Small Fruits

The invasive spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) is the key insect pest of soft-skinned fruit across the United States. With the recent wet weather, we have been experiencing higher than normal spotted wing drosophila (SWD) pressure.

Fruit and Vegetable News, Volume 12, Issue 4 (July 15, 2021)

Spotted-wing drosophila (SWD, Drosophila suzukii) is a small fly that lays its eggs into ripening and ripe soft-skinned fruit, causing direct damage and wounds that other pests and pathogens can use. Although they prefer fully colored ripe fruit, they are capable of infesting fruit that is just starting to turn color and will do so when populations are high.

The growth period from 2 weeks pre-bloom until 3 to 4 weeks post-bloom is the most critical for protecting foliage, and especially flowers and newly set fruit from black rot (BR), Phomopsis (Ph), powdery mildew (PM), Downy mildew (DM), and Botrytis bunch rot infections.

Fruit and Vegetable News, Volume 13, Issue 1 (April, 2022). Topic in this issue are: Check for Allium leaf miner in onions and leeks over the next few weeks, Edema problem in high tunnel tomatoes, Using Plant Growth Regulators to Improve Apple Return Bloom, Botryis Fruit Rot (Gray Mold) and Crown Rot in Strawberries, Spring Pest Scouting in Strawberries, and Early Spring Vegetable Insect Scouting Tips.

Fruit and Vegetable News, Volume 12, Issue 3 (June 10, 2021)

Take a look at the research happening here at the Central Maryland Research and Education Center in Upper Marlboro (CMREC-UM). Even though we are one of the smallest Research and Education Centers (RECs) in the State, our scope of research is quite vast.  Here at CMREC-UM you will find research on agronomy, cover crops, forestry, horticulture, irrigation, livestock, water quality and more.

I have seen several sweet corn fields lately that have sulfur deficiencies (fig 1). One of the possible reasons we are seeing more S deficiency is because less sulfur is being deposited into the soil from the atmosphere due to reductions in acid rain. In 1986 about 24 lbs/a of sulfate were deposited in Maryland soils per year, however in 2011 it was closer to just 8 lbs/a each year. Organic matter supplies most of the sulfur to the crop, but sulfur must be mineralized to sulfate-S to be taken up by crop plants.

Black Root Rot found in strawberry plantings in the Mid-Atlantic this season.

Botrytis is a major disease threat as harvest approaches. Botrytis cinerea is a fungus that affects many plant species, especially wine grapes, where it is commonly known as Botrytis bunch rot or gray mold.