Springtime in British Columbia and other regions of Canada means blueberry and raspberry plants are starting to bud. It’s an exciting time for BC growers who produce a variety of berries for local consumption, export and processing markets. It’s also a time to start thinking about insect and disease control to protect raspberries and blueberries.
The BC Ministry of Agriculture recommends an integrated pest management (IPM) approach to effectively manage pests using a combination of cultural, biological and chemical tools that are economically and environmentally sound. IPM programs consider both plant health and pest management while minimizing impact on beneficial insects and the environment.
Steps in an IPM program include:
- Identifying and understanding the life cycle of the pest or disease
- Regular monitoring
- Deciding best timing to control insect pests and disease
- Choosing the appropriate control methods
- Evaluating the effectiveness of the program
In addition to an IPM approach, Arysta LifeScience also recommends sound resistance management strategies for best results. These include avoiding applying the same active ingredient more than twice consecutively and rotating through alternative chemistries to manage insects and disease.
Excellent Choices for Mite and Disease Control
Arysta LifeScience offers a portfolio of innovative and trusted products – products that can protect your berry crop for improved yield and quality. Two examples include ACRAMITE® Miticide and ELEVATE® Fungicide.
ACRAMITE Miticide provides good knockdown in the motile stage of pest mites, with long-lasting control of newly hatched nymphs. Mites controlled include the two-spotted and McDaniel mites in caneberry crops.
ACRAMITE is easy on predatory mites and beneficial insects, and its unique mode of action (Group 20D) makes it an excellent choice for IPM and resistance management programs. Arysta LifeScience recommends thorough coverage for best results.
ELEVATE Fungicide provides effective control of Botrytis cinerea (Grey mold), which is a fungal disease more common in cooler, wetter climates. Botrytis can cause serious loss in a variety of berry crops. ELEVATE helps protect the quality of your fruit and can be used from bloom to within one day of harvest (1-day PHI).
The unique mode of action of ELEVATE (Group 17) differs from other fungicides and shows no known cross-resistance to other commonly used fungicides.
