The southern red mite is the most important mite pest attacking blueberry plants in Florida. Adults are about 1/60 of an inch in length, red or brown to deep purple in color, with lighter-colored legs. Females are slightly larger than males and have a more rounded body shape, compared to the slender body of the males (Figure 1).
For many Florida growers, especially those whose farms took the brunt of Hurricane Ian, it was a tough year. Some had little or no crop. Some had half crops. Few, if any, made their usual volume of production. Enough damage hit our warmer regions to make this year’s Florida blueberry crop one of the smallest in years.
Travis Kuhn is the Chief Operating officer of the H&A family of companies. He is responsible for all farming, packing, and agritourism activities. Travis is a graduate of the Food and Resource Economics program at the University of Florida. Following graduation, he took on a role as a Market Analyst for a leading international berry marketer and quickly moved into the Blueberry Commodity Manager role, building the program from 1.5 million pounds to 14 million pounds in less than three years. Desiring to learn production agriculture, Travis took on a role as Business Development Manager for a Central Florida farm engaged in blueberry, citrus, and hay production as well as blueberry packing. There he developed horticultural programs, managed the packing house, and improved the processes and procedures for all operating segments. He has served with the Produce Marketing Association Pack Career Pathways program as a four-year panelist, on the Florida Blueberry Growers Association Board of Directors, as a guest lecturer for the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences grower programs and is a member of Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association’s Emerging Leaders Development Program Class 6.
ALGAL STEM BLOTCH
Strong, healthy, vegetative growth is extremely important during the summer growing season. The wood that develops after summer pruning and before terminal bud set in the fall will contain most of the flower buds for next year’s crop. The goal is for plants to enter the late summer and fall (the major flower bud development period) with healthy shoots and leaves from growth that occurs during the summer. Pruning, pest and disease management, irrigation, and fertilization are all important practices that are necessary to achieve optimal summer growth. This article will outline some principles and suggested practices for irrigation and fertilization.
One of the most problematic insect pests on blueberries in Florida is chilli thrips, (Scirtothrips dorsalis). It was first recorded in blueberries in Florida in 2008. Chilli thrips typically feed on the new vegetative growth of blueberry after summer pruning, although in recent years they have been observed in mid to late May on new foliar flushes.
The most common and destructive root rot disease of southern highbush blueberry (SHB) in Florida is Phytophthora root rot (PRR) caused by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi. PRR is a persistent problem that is currently managed through careful site selection, preparation, and routine Phytophthora-specific fungicide applications.
USHBC’s BerrySmart Field initiative is a collaborative experience among growers, researchers and tech providers to optimize blueberry farming operations, focusing on soil, soil nutrients, yield distribution, weather, chemicals, and labor. As part of this initiative, we’re working in partnership with innov8.ag to validate a smart farm network that enables blueberry growers, packers and stakeholders in sales, tech and research to collaborate on farm operation optimization with better and more predictable yield outcomes.
The table below lists suggested blueberry management items for spring and early summer. Suggested management items for the entire calendar year are available in an EDIS publication, Calendar for Southern Highbush Blueberry Management in Florida (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1363). Specific disease, insect, and weed controls are listed in the 2022 Florida Blueberry IPM Guide (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS380), as well as in subject-specific publications referenced below. Also, a list of all UF EDIS blueberry publications can be found at www.blueberrybreeding.com/blog, along with a summary description and link to each.
Pruning is an essential cultural practice for southern highbush blueberry (SHB) production in Florida. Proper pruning can result in many benefits, including maintaining suitable plant vigor, balancing vegetative and reproductive growth, controlling plant size, improving plant shape and structure, facilitating practices such as spraying and harvesting, and reducing incidence of pests and diseases.
The UF/IFAS Blueberry Breeding Program has released a new pesticide module as part of its UF/IFAS Blueberry Growers Guide app. This new module is a quick reference guide for certain information on pesticides labeled for highbush blueberry in Florida, including:
As late spring and early summer approach, it’s time to start thinking about managing chilli thrips. This has been reported as the most significant insect pest on blueberries in Florida, often taking repeated applications of different insecticides to achieve and maintain control.
The UF/IFAS Blueberry Breeding Program is releasing a new pesticide module on February 6, as part of its UF/IFAS Blueberry Growers Guide app.
December – January
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The blueberry bud mite (Acalitus vaccinii (Keifer), is an important pest of southern highbush blueberry in Florida. It belongs to a group of microscopic mites known as eriophyid mites. Adults are about 200 microns long, cigar-shaped, wormlike in appearance, transparent and mostly colorless, and disperse primarily by air. All four life stages of the blueberry bud mite live together in large clusters within the scales of the blueberry bud and reproduce there rapidly, with each female laying up to 200 eggs. The length of time to mature from egg to adult is approximately 15 days at 66°F (19°C). The bud mite population has been observed to peak as early as February in Florida, then decline during the hot summer months of June through September. During fall and early winter, all four life stages can be present in low numbers between the scales of dormant floral buds.
Botrytis blossom blight is an early-season disease impacting southern highbush blueberries. Although not frequently observed causing severe damage in Florida fields most years, infections starting during bloom can later develop into gray mold, which has become an important postharvest disease. The fungal pathogen, Botrytis cinerea, typically infects wounded or senescent floral tissues. As a blueberry bush blooms, white bell-shaped corollas (the fused petal of the flowers) should drop from the flower following pollination but before they senesce (turn brown). However, frost damage can wound plant tissues, delaying petal drop and facilitating infection of the flowers, undeveloped fruit, and damaged twigs and leaves. The pathogen survives in these dead and wounded plant tissues on the blueberry bush and on nearby weedy plants as well. Spores from these sources are abundantly produced when cool, wet periods occur during blueberry bloom through harvest.
