SWD larvae in fruit

Spotted-wing Drosophila male (L) and female (R).

Ohio was first infested with spotted-wing Drosophila (SWD) in the fall of 2011. This pest turned long standing IPM programs on their head and forced growers to adopt new monitoring and management practices for this pest or face losing significant amounts of  blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, peaches and grapes to larval infestation. While OSU had an active Extension and outreach program to teach growers about this insect since discovery in Ohio, we relied on research generated by several multi-state grants to keep our growers at the forefront of IPM on susceptible crops. While we have made substantial progress on monitoring and managing this pest, there are still many research and management questions to answer. To help inform the next phase of SWD research and outreach, please consider adding your thoughts about how this pest has impacted your operation over the past decade. All responses are confidential.

**This survey is being shared with multiple mailing lists to ensure that we reach as many impacted growers as possible. We apologize if you receive it more than once!

Dear Berry Growers:

As part of a national team of entomologists studying the management of spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), we are reaching out with a request for assistance to help understand the current impacts of SWD on your farm and how these impacts may have changed in the last 10 years.

If you are willing to share insights from your farm, farms you manage, or growers you work with, please complete this short survey, which will take about 15 minutes or less: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeW6rCcyM9vf_sjLJDj0J_6G03jlVbBLZt5rlX7kmzSj0Ypog/viewform

How will this information be used?
This information will be used to develop new research goals as part of a USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative proposal under development. It will also be compared to information collected in similar surveys in 2013 and 2014 to help us understand where challenges still exist for SWD management and what improvements have been made over the last 10 years and shared in extension and scholarly publications.

Who should I contact for more information?
For more information about this survey, contact Hannah Levenson, hklevens@ncsu.edu, 919.434.7882. For more information about SWD management, contact members of our project team or your local extension expert.

Thank you,

Hannah Burrack
Professor & Chair
Department of Entomology
Michigan State University
burrackh@msu.edu

This article was written by Dr. Aaron Wilson, OSU Extension, Ag Weather and Climate Field Specialist

Fig. 1. U.S. Drought Monitor depiction for Ohio as of October 22, 2024.

Dry conditions have plagued Ohioans throughout the growing season this year, with another below average week of precipitation this past week. Since the remnants of Hurricane Helene moved through in late September, ample precipitation has been hard to come by. Several cities are experiencing one of their driest Octobers on record, including Cincinnati and Mansfield (2^nd driest), Dayton (3^rd driest), and Athens and Columbus (4^th driest). Many of these locations have picked up less than three-tenths of an inch. Warmer than average temperatures this week have also notched the drought stress back up, with numerous reports of field fires in west central and northwest Ohio. Certainly, where drought conditions have persisted the longest in southeast Ohio, crop yields are generally below average, pastures have been slow to recover, and producers are still hauling water. As of October 22, 2024, the US Drought Monitor still shows about 8% of the state in D4 – exceptional drought with about 65% of the state still experiencing drought conditions (D1-D4).

If you are continuing to experience drought impacts or to document improvements, you can view and/or submit local reports at the Condition Monitoring Observer Reports page. For a more detailed look at conditions and resources, visit our Drought Response Page or for the latest up-to-date conditions, seasonal outlooks, and monthly climate summaries, please visit the State Climate Office of Ohio.

Fig. 2. Precipitation forecast from the Weather Prediction Center for 8pm Monday October 28 – 7pm Monday November 5, 2024.

Weather Forecast – Again we are expecting a big warming trend early this week, followed by an increasing chance of Halloween rain and a weekend cool down. High pressure will remain in control through Wednesday, with strong southerly wind gusts and high temperatures running in the mid 70s to low 80s. With gusty winds and low humidity, fire risk will be elevated. A few daily record highs are at stake as well. A cold front will push through the region on Thursday. Although much heavier rain is expected across the central states, a solid line of showers and storms will drop 0.25-0.50 inches of rain. After brief drying conditions on Saturday, another system could bring rainn showers back into Ohio for Sunday and Monday. Temperatures will be much colder over the weekend, with highs in the 50s and 60s and lows in the 30s and 40s. The Weather Prediction Center is currently forecasting 0.25-0.75” of rain this week (Figure 2).

The 8-14 day outlook from the Climate Prediction Center and the 16-Day Rainfall Outlook from NOAA/NWS/Ohio River Forecast Center show that temperatures are likely to jump back above average with a robust signal toward wetter than average conditions as well (Figure 3). This is not a pattern we have seen in a while but hopefully represents a step toward long-term drought and soil moisture recovery for the area. Climate averages include a high-temperature range of 56-60°F, a low-temperature range of 38-41°F, and weekly total precipitation of 0.55-0.80”.

Fig. 3. Climate Prediction Center 8-14 Day Outlook valid for November 5 – 11, 2024, for left) temperatures and right) precipitation. Colors represent the probability of below, normal, or above normal conditions.

Cover shot of new pumpkin guide

A new 72-page guide, “A Modern Approach to Crop and Pest Management in Pumpkin – ANR 806”, was published in August 2024 to help both beginner and experienced growers produce a better crop. Thirteen specialists from Ohio State University, Michigan State University and Cornell University worked together to produce this guide which increases awareness of modern IPM practices such as mechanical weed control, cover crops, pollinator protection and negative impacts of certain pesticide mixtures. Basic topics like weed, insect and disease management are also covered, as well as the benefits of natural enemies and a pumpkin enterprise budget to measure overall profitability. In addition to colorful images and layman’s text to explain each topic, QR codes are sprinkled throughout the guide to provide deeper dives on most topics via factsheets, bulletins, websites and videos from specialists around the country. Although the guide was written for growers in the Midwest, most concepts will apply to growers in the Northeast and Southeast regions of the country.

Copies of the guide can be ordered and purchased at your local Extension county office or online at OSU Extension Publishing (https://extensionpubs.osu.edu/a-modern-approach-to-crop-and-pest-management-in-pumpkin/).

Pages of the new pumpkin guide

 Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day Returns!

Last year this event was held in Wooster, OH and it was a great success, with over 150 farmers in attendance. This year the event has rotated to West Lafayette, IN, home of Purdue University if you care to attend. A full day of weeding tool demonstrations, trade show, and cultivation education for both vegetables and row crops will be on display.

Champaign, IL. In partnership with Purdue University, this year’s Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day will take place on Wednesday, September 11 at Purdue University’s Horticulture research station. 

At the morning Expo you can see weeding tools and speak with company reps from manufacturers in the US, Europe, and Japan, and meet the farmers in attendance from all over the region. At the morning education sessions, learn from experienced farmers and university weed scientists from surrounding states. ‘Weed control on the tillage spectrum’ will make the connection between tillage and weed management – with demos and talks on tarping for vegetables and plowing down cover crops with residue management in mind. 

A walk-behind tractor exhibition – ‘Walk-Behind Alley’ – features demonstrations of walk-behind tractors and hand tools. A wide variety of cultivators, hand tools, and the paperpot transplanting system will be shown. You can also visit the trade show exhibit booths to meet other supply companies, like equipment dealers for all manner of machinery, seed, tools, fertilizers, and soils. 

At noon, the field day will break for lunch – an opportunity for farmers to meet and network, or continue looking at trade show equipment and speaking with exhibitors. In the afternoon farmers follow the tractors out to the demonstration field, where corn, beets, and brassicas have been planted especially for the demonstrations. Many 3-point, camera-guided, autonomous, and belly-mounted cultivators and cultivating tractors will be demonstrated in the field and explained by manufacturers. These demonstrations will show how the machines should be mounted and properly adjusted according to crop and soil conditions, and will help farmers visualize how the implements can work on their own farms. 

Row-crop tools in demonstration include precision-controlled tine-weeders and several types of camera-guided cultivators with finger weeders and all manner of other tooling – see all types of knives, hilling discs, etc. Demonstrations will be held in 4’’ corn. 

Vegetable weeding tools include cultivating tractors past and present, a variety of belly-mounted and rear-mounted steerable tools, and cultivators from Japan! 

Registration for this full-day of learning and networking on mechanical weed control is just $75. Registration includes lunch and all the machinery demos you can handle. It is recommended that everyone register early as each year space runs out. 

This event is perfect for farmers and ag advisors who want to: see a particular weeding tool before buying it, learn how to adjust cultivators, see what is new in cultivation, or learn from other farmers. 

Here is the general information for the event: 

When: Wednesday, September 11, 2024 

Where: Purdue University – MEIGS Horticultural Research Farm 9101 S 100 E Lafayette, IN 47909

How Much: $75 (includes lunch) 

Register online at: https://thelandconnection.regfox.com/2024-midwest-mechanical-weed-control-field-day

*Walk-in registration will be available, but lunch and conference amenities are not guaranteed.

Field Day webpage: https://www.thelandconnection.org/event/2024-mmwcfd/

For more info on the event or to register by phone, contact Crystal at crystal@thelandconnection.org or (217) 840-2128. 

Inquiries for interviews on radio, print, and beyond are welcomed – Please reach out to Sam Oschwald Tilton, glacialdrift@protonmail.com, or 414-213-5337

Interested in exhibiting your products and connecting with farmers at the field day? Please contact us

This article was written by Dr. Francesca Rotondo.

Gummy Stem Blight, caused by Didymella bryoniae, is a significant disease affecting cucurbit crops like squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, and watermelons. It can impact plants at any growth stage. The disease is also a concern for greenhouse-grown cucumbers, affecting all above-ground parts of the plant.

The pathogen can be seed-borne or survive on organic debris from previous crops. The fungus spreads through two types of spores—ascospores, which are windblown, and pycnidiospores, spread by splashing water. Infection is highly dependent on moisture and temperature, with optimal conditions being 61 to 75°F. With warmer temperatures and changing climate conditions, the incidence and severity of gummy stem blight may increase due to more favorable conditions for the fungus.

The symptoms on the leaves include dark yellow or reddish-brown lesions appear, often starting at the leaf margins and progressing inward, leading to leaf death. On fruits the symptoms vary by crop, with winter squash often showing black rot. This rot can affect the rind, flesh, and seed cavity, with a noticeable growth of white and black fungus. Lesions on fruit are water-soaked and may lead to decay, especially at the site of attachment.

The disease management relies on chemical control (pages 128-129 of the MidWest Vegetable Production Guide) and cultural practices:

• Use disease-free seeds.
• Deeply plow crop residue after harvest.
• Rotate crops to avoid growing cucurbits in the same location for 3 to 4 years.
• Apply protective fungicides regularly.
• Avoid fruit wounding during harvest and store at 45 to 50°F to prevent postharvest rot.
• Resistant cultivars are currently unavailable.

Learn more and register at www.go.osu.edu/cucurbits

This edition of the OSU Extension Fruit & Vegetable Report was written using field observations and expertise from the following OSU Extension staff: Frank Becker, Thomas Becker, Chris Galbraith, Matt Kleinhenz, Ashley Leach, Carri Jagger, James Jasinski, Logan Minter, & Francesca Rotondo. 

Vegetables

Much needed rain has fallen across parts of Ohio to alleviate the dry weather – too much in some areas, which has caused standing water in fields that has harmed some plantings. This provides a good opportunity to discuss how to treat produce that may come into contact with floodwaters. 

One thing that might be good to clarify up front is the difference between floodwaters and pooling. Pooling occurs when there is a depression in the topography of the land where irrigation or rain water may collect. Standing water from pooling is not considered to be high-risk with regard to produce safety. Flood water comes from water that is flowing or overflowing from heavy rain events that may pick up contaminants and other things as it moves across the landscape. These contaminants include, but are not limited to bacteria, molds, human and animal waste, fungi, and other pathogens. Not only could these contaminants lead to rot issues in produce, there is also a significant food safety concern with produce that comes into contact with floodwaters. Any produce that comes into contact with floodwaters should not enter the food chain. If there are any questions or uncertainty, you can do a risk assessment of your flooded field. More information on flood risks and conducting a risk assessment can be found in this fact sheet on Ohioline: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-27 

Necrosis beginning along leaf edges is one symptom of bacterial canker in tomato. Photo source: Dan Egel, Purdue University.

Bacterial diseases are still being reported, including bacterial canker in peppers and tomatoes. Reports of severe feeding from cucumber beetles and squash bugs is ongoing – some squash varieties such as Taybelle seem to be particularly attractive to these insect pests. Populations of spider mites and brown marmorated stink bug have seen an uptick. According the the recent OSU C.O.R.N newsletter, trap counts for the sweet corn caterpillar pests corn earworm and western bean cutworm are fairly low across the state at this time.

Late blight has been confirmed in tomatoes in Western New York and Western Pennsylvania. Now is a critical time to be scouting for late blight in potatoes and tomatoes. You can utilize the University of Wisconsin late blight disease risk model for the upper Midwest to help determine if conditions have been favorable for disease to occur. This model can also be used for several other disease and pest issues in our area. 

