHBC Activates at NC State for Earth Day, National Blueberry Pie Day, Save the Date for Our Blueberry
Summit External
Farmer & Rancher Disaster Relief Grant - Round 2 is Open

Train the Trainer Food Safety Practices workshops

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 05
FEATURED LINKS
Listeria might be a risk on straw mulch for strawberries (4/26, Growing Produce)

Robotic pickers see double success in Portugal (4/26, Hort Daily)

Pacific Coast Fruit Co. creates subsidiary trading company (5/2, Capital Press)

Berry grower celebrates national strawberry month (4/27, Hort Daily)

WEATHER
‘Awesome’ April builds up Washington snowpack READ MORE
(5/2, Capital Press)

LABOR
Editorial: OT law will promote changes in Oregon ag READ MORE
(4/28, Capital Press)

WORLD
Irish grower secures new 7.5M contract with Aldi READ MORE
(5/2, Hort Daily)

UK: Improved blueberry varieties making strides READ MORE

(5/2, Hort Daily)

New era brings new challenges to Mexican growers READ MORE

(4/26, Hort Daily)

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 06
 April Crop Management for Week 19

Nutrient Management
We're getting into a traditional time for applying fertilizer. Many growers still apply the first blueberry application
just before the buds break. Research has shown that the plant takes up very little nitrogen before late April.
Recommended timing for split applications in the Willamette Valley is 1/3 in late April, 1/3 in mid-May and 1/3 in
mid-June.

OSU's "Nutrient Management for Blueberries in Oregon"

OSU's "Caneberries Nutrient Management Guide"
OSU's "Strawberry Nutrient Management Guide for Oregon and Washington"

Stages of Yellow Rust (from left) spermagonia, aecia, uredinia: Right now it’s mostly in the first stage. (Middle photo by Carolyn Teasdale,
others by Tom Peerbolt)

Yellow Rust In Raspberries

Time to start scouting for yellow rust in raspberries

Yellow rust is now changing spore stages from yellow/orange colored ‘blisters’ (spermagonia) on the top
surface of leaves to a very visible, almost day-glow orange/yellow spore stage (aecia).
The fourth spore stage (uredinia) appears later in the season as yellow ‘dust’ on the bottom of leaves. This
last stage is the one that multiplies quickly & can quickly defoliate canes if left untreated.
Evaluate disease incidence and stage to determine whether (& when) fungicide applications are warranted.
Evaluate disease incidence and stage to determine whether (& when) fungicide applications are warranted.

All Crops
Vole management
Weed management
Fertilizer program
Can put out monitoring traps for Spotted Wing Drosophila

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 07
Blueberries
Treat for Mummy Berry as needed. You can scout for sprouting Mummy Berries on the ground but they can
be very difficult to find. Base treatment decisions on plant stage, environmental conditions and the past
Mummy Berry history of the field and surrounding fields.
Scout for Pseudomonas (Bacterial Blight) Water-soaked lesions in some fields that then develop into
reddish brown to black cankers or dead buds.
Botrytis Blossom Blight/Tip Blight: Cool, wet weather patterns will bring rise to fungal disease and Botrytis is
the main culprit right now. Protect susceptible plant parts.
Scout for leafroller larvae feeding.
Scout for Shock virus symptoms in southern area fields.
Plan for pre-bloom aphid control where scorch virus transmission is an issue.
Make preparations for bringing in bees around 10% bloom.
Winter Moth/ Bruce Span Worm: Scouting for winter moth larvae should start as soon as the buds start
swelling. More of an ongoing issue in the northern growing regions but also an occasional, locally severe
problem in some Oregon and SW Washington fields.

Blackberries
Scout for Rose Stem Girdler ‘galls’ on floricanes.
Scout for Purple Blotch lesions in Marion berries to assess field disease levels for later treatments.
Can apply lime sulfur for Redberry Mites and/or disease management.
Can drench for crown borer management.

Evergreen Blackberries
Can apply lime/sulfur for blackberry rust.

Raspberries
Burn back primocanes as needed.
(Northern areas) Scout for Clay Colored Weevil feeding and treat as needed.
Scout for mites: Two Spotted mites
Monitor leaves for Yellow Rust.
Can still apply Ridomil for Phytophthora root rot management.
Can still drench for crown borer management.
Winter Moth/ Bruce Span Worm: Scouting for winter moth larvae should start as soon as the buds start
swelling. More of an ongoing issue in the northern growing regions but also an occasional, locally severe
problem in some Oregon and SW Washington fields.

Strawberries
Can apply phosphite material.
Apply fungicides for mold prevention from 10% bloom until the end of bloom.
Watch for weak growing areas and check rots for weevil larvae, root rot and/or cold damage.

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 08
 Small Fruit
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NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 09
Industry Calendar

JUNE 2022
08 Strawberry Field Day
OSU-NWREC IN AURORA AT 1:00PM. AGENDA TBD.

29 Caneberry Field Day

OSU-NWREC IN AURORA AT 1:00PM. AGENDA TBD.

27-29 NABREW meeting hosted by the BC Blueberry Council

IN ABBOTSFORD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT ERIC GERBRANDT AT
RESEARCH@BCBERRIES.CA

JULY 2022
Washington Blueberry Commission Meeting.
06 ZOOM DETAILS TBA. FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL ALAN SCHREIBER.

20 Blueberry Field Day

OSU-NWREC IN AURORA AT 1:00PM. AGENDA TBD.

SEPTEMBER 2022
Washington Red Raspberry Commission Meeting 1pm
07
LYNDEN, WA. FOR ZOOM IN OPTIONS, EMAIL HENRY BEIRLINK.

OCTOBER 2022
Washington Red Raspberry Commission Meeting 1pm
26
LYNDEN, WA. FOR ZOOM IN OPTIONS, EMAIL HENRY BEIRLINK.

Washington Blueberry Commission Meeting. Details TBA

26 ZOOM DETAILS TBA. FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL ALAN SCHREIBER.

NOVEMBER 2022
Washington Red Raspberry Commission Annual Meeting. Details TBA.
30
LYNDEN, WA. FOR ZOOM IN OPTIONS, EMAIL HENRY BEIRLINK.

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 10
 THE SMALL FRUIT UPDATE
WEEK 19 | MAY 04, 2022

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!

DONATE NOW

Abby Gearing,
This is the sole industry publication, SFU Designer & Editor
gathering grower and producer news, and abby@nwberries.org
regional field reports to unite, stabilize, and
strengthen the Northwest berry growing Elisa Ford,
NBF Co-Director
region (Canada and US).
elisa@nwberries.org

Production is independent of government

Julie Pond,
and commercial control and made possible NBF Co-Director & Editor
by the following commission & councils. julie@peerbolt.com

For more information or requests please Tom Peerbolt,

contact: Director At-Large, Chief Editor Emeritus
tom@peerbolt.com.