Holes in pruned blackberry canes?

Hannah Burrack may have figured out what is making the holes in pruned blackberry canes. Check out this post:
http://entomology.ces.ncsu.edu/2013/12/bees-in-pruned-canes/

Blackberry and Raspberry Seasonal Checklist Winter 2013-4

Blackberry and Raspberry Seasonal Checklist
Winter 2013-14
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
√ Developmental stages for IPM guide:
1. Dormant
2. Delayed dormant (swollen bud) to green tip

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
Check the Southern Regional Bramble integrated Management Guide for recommendations. www.smallfruits.org
√ 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
√ 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

Planting
√ Take soil tests to determine fertility needs for spring plantings.
√ There are some new raspberry and blackberry cultivars available each year. 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 2015 plantings and order now. Smaller quantities of plants can be order in early 2014 for spring 2014 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 2014 North American Raspberry & Blackberry Conference Meeting
√ January 27-29, 2014 in Hershey PA. http://www.raspberryblackberry.com/local.cfm?doc=webdocs%2F2014NARBAConferenceOverview%2Ehtm
o 2014 SE Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference
√ Jan 9-12, 2014 Savannah GA
√ http://www.seregionalconference.com/
o The North Carolina Commercial Blackberry and Raspberry Growers Association
√ Feb 6, 2014.  Shelby NC. For more information contact Daniel_Shires@ncsu.edu or Josh Beam <josh.beam@dole.com>

For more information on growing caneberries see:
http://www.smallfruits.org/
http://rubus.ces.ncsu.edu/

NABG Research Foundation RFP 2014

Small Fruit Researchers,

Do you have some raspberry or blackberry research that is in need of some funding? The NARBG - Research Foundation will be reviewing proposals for 2014 funding.  Proposals are due Dec 20, 2013.

We are in the process of updating the website, so we are not taking proposals via the website. PLEASE send proposals as PDF files to me, Gina_Fernandez@ncsu.edu.

Please share this blog post with others that that may be interested in this opportunity.
http://teamrubus.blogspot.com/2013/12/nabg-research-foundation-rfp.html

GF
==================================

Request for Proposals for 2014 Funding

The North American Bramble Growers Research Foundation (NABGRF) Inc. seeks proposals for bramble research for the year 2014. All bramble proposals will be considered, however special consideration will be given to proposals related to the following specific priorities established for this round of funding:

Pest Management Strategies
• Management and biology of Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD)
• Management and biology of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB)
• Management (?) of Agrobacterium tumefaciens (crown gall)
• Evaluate new insecticides (pesticides) for blackberry and raspberry production.

Production Efficiency and Profitability
• Management of blackberries and raspberries in tunnels (pruning, training and trellis systems)
• Post-harvest handling for small farmers

Cultivar Development and Testing
• Germplasm development

Special Needs
-Marketing

Since 1999, NABGRF has funded a total of 66 proposals totaling $167,353. Funding for individual projects is expected to range from $2000-$5000. In order to expedite the process, we ask that your request stay within this range. Please note that the NABGRF does not  pay overhead or "indirect" costs. The major source of funds for NABGRF's research grants is contributions by nurseries to NABGRF's Nursery Contribution Program, initiated in 2007. The Foundation very much appreciates their support

Proposals will be reviewed by the Research Committee of the NABGRF by the next North American Raspberry & Blackberry Association annual meeting, January 27, 2014 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Research Committee will forward their recommendations to the NABGRF Board of Trustees. Final funding decisions are made by the Board of Trustees. Awards will be sent out in March 2014. For more information, email either of the NABGRF  Research Co-Coordinators, Gina Fernandez and Jeff Chandler.

The deadline for proposals is December 20, 2013.

Proposal Guidelines

Sending Proposals: Email your proposal as a PDF file to gina_fernandez@ncsu.edu by the deadline above. 

2014 Caneberry meetings on the East Coast

There will be 2 grower meetings in January for blackberry and raspberry (and other berry). The first meeting is a regional meeting of the North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association. This meeting will be held in conjunction with the SE Regional Fruit and Vegetable Expo in Savannah GA. 

Later in January, NARBA will hold is national meeting in conjunction with the SE Regional Vegetable and Fruit Confernce in Hershey PA.

