Summer tissue sampling for fertility recommendations

Here is a re-post from last year, its almost time for you to take your leaf tissue samples

Now is the time to do some tissue sampling in blackberry. Plant tissue samples will help you determine needs and adjustments. IN NC, samples should be taken after fruit harvested from the plants. Leaves from the 3-5th node of the primocane plant should be sampled and sent to NCDA and they will make recommendations for the following season. Keep your records so you can see if there are trends in your fields. Below are the recommended levels of macro and micronutrients.

More about how to determine most recently matured leaf (MRML) is at http://www.ncagr.gov/agronomi/pdffiles/sampta.pdf

Nutritional Status change for primocane MRML about 10 days - 2 weeks after harvest
NCDA	%			ppm
N	2.4-3		Fe	50-300
P	0.15-0.6		Mn	50-250
K	1-2		Zn	30-46
Ca	0.5-1		Cu	7-15
Mg	0.3-0.5		B	30-50
S	0.13-0.6		Mo	0.04-2

Blackberry flowers to fruit project: More ripe fruit July 3

Pictures from last week, July 3, show that Osage was picked, Natchez and Ouachita were ripe, Navaho is red and Von is still green. We have five fruit of each cultivar labeled, so there is some variation in ripeness. Once all fruit is black, we will average he number of days that it took five fruit to get from flowers to fruit in 2014. 

Flowers to fruit June 27 seeing red and black!

Natchez won the race, it is the first cultivar to produce a ripe fruit. Two of the five flagged berries are ripe. One was picked before the picture was taken and this one was fully ripe. It took 38 days for this berry to go from a fully open flower to a ripe fruit. We will calculate the number of days for the rest of the fruit as they ripen and post that list at the end of the season.

The flower below was actually at a stage we call petal fall, the flower has been pollinated (you can tell because the anthers are all brown, indicating that the pollen has been released).  It was probably in full bloom a day or so before the picture was taken.

Ouachita, Osage, Navaho are all at the red stage. Von was the only cultivar that still had only  green fruit.

In this little trial, we are determining how long it takes a group of five berries to progress from a flower to a ripe fruit. Fruit in the field are at a range of stages. We have been picking Natchez, Osage and Ouachita in our research plots for over a week.

Photo credits and big thanks to Abby Whitaker and Daniel Shires. Photos taken at Killdeer Farm, Kings Mountain, NC.

Flowers to fruit third week update

These are images taken on 3 separate dates, showing development from flower to fruit of 5 cultivars, starting at full bloom. Images taken by Daniel Shires, NCCES Agent and summer intern Abby Whitaker. 

Blackberry Freeze Damage Sample Evaluation in Savannah

Growers and Agents: I will be at the 2014 Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah, GA later this week. Debby Wechsler, Executive Secretary of the North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association is sharing her table space outside of the Blackberry and Raspberry Conference on Thursday afternoon, January 9, 2014.  I will be looking at blackberry bud samples that may be damaged by the cold temperatures over the next couple of days.

Please bring in your samples. I will have a microscope and some sharp scalpels to slice open the buds.

Protocol:

- take samples from laterals that occur at the top, middle and base of the canes. Bring in several buds from each section. 

-place samples in bags, make sure that the samples are labeled with top/middle/base of cane and variety. 

-below is an example of a bud, this was taken last spring so the buds are further along than what you may see in your field. 

-if you are doing it on your own, longitudinal slices are better. I suggest you go out before the temperatures drop and after as well, to see if there are any differences. 

SRSFC Agent Training: Caneberry Viruses

County Extension Agent Training on Management of Viruses in Caneberries

July 29-30, 2013

Co-Sponsored by SRSFC and SCRI Grant “Management of Viruses in Rubus”

Asheville, NC

Christine Bradish, PhD Student, Horticultural Department, NC State University

A training event updating agents within the SRSFC on viruses in caneberries was held in western North Carolina from July 29-30, 2013.  The event was graciously organized by Elena Garcia and Ioannis Tzanetakis of the University of Arkansas and Tom Monaco, SRSFC coordinator.  A total of 23 agents from the six member states along with a number of industry representatives, growers, and researchers attended the 2 day event.  The training consisted of several units of classroom instruction, farm tours, and hands-on instruction, providing participants with the most up-to-date information about how to prevent, diagnose and manage virus issues in blackberries and raspberries. 