Example of a late blight lesion on potato foliage. Photo Source: Gerald Holmes, Strawberry Center, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Bugwood.org

Fruit

Educators are trapping for spotted wing drosophila (SWD) in blackberries and other small fruits. Populations were high and have only dropped off just recently. During periods of high SWD trap catches, it can be beneficial to do a salt test to get a sense of the level of infestation. You can conduct a salt test by placing a number of fruit in a small container with some water and salt. It can help to mash the berries a bit to help coax out any SWD larvae. Any larvae that were in the berries should be drawn out and will float to the surface of the water. A salt test can help growers determine how effective their pest management program is compared to just going off of trap counts. With SWD, we will likely see decent numbers in traps once they are present throughout the season. High trap counts can be alarming, but aren’t always what we want to base the success of our spray programs on. The salt test can help us see if we are managing populations enough to prevent berries from becoming infested with larvae. If we don’t see any larvae after conducting a salt test, this could be a good indicator that our pest management program is effective.  

Anthracnose crown rot has been confirmed on the crown and runners of strawberries. Anthracnose is a fungal disease caused by several species of Colletotrichum. Crown rot of strawberries is typically the result of infection by Colletotrichum fragariae. Mild winters have allowed for continued northward expansion of this disease. Accordingly, we have continued to see an increased impact on strawberry plants, with losses due to anthracnose crown rot. In an OSU Fact Sheet written by Mike Ellis and Omer Erincik (PLPATH-FRU-16), several strategies are recommended for prevention and management. First, it is important to start off with disease-free plants. It is also important to irrigate correctly, reducing overhead irrigation if possible, but also providing moisture to plants after harvest to prevent stress on the plant from excessively dry conditions. Mulching can also help reduce disease incidence by reducing soil splash. If you have infected plants, remove them from the planting, including berries and as much of the plant as possible. Weed control can also be impactful in reducing disease inoculum as several weed species can serve as alternative hosts for this disease. Overall, sanitation is highly important for successful prevention and management of anthracnose in strawberries. 

Excess fertility and heat caused fruit abortion in strawberries and other small fruit. It is recommended across all crop types that fertilization is not done during times when plants are under heat and drought stress. Not only can this burn and stress plants, but without adequate soil moisture, the nutrients applied will not be available for uptake via the root system. There needs to be moisture available to allow for the nutrients to enter the soil solution and move into the roots through mass flow.  

Dr. Ashley Leach, Assistant Professor of Specialty Crop Entomology with OSU, has provided the comprehensive fruit insect pest update below, including figures and tables:

Stink bugs are here. Some sites with large influxes (>20/bugs per trap). BUT, most sites have only a few bugs (0-3 bugs/trap). Codling moth counts are lower, but not at zero. Oriental fruit moth is hitting its third generation throughout the state – treat if you catch >8 moths/trap. Mite and aphid populations are pretty low this week. We noticed a HUGE natural enemy population with lots of “good” guys (ladybugs, lacewings and minute pirate bugs).

For those of you near the Northeast side of the state or receiving bins from the Mid-Atlantic, watch out for Spotted Lanternfly. This new invasive insect has a limited impact on tree fruit, but will harm grape.

**These updates include NEWA weather modeling which estimates insect development based on growing degree days. If you’re interested in how that works, you can follow this link: https://newa.cornell.edu/crop-and-pest-management. **

As mentioned, stink bugs (Brown marmorated stink bug and green stink bugs) are present in orchards. If you see an influx, consider one of the products in the table below, but apply sparingly since certain products will make mites and aphids worse (below).

Mites seem to be held in check recently. If needed, consult the miticide chart below. Make sure to take the product efficacy into account (****=best control,***= good control, **=fair control, *=poor control).

Oriental Fruit Moth is in its 3rd generation in the south – applications may be needed in higher pressure areas. Options for applications are in the chart below. Make sure to take the product efficacy into account (****=best control,***= good control, **=fair control, *=poor control).

Codling Moth –  If treating the second generation, rotate insecticides to feature a different active (IRAC code) than what you sprayed in May. If facing high pressure, >5 moths/trap, make additional insecticide applications. Some options are also included in the chart below.

As a reminder, be sure to always consult your pesticide label and regional pest management guides.

For more information or if you have questions, please reach out to a member of the Fruit & Vegetable team or your county extension educator.