News Fruit Insects Pest Management
OMAFRA berry bulletin highlights high SWD pressure

The most recent berry bulletin, created by Erica Pate, fruit crop specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), features an update on spotted wing drosophila (SWD) and other berry pests, as well as a status update on strawberry, raspberry and blueberry crops.

Strawberry field renovation is wrapping up and fields are looking good. Growers should be on the lookout for aphids in new and renovated fields, as the pest is attracted to the new, succulent growth. Also on the list of things to watch for is Neopestalotiopsis, a new fungal pathogen that results in leaf spot disease.

According to Pate, SWD pressure is high across the province and growers should continue to spray every five to seven days for the rest of the season and harvest regularly.

Summer raspberries have finished for the season and blueberries are slowing down, making SWD management a priority for farms with other, later-season berries. |READ MORE