BLUE
FOCUS NEWSLETTER- June 2024
(Perennia’s
Wild Blueberry Production Newsletter)
(Photo
credit: Sarah Schaefer, June 27, 2024)
Dear Growers,
We have been blessed with great
production conditions this year. On average, fruit sets are looking good and
the yield looks promising. Things are moving fast this year, so don’t be surprised
if you already see ripening berries in fields before Canada Day weekend. It
won’t be too long to see harvesting begin.
Happy Long Weekend!
Hugh Lyu
Wild Blueberry Specialist, Perennia
hlyu@perennia.ca; 902-890-0472
June 27, 2024
Table of Contents:
Nova Scotia Weather Update
Nova Scotia Wild Blueberry Crop Development Update and Management
Recommendations
Upcoming Events
Nova Scotia Weather Update
2024 Degree Day
Accumulations- Kentville, NS
The degree day accumulations are based on the weather
data from Kentville weather station, giving us an overall idea of this
production season’s temperature trend in Nova Scotia.
Figure
1: Heating
degree day accumulations for plant (above 5°C) and insect (above 10°C)
development from March 1 to June 24 for the past 17 seasons. Provided
by Jeff Franklin (AAFC).
-
The degree day accumulations for base 5°C
plant development and base 10°C insect development are ahead of the 5- and
10-year averages (Figure 1).
-
This season’s degree days accumulation is
similar to 2021.
2024 Spring
Precipitation
From April to June, the total rainfall accumulation in
the Annapolis Valley area was 125 mm, below the 25-year average precipitation of
255 mm. In other words, it was a dry season with above-average temperatures for
2024.
Nova Scotia Wild Blueberry Crop Development Update and Management
Recommendations
Wild Blueberry
Weather Station GDD Summary_ April 1- June 27
Figure
1. GDD Summary from April 1- June 27
Crop fields’ wild blueberry stages and management
activities to consider:
All crop fields in the province are going through the fruit development period. The majority of fields are in the early green fruit and late green fruit stages (Figure 2).
Figure
2. Wild Blueberry Fruit Stages (UMaine)
At this stage, some activities to consider for your
crop fields pre-harvest:
1. Late
fungicide application for leaf disease control and berry quality improvement.
2. Set
up insect (SWD and Blueberry Maggot) traps and monitor for local pest
levels.
3. Applying
insecticides as needed and recommended by processors.
4. Weed
management: spot treatment of weeds in crop fields, including spot spraying
chemicals and repeated cuttings.
5. Weed
identification and documentation: July is a great time to ID weeds in wild
blueberry fields as most of them are in bloom.
Sprout fields’ wild blueberry stages and
management activities to consider:
All sprout fields are over 90% plant emergence.
At this stage, some activities to consider for your
sprout fields before harvesting:
1. Fertilizer
application
2. Fungicide
applications for leaf disease control
3. Post-emergence
herbicide applications, such as Callisto and Venture L
4. Spot
spraying for weed control, including Spreading Dogbane, Purple Vetch,
Goldenrods etc.
Upcoming Events
Perennia Events:
1. Weather
Station Maintenance Workshop, July 4, Kentville: https://www.perennia.ca/eventer/davis-vantage-pro-2-weather-station-maintenance-workshop-kentville/edate/2024-07-04/.
2. Understanding
Alternative Nutrient Amendments- Virtual Series: https://www.perennia.ca/eventer/understanding-alternative-nutrient-amendments-virtual-series/edate/2024-06-25/.
3. Pasture Walk Series: https://www.perennia.ca/eventer/pasture-walk-series/edate/2024-06-25/.
4. July 10, Wild Blueberry Growers’ Meeting: https://www.perennia.ca/eventer/in-season-wild-blueberry-meeting-series-2024-production-season/edate/2024-03-27/.
WBPANS Events:
1. 2024
Wild Blueberry Field Day, Registration by July 5: https://nswildblueberries.com/field-day/.
PEI Wild Blueberry Field Day: July 19,
10:30 AM- 2: 00 PM:
