Part 1 - Cultural Pest Management

Part 2 - 2009 - 2010 Pesticide Guidelines

New York State Pesticide Labels

Other Resources

NYSIPM

12 Small Fruit Pest Management

12. Small Fruit Pest Management

Contents

IPM for Raspberry Disease Control

The following outline reviews available techniques that raspberry growers can use to minimize or eliminate the need to spray fungicides to control specific diseases.

Cane diseases (anthracnose, cane blight, spur blight)

1. Prune dead or diseased canes before new primocanes emerge; burn, bury, or remove them from garden.

2. Promote air circulation to increase drying of young primocanes:

a. Regulate cane densities.

b. Regulate row width.

c. Use trellising systems.

3. Apply a single, delayed dormant spray of lime sulfur to reduce overwintering inoculum levels.

4. Minimize cane injuries (for cane blight).

5. Avoid summer tipping of canes if rain is expected within two to three days (for cane blight).

Gray mold

1. Promote air circulation to reduce humidity and improve drying within the fruiting zone.

a. Use same techniques as for cane diseases.

Phytophthora root rot

1. Plant only on soils with good internal and surface drainage; plant highly susceptible cultivars only on soils that have excellent drainage.

2. If possible, establish new plantings from nursery material not previously exposed to garden or field soil (i.e., greenhouse-propagated plants).

3. Avoid contaminating new planting sites with soil, water, or plants from sites in which the disease has occurred.

Leaf spot

1. Promote air circulation to reduce humidity and improve drying of new leaves.

a. Use same techniques as for cane diseases.

2. Apply a single, delayed dormant spray of lime sulfur to reduce overwintering inoculum levels.

Viral diseases

1. Use only planting stock derived from virus-indexed sources.

2. If possible, avoid establishing new plantings adjacent to wooded areas or older raspberry plantings.

3. Eradicate wild brambles in nearby hedgerows.

Verticillium wilt

1. Avoid planting in locations where susceptible crops (such as potatoes or tomatoes) have been grown recently.

Summary

Four primary themes run throughout the preceding list:

1. Plant resistant or only moderately susceptible cultivars.

2. Exclude specific pathogens from the planting if at all possible.

3. Reduce inoculum levels for indigenous or established pathogens.

4. Choose or modify the crop environment to make it less conducive to growth and development of plant-pathogenic fungi.

Table 15. Small-fruit pest management Also see Chapter 11 in Part I: Cultural Methods, of Pest Management Around the Home.
Plant	Pest		Some Pest Management Options
Blueberry	Blueberry maggot		Use visual (yellow board) traps for monitoring starting in late June, if able to properly identify adults and differentiate from other fly species. Beginning 7 days after first capture of adult flies, if needed, use kaolin clay (suppression only) or pyrethrins. Apply about July 7–12 (10 days earlier on Long Island, New York); repeat twice at 10-day intervals until harvest.
	Cranberry fruitworm and cherry fruitworm		Spinosad may be used, at petal fall and again 10 days later. Spinosad is toxic to bees, and should not be applied while flowers are producing nectar or pollen.
	Leafrollers		Use Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. kurstaki), kaolin clay (suppression only), permethrin, pyrethrins plus PPB, or spinosad. Spinosad is toxic to bees, and should not be applied while flowers are producing nectar or pollen.
	Scales		Use horticultural oil just before budbreak in the spring.
Currant and gooseberry	Powdery mildew		During cool, damp weather, apply azoxystrobin (but not near apples), copper soap (copper octanoate), or myclobutanil. On sulfur tolerant varieties, lime sulfur or sulfur may be used.
	Currant aphid		When leaf buds are opening, apply insecticidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids), or pyrethrins plus PPB.
	Gooseberry fruitworm		These caterpillars damage berries rather than leaves. As soon as silk webbing is seen joining fruits and sometimes adjacent leaves or fruits begin changing to the ripe color prematurely, apply insecticidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids), pyrethrins, or spinosad.
	Imported currant worm		Use insecticidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids), pyrethrins, or spinosad. Spinosad is toxic to bees, and should not be applied while flowers are producing nectar or pollen.
	San Jose scale		Use insecticidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids), or neem oil (note: toxic to bees).
	Two-spotted spider mite		Apply kaolin clay (suppression only), insecticidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids), or pyrethrins.
Grape	Black rot		Following label directions, apply azoxystrobin (not near apples), copper ammonium carbonate, copper soap (copper octanoate), copper sulfate, myclobutanil, or a multipurpose spray containing captan labeled for black rot.