Day one of the training was held at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station in Mills River, where participants were welcomed by center director Jeff Chandler and SRSFC coordinator Tom Monaco. The program began with a general overview of virus vectors and symptoms by virologist Ioannis Tzanetakis, followed by details on insect vectors discussed by entomologists Hannah Burrack,NC State University and Donn Johnson, University of Arkansas.  Terry Kirkpatrick, nematologist from University of Arkansas, described nematode vectors for caneberry viruses, and then agents were brought out to Gina Fernandez’s blackberry research plots to learn proper nematode soil sampling techniques through a hands-on team activity.      

The second day of training commenced with a blackberry farm tour hosted by Marvin Owings of Henderson County Extension Office and Gina Fernandez, NC State University.  The first stop was the family-run operation of Steve Dalton on Sugar Loaf Mountain.  Mr. Dalton and his family grow 11 acres of ‘Ouachita’, ‘Natchez’, ‘Prime-Ark 45’ and ‘Navaho’ for U-pick and Driscoll’s. Mr. Dalton recently received a grant that allowed them to plant raspberries on a trial basis and install a juicing operation.   Dalton stressed the importance of buying plants from a reputable source as his main way of keeping his plantings virus-free and healthy over many growing seasons.  The second farm site was Justus Farm in Edneyville, owned by Don Justus, a fourth generation apple farmer.  Mr. Justus has five acres of blackberries for U-pick and markets to Driscoll’s, and has first-hand experience with virus issues.  He spoke of his experience in prior years with buying infected nursery stock, and the losses he incurred with having to replant his fields.  The final stop on the farm tour was at a Driscoll’s commercial farm in Edneyville.  Farm manager Andy Brownlee explained that at that particular location, approximately 30 acres of raspberries and blackberries were being grown under high tunnels with additional acreage at other sites.  All of the growers spoke of labor being an issue, but Brownlee especially stressed the importance of maintaining employee efficiency and accountability.  It was evident from speaking with all the growers that viruses are an issue that they consider very important in their caneberries, and want to be the best informed that they can be to prevent and avoid them in their fields for as long as possible. 

After being treated to a genuine North Carolina barbeque lunch, the training wrapped up with a final classroom session held at the Henderson County Cooperative Extension Office.  Ioannis Tzanetakis informed participants about how to recognize viral symptoms, and updated them on the latest assays and resources available for testing viruses in caneberries.  Erich Rudyj from USDA-APHIS, and coordinator of the National Clean Plant Program, discussed how federal policies and monies work to ensure that virus-free plant stock is being propagated and readily available for growers.  Elena Garcia talked about virus-host interactions, and how the plant responds, symptomatically or otherwise, to an attack by a virus.  The afternoon ended with another team talk by Hannah Burrack and Donn Johnson focusing on integrated pest management practices that can be taken to prevent the spread of viruses through insect vectors.     

Powerpoint presentations from the training will be posted on the SRSFC website at http//www.smallfruits.org/CoAgentTraining/index.htm

NARBA publishes berry prices

The North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association recently conducted a survey to determine prices growers were getting for their fruit. Below is a summary of the vast amount of data that was collected. The prices ranged quite a bit and the data is presented by state, type of operation/customer base. For the full article in the Bramble newsletter, you need to become a member of NARBA. http://www.raspberryblackberry.org/local.cfm?doc=webdocs/memberbenefits.htm

Average prices for each berry type per unit

	PYO	Already picked
	per pint	per quart	per pound	per gallon	per half-pint	per pint	per quart	per pound	per gallon
Red Raspberries	$3.00	$5.38	$4.07	--	$3.90	$4.78	$8.43	$5.37	--
Black Raspberries	$2.63	$5.00	$3.86	--	$4.48	$4.41	$7.42	$5.67	--
Blackberries	$2.71	$4.42	$3.54	$12.72	$3.27	$4.64	$6.51	$5.06	$20.11

Pruning and planting Blackberries at Center for Environmental Farming Systems

Opps, I forgot to post this....way back in March, I helped put on a workshop at the Center for Sustainable Farming Systems Small Farm Unit. We had a short presentation on growing about growing blackberries inside and then we headed out to the Small Farm Unit to do some pruning and planting.

Der Xiong, Catawba County Extension Agent, pruning a blackberry plant. 

First we pruned an old planting of blackberries. I helped establish this planting in 2008 and it has been maintained using organic practices. It was scheduled to be removed because it had succomb to various problems including crown borers and viruses. However, before they were pulled out, we used them to show how to prune.

Then we set out plants for the new study. We will plant 7 blackberry varieties in this demonstration plot. This site has been used for workshops on organic production of blackberries for over 3 years and will be used for various other education opportunities for interns at CEFS. 

XI International Rubus and Ribes Symposium | International Society for Horticultural Science

XI International Rubus and Ribes Symposium | International Society for Horticultural Science

Are you ready for spring?

Andy Rollins,  Clemson Extension Service sent me this image last week. In the circle are some basal buds breaking at the base of pruned cane as well as some buds further up the cane. Daylength, temperature (cumulative and current temperature) and plant hormones are key components that determine when buds on a plant will break.  The daylengths are getting longer, 12 hours and 7 minutes in Clemson SC last week when this was taken.  Chilling hours (cumulative temperatures between 34-45F) is at 325 units, according to one model, however, I think the real chilling is higher (the inception time depends on a temperature trigger of 28F and that first occurred this winter in January). The chilling unit accumulation at the Piedmont Research Station, in Salisbury NC, where some of our research plots are planted is over 1300 units. Daytime temperatures are getting warmer, although they are not staying warm, so continued growth will not occur for a while.

However, spring is not far away. Get pruning done, trellises repaired, irrigation system prepped, winter pesticide applications out (lime sulphur on blackberries has to go out at delayed dormant before buds are 3/4" long). See SRSFC IPM guide for the latest recommendations. http://www.smallfruits.org/SmallFruitsRegGuide/Guides/2012/2012BrambleSprayGuide.pdf

Managing (?) older plantings of raspberries and blackberries

In our raspberry trials in the NC mountains, where raspberries are adapted and are capable of producing good crops, we have seen productivity decline after the 5th year of fruit production. While in the peidmont areas, we see a dramatic decline in the 2nd year of fruit production of raspberries (they are not adapted to the region). Blackberries on the other hand, tend to be more adapted and will live longer in most regions of the state. However, how long they will last is not known. In North Carolina and other states in the Southern US a recent rise in acreage of blackberries occurred in the past few years and as these plantings age, we need to monitor them to determine how long they will be productive both in terms of fruit and profits.

In the southern US, heat, drought, insects, diseases, if not controlled can take their toll on the productivity of a blackberry and raspberry field. Likewise, plant and soil health needs to be monitored in order to provide a plant with optimal nutrition.  Because this is a fairly new industry, we don't have long term experiences with the crop, however, below are a list of things to think about and address as needed as your plantings age.

Observation of annual growth. Growers should keep good records of individual fields and compare productivity from year-to-year. In addition to yield records, the plants health can be monitored by looking number of canes/plant, cane diameter,  and number of fruiting laterals. You do not need to count each of these, but a picture taken at the same spot in the field each year could help you identify any issues.

Diseases and insects. There is a long list of diseases that can negatively impact  blackberry or raspberry plant health.  In fields that are lightly managed, I most often see cane blight and viruses, and borers negatively impact productivity. 

Weeds. Perennial weeds harder to control over time and annual weeds will compete with crop. Both will impact productivity if left unchecked.

