Crop Management

MSU publishes Michigan regional fruit reports

Here are Michigan's regional fruit reports for April 7, courtesy of Michigan State University Extension.West MichiganWeather. A bit similar to 2014, spring is slow to arrive in 2015. Fruit growers tend to be pleased with... more »

Grape buds injured in northwest Michigan for second year in a row

A year ago, when reports came out on severe winter kill to wine grape buds in northwest Michigan, everyone assumed that such unprecedented cold would not likely happen again. Unfortunately, the assumption was wrong. The... more »

Weekly IPM meetings start in SW Michigan

Weekly Monday fruit integrated pest management (IPM) meetings are held for fruit growers in southwest Michigan every Monday in April (starting April 13) through the end of June.Michigan State University Extension fruit educators Mark Longstroth,... more »

April declared ‘Michigan Wine Month’

April has been declared “Michigan Wine Month” to honor our state’s wide selection of quality wines and the wine industry’s significant contribution to the economy, Gov. Rick Snyder said.The number of wineries in the state... more »

Northwest Michigan Winegrape Spring Kick-off meeting April 10

Mark your calendars to attend the Northwest Michigan Winegrape Spring Kick-off meeting on Friday afternoon, April 10 at the Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center, 6686 S. Center Hwy, Traverse City, MI 49684.The program includes a... more »

Utah, Michigan studying high-density tart cherry options

It’s too early to tell if high-density growing systems are viable for tart cherries, but the earlier production, higher yields, improved fruit quality, more efficient pesticide applications and other advantages they’ve brought to apples and... more »

Drones seen as a method to manage fruit production

Attached to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a thermal camera can record differences in soil heat with the presence of water – one of the major benefits of using visible color imagery in agriculture applications.... more »

Refine plant growth regulator receives registration

Fine Americas, a manufacturer and marketer of plant growth regulators for the fruit industry, recently announced the federal Section 3 registration of its new Refine plant growth regulator. Refine features the active ingredient naphthaleneacetic acid... more »

BMSB’s native enemy found in the United States

The Asian wasp Trissolcus japonicus has been found in the wild in the United States. The wasp, native to the regions of Asia where the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) originates, is known to attack... more »

Georgia blueberries impacted by deep freezes

Early blueberry varieties felt the chill of deep freezes during January and February, according to University of Georgia (UGA) blueberry specialist Erick Smith.“I do know that the flowers that were open during the freezes, especially... more »