The North Carolina Commercial Blackberry and Raspberry Association has not set a date, but usually meets in February.  More details will be posted here once that program is confirmed.

Regional NARBA meeting Savannah GA

Thursday, 1/9 through Friday, 1/10/14 (All Day Event) 

Where:Savannah GA

Blackberry and raspberry sessions will be held on Thursday and Friday January 9 and 10, 2014. 

For more information see:
http://www.seregionalconference.com

NARBA meeting/Hershey

Monday, 1/27 through Wednesday, 1/29/14 (All Day Event) — 2 months away

Where:Hershey PA

2014 North American Raspberry & Blackberry Conference

The North American Raspberry & Blackberry Conference will be held in Hershey, PA, January 27-29, 2014 in association with the MidAtlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention. The Berry Conference starts with workshops, roundtable discussions, and educational sessions on Monday, January 27, followed by a day-long tour on Tuesday, January 28, and a full day of educational sessions and networking on January 29. Though there are no caneberry sessions on January 30 the MAFVC continues with many educational programs. The conference includes a large trade show.
http://www.mafvc.org

Processing types of blackberries and raspberries dominate plant sales in 2012-13

Meeker red raspberry. photo: http://www.red-raspberry.org/cultivars.asp

Ever wonder what the most widely planted berry cultivars were in the past year?  Dr. Pat Moore, WSU raspberry and strawberry breeder, contacted some of the larger participating nurseries to obtain plant sale inventories in the past year. (Lassen Canyon Nursery, Norcal Nursery, North American Plants, Northwest Plant Co., Nourse Farms, & Spooner Farms).

Raspberry: During the 2012-13 planting season, raspberry plant sales were dominated by the cultivar Meeker. It counted for almost over 40% of sales from the major nurseries. Meeker is the standard variety that is used in the PNW processing industry since its release in 1967, over 40 years ago. Wakefield, a variety from New Zealand ranks 2nd overall.

Blackberry: Black Diamond is the most popular blackberry in terms of plants sales, with plants sales of 42% in the PNW region.  Black Diamond is also a variety that is adapted to machine harvest.

Cultivars that are commonly grown and recommended for the SEUS represent a much smaller piece of the berry pie.

To see the complete list go to

http://www.berriesnw.com/SFU/2013/44-SFU10-29-13.pdf

Repost of National Weather Service Tools and Speaker Topic for SE Strawberry EXPO

The SE Strawberry Expo (a joint meeting held by the North American Strawberry Association and the NC Strawberry Association) will be held Dec 3-6, 2013 in Durham NC. One of the featured speakers will be Darin Figurskey of the National Weather Service. I met with him last year and he showed me some great features that could be used by growers.

Here is what he said he will talk about at the expo:

"Right now, a very high-level agenda would be where to get access to NWS forecast products, especially temperature, humidity, wind products, as well as a brief discussion of late freeze events and the signals forecasters look for to predict them.  I'll also likely share long-term climate trends in the region and the seasonal outlook."

This information can be useful for any berry crop. For examples of what he may talk about, see below:

See this post for examples of NWS tools:

http://teamrubus.blogspot.com/2012/09/national-weather-service-has-lots-of.html

for information about the strawberry meeting go here

http://www.ncstrawberry.com/docs/2013StrawberryExpo.htm

Finding QTL's for chilling requirement and prickle free raspberries

Cuttings from NCQ mapping population used to determine chilling requirement,  cuttings were taken at regular intervals from the plants, then put in the greenhouse misted. Each cutting was then monitored to see when bud break occurred, chilling hours ranged from 200 to 1600 hours in this population.  

Ramon Molina-Bravo, PhD, a former student in our lab recently had a paper published on some of his research in the scientific journal Molecular Breeding, the article is:
"Quantitative trait locus analysis of tolerance to temperature fluctuations in winter, fruit characteristics, flower color, and prickle-free canes in raspberry"

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11032-013-9947-4

So, for those of you not inclined to read this type of article, what he found were locations on the raspberry linkage groups (think chromosomes) that were associated with both high and low chilling as well as prickle free (no thorns). This means that we are closer to being able to screen seedlings for these traits before they go out to the field. However, we still need a "few" more years to make this a trait that can be quick and cost effectively screened.