Fertility. There is no known long term research for caneberry fertility in the southern US. However, routine soil and plant tissue samples will help you determine needs and adjustments. Tissue samples should be taken each year and sent for evaluation. In NC, samples should be taken after fruit harvested from the plants. Leaves from the 3-5th node of the primocane plant should be taken and sent to NCDA and they will make recommendations for the following season. Keep your records so you can see if there are trends in your fields. Below are the recommended levels of macro and micronutrients.

Yield and prifitabilty. Good yield records for each field should be taken every year. A simple comparison each year will be your most useful indicator of planting productivity over time. Based on a budget developed at NC State University, when a grower is getting $14/flat, a 10% reduction in yield, their returns fall from $6036 to $4359/acre (see blue font below). You can get a copy of this budget and play with the inputs (any boxes that are blue can be edited).  http://ncsu.edu/enterprises/blackberries-raspberries/management/blackberry-raspberry-budgets-pricing/

Estimated Returns per Acre for Commercial Blackberry Production
for Varying Yields and Wholesale Prices per Flat.  Total yield 19,000lbs/acre, 80% marketable, so net of 15,200 marketable lbs/acre.
	Wholesale Market ($/flat)	Marketable Flats per Acre
		1,621	2,027	2,533	3,040	3,648
	$8.96	($8,173)	($7,533)	($6,732)	($5,932)	($4,971)
	$11.20	($4,542)	($2,993)	($1,058)	$878	$3,200
	$14.00	($2)	$2,682	$6,036	$9,390	$13,415
	$16.80	$4,538	$8,356	$13,129	$17,902	$23,629
	$20.16	$9,986	$15,166	$21,641	$28,116	$35,887

Estimated Returns per Acre for Commercial Blackberry Production
for Varying Yields and Wholesale Prices per Flat. Total yield is 17,100 lbs/acre, 80% marketable yield, so net of $13,600 lbs/acre.
	Wholesale Market ($/flat)	Marketable Flats per Acre¹
		1,459	1,824	2,280	2,736	3,283
	$8.96	($8,429)	($7,853)	($7,133)	($6,412)	($5,548)
	$11.20	($5,161)	($3,767)	($2,025)	($283)	$1,807
	$14.00	($1,075)	$1,340	$4,359	$7,377	$11,000
	$16.80	$3,011	$6,447	$10,743	$15,038	$20,193
	$20.16	$7,914	$12,576	$18,403	$24,231	$31,224

Mark Bolda wins NARBA award

Mark Bolda, University of California, farm advisor was presented with a Distinguised Service Award at the North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association Annual meeting in Portland. Although Mark works in CA, he has been an asset to the entire US caneberry industry. To see a story on his award go to:

http://www.growingproduce.com/article/32989/berry-organization-honors-swd-expert?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AFG%20eNews%20Feb%2013%202013%20(1)&utm_content=

Mark presented a great talk "Caneberry CSI: Figuring out your mysterious problems in the  field" at the meeting. To see the example of the field work that was a basis for his talk, check out his blog:

http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=8288

Taste test anyone?

In an earlier post, I shared some statistics on the caneberry industry in Oregon. As I mentioned, the majority of the fruit is used in the processing industry. The USDA-ARS Small Fruit breeding program has lots of samples to evaluate each year, some evaluations are done in the field, but since most of the fruit is used frozen, evaluations of frozen fruit is needed. So each year, Dr. Chad Finn and Brian Yorgey, his colleague from the OSU Department of Food Science, freeze lots of samples of fruit and bring it to events for public evaluation.  Above are plates of frozen red and black raspberry and blackberry fruit including named standard varieties and newer numbered selections. Attendees volunteer to evlauate (taste test) each one and fill out a form. Although it may seem daunting, Chad says that through these evaluations, some selections rise to the top each year. I am afraid to admit I only had time to taste a few before I had to give a talk and by the time I got back they were gone. Did anyone else get to taste them? Your impressions?

