III. Blueberries

D. L. Horton, HC Ellis, A.A. Amis*, and Danny Stanaland**

In 1995 Georgia produced 13.0 million pounds of blueberries which sold for an average price of $ .597/lb. The crop was valued at 7.76 million.***

Blueberry insect IPM efforts were generally quite acceptable during the 1995 season.. The increase loss figures are a reflection of the 1995 crop=s high value. Cranberry fruitworm, a fruit infesting caterpillar, remains as the most important insect pest of Georgia rabbiteye blueberries. In northeast, Georgia there was isolated blueberry maggot pressure. Trapping and post-harvest evaluation showed no economic blueberry maggot infestations in southeastern Georgia counties. At harvest, pick-your-own pests such as fire ants, Japanese beetles (north Georgia), bees, wasps, and birds were sometimes severe. Fire ants and other at-harvest pests led to treatment of 20% of our acreage. Birds, primarily cedar waxwings and robins, caused as much injury as cranberry fruitworm, our worst insect pest. Control costs indicate only the estimated cost of material.

Inadequate fruitset remains a concern. Pollinators, especially the more efficient native southeastern blueberry bee and bumblebees, must be conserved by not spraying insecticides during bloom. Improved management of honeybees is needed to enhance their performance. Use of gibberellic acid to promote fruit retention when natural set is inadequate has become very important. Questions remain unanswered on the influences of insufficient chill hour accumulation, varietal compatibility, the effect of field size on foraging of native bees, and the value of honeybees (our only manageable pollinators).

The blueberry gall midge, Dasineura oxycoccana (Johnson) which has recently caused significant injury to flower buds in north-central Florida, was not a problem in Georgia.

____________
* USDA/ARS, Southeast Fruit and Tree Nut Research Lab, Byron, Georgia.
** Bacon County Extension Director, Alma, Georgia.
*** Georgia Farm Report 1996. Volume 96, Number 2

Estimates of Losses and Control Costs

¹ Primarily Datana spp.

Information Pertaining to Control of Major Blueberry Insect Pests in Georgia in 1995

¹ Excluding application costs.
² Yield units are expressed in pounds.
³ Primarily Datana spp.