		Downy mildew	Following label directions, if needed apply azoxystrobin (not near apples), Bacillus subtilis (for suppression of downy mildew), captan, copper ammonium carbonate, copper soap (copper octanoate), or copper sulfate. For downy mildew on berries, a multipurpose spray containing captan may be used. Phosphite (potassium salts of phosphorous acid) can be applied as summer sprays to promote grape resistance to this disease.
		Phomopsis cane and leaf spot	In years with wet springs, on susceptible varieties (Catawba, Concord, Delaware, Niagara, and Rougeon), make the first application when new shoots are 1 inch long, and repeat according to label directions. Use azoxystrobin (not near apples), captan, or copper soap (copper octanoate).
		Powdery mildew	Apply azoxystrobin (not near apples), Bacillus subtilis, copper ammonium carbonate, copper soap (copper octanoate), or myclobutanil, according to label directions. Some varieties are sensitive to sulfur (such as Chancellor, Concord, Foch, Ives, Rougeon). On non-sensitive varieties, either lime sulfur (or sulfur may be used, according to label directions.
		Grape berry moth	For small plantings, remove by hand and dispose of infested grapes. Do not discard on ground, as insects may continue to develop. Kaolin clay or a multipurpose spray with carbaryl labeled for black rot may be used. Apply just after bloom (first generation of moth larvae) and in mid- to late July or early August (second generation of moth larvae). Above average temperatures (especially in the first half of the field season) may result in a third generation of moths in late August to mid-September. To see if August treatment is needed, sample the vineyard the third week of July. Visually inspect 5 groups of 20 berry clusters. For grapes that are to be eaten (table grapes), August treatment is warranted if at least 1 cluster out of each 20 is infested in July. For grapes that will be made in to juice, jams/jellies, or wine (processing grapes), treat in August if there are at least 6 infestations per 20 clusters in July.
		Grape cane girdler	Damage is rarely severe enough to warrant treatment.
		Grape flea beetle	At budbreak, examine buds for feeding damage and, if needed, apply insecticidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids), pyrethrins with canola oil, or a multipurpose spray containing carbaryl that’s labeled for flea beetle on grapes. On sulfur-sensitive grape varieties, do not use a product that also contains sulfur.
		Grape leafhopper	If more than 20 percent of the leaf surfaces show stippling injury, apply kaolin clay, insecticidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids), pyrethrins with canola oil, or a multipurpose spray with pyrethrins that’s labeled for leafhopper on grape. On sulfur-sensitive grape varieties, do not use a product that also contains sulfur.
Raspberry and blackberry		Viral diseases	Control aphids, which spread the disease. Horticultural oil or a multipurpose insecticidal soap (containing potassium salts of fatty acids) labeled for viral diseases on raspberry and blackberry are some products that may be used.
		Japanese beetle	A chemical spray may be needed at late prebloom, just before blossoms open, or when primocanes of fall-bearing varieties are 18 inches long. Apply kaolin clay (suppression only), malathion, permethrin, or a product containing pyrethrins labeled for Japanese beetle control on raspberry or blackberry. When insects first appear, repeat application at 7- to 10-day intervals if needed (check product label).
		Raspberry cane borer, raspberry crown borer	Prune out infested canes in winter and damaged shoots during the growing season. No pesticides are currently labeled for use on these borers in the home garden.
		Raspberry fruitworm and sawfly	Apply pyrethrins or spinosad when blossom buds appear and just before blossoms open. Spinosad is toxic to bees, and should not be applied while flowers are producing nectar or pollen.
		Tarnished plant bug	Use insecticidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids) or pyrethrins plus canola oil just before blossoms open.
		Sap beetle	Apply malathion as fruit begins to color.
		Tree cricket	Use carbaryl in late August to mid-September.
		Two-spotted spider mite	Use Mite-X (botanical extracts), kaolin clay (suppression only), malathion, insecticidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids), or pyrethrins.
Strawberry		Fungal leaf spot	On susceptible varieties in wet years, apply Bacillus subtilis, captan, copper ammonium carbonate, copper soap (copper octanoate), or myclobutanil.
		Gray mold (Botrytis fruit rot)	In wet seasons, weekly sprays during bloom will reduce disease incidence. Use Bacillus subtilis, captan, or copper soap (copper octanoate).
		Bud weevil (blossom clipper)	Remove foliage and mulch over the winter. Change site after three years if problem is severe. Row covers in weed-free gardens will act as barriers. (In weedy gardens row covers could increase damage because insects get a head start.) A multipurpose fruit spray with malathion labeled for bud weevil on strawberry may be used.
		Cyclamen mite and Two-spotted spider mite	Cyclamen mite is difficult to control. Rogue infested plants. Mite population suppression may be provided by Mite-X (botanical extracts), horticultural oil, kaolin clay, permethrin, insecticidal soap (potassium salts of fatty acids), or pyrethrins.
		Slugs	Iron phosphate or metaldehyde can be applied to the ground surrounding the plants. Caution: baits may resemble pet food. Be sure to place baits where pets or children cannot get into them. Metaldehyde should only be applied where pets or wildlife have no access.
		Strawberry root weevils	Insect-parasitic nematodes (Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and/or Heterorhabditis marelatus) may be used. Steinernema nematodes are not effective.
		Tarnished plant bug	Check for insects by striking plants over a flat, light-colored dish. Treat when one to two nymphs are found per plant. Permethrin, pyrethrins plus canola oil labeled for plant bug control on strawberry, or a multipurpose fruit spray containing carbaryl and labeled for plant bug control on strawberry may be used. Spray early in spring when growth resumes and weekly if needed until bloom. In severe infestations, sprays of some products may be continued until three days before picking. Check labels; some products should not be used that close to harvest. Tarnished plant bugs overwinter as adults in weedy gardens. Row covers in weed-free gardens may protect newly opened flowers.
		White grubs	Avoid planting strawberries immediately following grass sod.