WInter Caneberry Checklist

Blackberry and Raspberry Seasonal Checklist
Winter 2012-13
Gina Fernandez, Small Fruit Specialist
North Carolina State University

This checklist was originally developed for blackberry growers in North Carolina. Many of the items apply to raspberry production as well. You may have to adjust your work activities either earlier or later depending on your location. For more detailed information, check the Southern Region Integrated Bramble Management Guide and the Southeast Regional Bramble Production Guide at: http://www.smallfruits.org/SmallFruitsRegGuide/index.htm.

Check the items off as they get done. This list is very general, but should help get you to think about what types of activities occur at various times of the year. If you would like other items to be added to this list, send them to me and I will add them next time.

WINTER
Plant growth and development
√ Plant is not visibly growing during the winter months although many blackberries will retain their leaves through the winter
√ Some differentiation is occurring in the flower buds
√ Low chilling cultivars can break bud in January after adequate winter chilling. You can monitor chilling hours accumulated in eight states in the eastern US by accessing this site: http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/cronos/blackberry/index.php

Pruning and trellising
√ Pruning should occur in late winter.  However, in some areas winter ice storms can do tremendous damage to plants and trellis systems. If you produce blackberries in one of these areas, pruning can take place early winter to help avoid severe damage.
√ Make trellis repairs after plants have defoliated but before pruning and training.
Erect types
√ Prune out the spent floricanes
√ Tie canes to wires in a fan shape
√ Cut lateral branches back to 8-12”
√ Thin canes to 6-8 canes/ hill (4 ft spacing)
Trailing types
√ prune out spent floricanes
√ tie or weave canes to wire so that they do not overlap
√ prune side laterals to 12-18”
√ thin canes to 6-8 hill (6-8ft spacing)
Primocane fruiting raspberries and blackberries
√ Prune (mow) primocane fruiting types to ground level

Weed control
√ Many summer weed problems can be best managed in the fall and winter using preemergent herbicides. Determine what weeds have been or could be a problem in your area. Check with local extension agent for cultural or chemical means to control these weeds.

Insect and disease scouting
Check the Southern Regional Bramble integrated Management Guide for recommendations. www.smallfruits.org

√ To learn more about the spotted wing drosoplila and how it may impact your fruit in 2013, check out Hannah Burrack blog, she has lots of links in addition to her blog posts
√ Scout fields for insect and disease damage and remove those canes
√ Remove wild blackberries and raspberries by the roots if they are within 600 ft of your planting during the winter or treat with glyphosphate in the autumn
√ Apply liquid lime sulphur or Bordeaux for disease control before new buds are 1/8”

Planting
√ Take soil tests to determine fertility needs for spring plantings.
√ There are some new raspberry and blackberry cultivars available in 2013. If you have not tried them or it is not know how they will do in your region, it is best to order a small quantity to see how well they will perform in your area
√ For larger growers, prepare list of cultivars for 2014 plantings and order now. Smaller quantities of plants can be order in early 2013 for spring 2013 planting
√ A commercial small fruit nursery list at http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/berry/nurseries/

Water management
√ Make repairs to irrigation system (check pumps, lines, etc)
√ Plants generally do not need supplemental water in winter

Marketing and miscellaneous
√ Order containers for next season
√ Make contacts for selling fruit next season
√ Attend grower meetings:
o The 2013 North American Raspberry & Blackberry Conference Meeting
√ January 27-30, 2013 in Portland OR. http://www.raspberryblackberry.com/local.cfm?doc=webdocs%2FNorthAmericanBerryConference2013.htm
o 2013 SE Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference
√ Jan 10-13, Savannah GA
http://www.seregionalconference.com/
o The North Carolina Commercial Blackberry and Raspberry Growers Association
√ Feb 19, 2013.  Shelby NC. For more information contact Daniel_Shires@ncsu.edu or Josh Beam <josh.beam@dole.com>

NOTE: NC Cooperative Extension will be taking over the Blackberry and Raspberry Information Portal in early 2013. The site will have essentially the same material, but a new look. Links will be provided from the old site to the new site.

***This information (originally written by me) also appears in the latest SRSFC newsletter******