Fruit and Vegetable News

 Annalisa  Hultberg, Extension Educator, food safety One of the most important (yet least exciting) parts of managing a farm is the cleaning and sanitizing of totes, tools, and equipment to keep your produce safe and long-lasting. As I have been visiting farms this summer, one of the more common issues farms are encountering is developing systems for larger sanitizing jobs, like sanitizing tables, many totes, or pieces of equipment. For these jobs, consider using a hose-end sprayer to apply surface sanitizer.  Why do I need to sanitize surfaces? Sanitizing reduces the contamination level on surfaces by killing  microorganisms that cause disease. Applying sanitizer does not mean that the surface will be totally free of microorganisms, but they will be greatly reduced. If done correctly, this process results in safer products and improved postharvest quality. It can also kill plant pathogens that can spread on surfaces and tools.  Before you sanitize a surfac...

The run of pleasant weather we’ve had for the last two weeks is ending, as the next week brings hotter temperatures and increased chances for storms. NOAA is saying that next Monday could be the first day of truly dangerous heat this year in Minnesota, with high daytime temperatures, high humidity, and high overnight temperatures . Take care of yourself and your workers with breaks, shade, and lots of water. Heat reminders Working in hot conditions can be dangerous, both for your immediate and long term health. Keep in mind the following as we transition into a hot week ahead. Liquids & food: When you’re working in hot weather, avoid caffeine, and try to drink about a litre of water every hour. By the time you feel thirsty… you are already dehydrated! Electrolyte drinks and powders help to replace the salt you loose as you sweat. While a lot of people just don’t feel hungry when they are hot, eating regular meals is critical. Taking breaks When temperatures are around 90 degrees F ...

Article written by Madeline Wimmer, UMN Extension Fruit Production Educator Apple Growth stage and pest management update: Fruit enlargement (3-6cm) San Jose scale and apple maggot info Rapid or Sudden Apple Decline Grapes Growth stage and pest management update: Fruit set entering stage II What causes poor fruit set Boron and Zinc deficiency info Article: Black rot June-bearing strawberries End-of-season reflection from Afton Orchard Plan for end of season bed renovation Honeyberries Article: Honeyberries (Haskap) as a U-Pick Crop for Minnesota Apples Growth stage and pest management update: Fruit enlargement Images: Fruits in SE Minnesota are reaching between 3-6cm, with Zestar! being further ahead in development. The varieties in the above photos are Gala (3-3.5cm), First Kiss (3-4cm), McIntosh (4-5cm), and Zestar! (5.5-7). Apples in SE Minnesota are approaching roughly half their size at harvest, which is between stages 74 and 75 for the BBCH growth stage chart . Trees are also ap...

Article written by Madeline Wimmer, UMN Extension Fruit Production Educator.     Images: Black rot is a disease caused by the fungal pathogen Guignardia bidwellii, and can affect grape leaves (left image), but is most devastating when it infects grape clusters (right image). Black rot is a fungal disease caused by the pathogen Guignardia bidwellii . Infections can affect grape leaves and shoots during early parts of the season, which can lead to fruit infections later on.  Life cycle The pathogen overwinters in fungal fruiting bodies (located on mummified fruit, tendrils, and canes) that release spores during rain events in the spring. Black rot infections tend to occur faster with prolonged leaf wetness when temperatures are between 65-80 F. Shoots, petioles, rachises, leaves, and fruits are all susceptible to infection to some degree. Leaf infections start as light cream or light yellow spots that eventually turn reddish-brown (necrotic) and are circular in appearance....

Article written by Madeline Wimmer, UMN Extension Fruit Production Educator   Image: Honeyberries maintain their shape and quality for a longer period of time when picked by hand.   Honeyberries, also known as haskap, are a fruit crop related to honeysuckle that produces a blue fruit. It’s an extremely hardy crop and does not require acidic soils to thrive, which can reduce the steps for production as compared to blueberries, for example. There are a number of different varieties with various growth habits and fruit qualities, some of which were more recently bred out of the University of Saskatchewan.  Many growers mechanically harvest the berries by shaking the shrubs using tools like a modified sawzall or an olive harvester, but this reduces the fruit's integrity as it comes off. This process works well for frozen sales or wholesale to wineries and other businesses. Hand harvesting, while more time consuming, can maintain the fruit integrity, making it conducive to fre...

Authors: Natalie Hoidal & Marissa Schuh While things are cooler for now, the hot weather earlier this month means we are at a higher degree day total than we typically are for Mid-June . Keep up with your scouting, insects may show up earlier than we anticipate. Read on for things to keep your eyes peeled for. Beneficial insects are out While below we will have pest updates, there are also good bugs out as well. Where you have pests, these insects are often close at their heels. Noting these when scouting might influence if you decide a pest is worth treating, or make you decide to use a softer chemistry that will preserve these insects to help you out all season long. An immature (top) and adult (bottom) ladybeetle on patrol for aphids. Photo: Marissa Schuh, UMN Extension. A lacewing larvae on a high tunnel melon. Photo: Marissa Schuh, UMN Extension. Additional pruning content: keeping pruners clean to prevent disease spread We wrote a bit about pruning last week. At our field ...

Authors: Natalie Hoidal & Marissa Schuh It’s really starting to look like summer out there. Most CSAs are starting this week, we’re seeing more produce at farmers markets, and strawberries will start to be picked soon. There’s been a dramatic expansion of drought conditions over the last week, but with widespread rain across most of the state and cooler conditions forecasted, hopefully we’ll get some relief. This week is a good time to get caught up on pruning, and to squeeze in as much weeding as possible between the rains that will inevitably bring big flushes of weeds. Pruning time If you haven’t already started pruning, now is the time to get started. It’s best to prune plants early and often. This helps avoid wasted energy (plants producing large amounts of foliage that will just get removed), and stress (removing too much at once). We have two favorite go-to guides for pruning if you need an in-depth overview of how to do it: Cornell’s guide to pruning tomatoes Purdue’s high...

Article written by Madeline Wimmer, UMN Extension Fruit Production Educator Apples Pest highlight: Dogwood borer (Article) Apple maggot development Grapes Learn the anatomy of a grapevine (Video) Training young grapevines (Article) Honeyberries Netting honeyberries/haskap (Article: UW Extension video) General fruit Spotted wing drosophila Minnesota drought map update UMN fruit crop reporting tool  Apples Pest highlight: Dogwood borer Images: Top left: Dogwood adults stuck to a sticky trap that was baited with dogwood borer pheromone lure. Dogwood borers ( Synanthedon scitula ), also known as clear wing moths, are a pest that are native to eastern North America. Apple trees are one of their hosts, especially in high density orchards with dwarf trees. Dogwood borer adult populations have emerged and trapped in an orchard in SE Minnesota.  To learn more about dogwood borer and how to manage this pest, check out this week’s article below: Article : Dogwood borer infestation in SE ...