Reviewing 2021 and Forecasting 2022: Fruit & Vegetable Edition

With the excess water and humidity last year, diseases had a field day in many orchards and vegetable fields. Be prepared to protect these specialty crops from the word GO! this spring.

Tree Fruit: Apple scab inoculum will be plentiful this spring even in historically clean blocks. Be sure to have your copper or other protectant fungicide on hand and your sprayer(s) ready to go at the first sign of tree growth. Copper will also give you a leg up on fireblight control. Although it wasn’t significant last year, it is always a costly threat. We had significantly more powdery mildew last year than normal likely because the winter of 2020-21 was so mild. This past winter has been a little colder, but keep your guard up – it is likely to be above average again this year. Bitter Rot – did anybody experience it in 2021? We had a horrendous amount in 2021 and it will carry a lot of pressure into this season. As with all diseases, weather is the biggest variable. To control Bitter Rot, we need to pay close attention to cultural and chemical control options. First order for now is to get pruning tasks completed and clean (sanitize) the orchard as best as we can. Well pruned tree canopies = better air flow and better spray coverage = better disease control.

One insect pest to mention – Dogwood Borer. Is it a concern in your orchards? With the loss of chlorpyrifos last season, do you have a plan for controlling it this year and in the future?

Vegetables: Disease pressure last season robbed many fields of yield and quality. The main culprits were powdery mildew, downy mildew, and bacterial diseases. The other pest that also contributed to these problems last year was the weeds that took over from the dilution of herbicides. Heavy weed growth hinders good air movement and adequate spray coverage. And of course, Mother Nature has her say in how well our tools work together. So, plan a good crop rotation, plan on a weed control program, plan out your fungicide strategy, and hope that Mother Nature cooperates with just enough rain to sustain the crops and not float them to market.

Here’s to good weather, great customers, farming in America’s Northeast, and a safe growing season!