From the field: black raspberry harvest

Black raspberry harvest 8 June 2013, Jackson Springs NC.

So, after a long wet couple of days, we had a large harvest of black raspberries in Christine's black raspberry trial (see earlier post http://teamrubus.blogspot.com/2013/05/black-raspberry-research-in-nc-and-or.html). Each of these little jewels weighs about 1 gram, and each of these are gallon sized bags. So if there are 3 kg in a gallon, that would mean they (Christine, and her crew of 2) picked 14 bags X 3000 g = 42,000 berries in one day? (UPDATED DATA ABOVE, 1 gallon bag weighed less than we thought)

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

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******

Blackberry Yield Data

Growers that had hail damage to their blackberry crop this spring are trying to estimate their crop losses. I have been asked to provide recent yield data. We collected this data at the Piedmont Research Station from 2008-2010. Table 1 is our actual data, Table 2 is converted to yield per acre based on our original plant density.

I realize that the plants fill in the rows after you plant and that it may be hard to figure out how many plants there are per acre. However, for our purposes it is easier to present yield per plant based on the original planting density, e.g. plants were set 4 ft apart in the row and rows are 12 ft apart. This would be the equivalent of 907 plants per acre.  Keep in mind that there can be distortion of data as we multiply up from our 20 plants to 907. Your plant density may have been different and this will change the yield/acre. In addition, actual grower yields may be higher or lower and may vary due to trellis type, year to year yield variations, and other production practices.

Sorry about the quality of the print, pasting tables into blogger is not that easy. Contact me if you want a copy of this data in PDF form.