Producing Berries In Protective Structures

Jan 12, 2017

By Eric Hanson

ational demand for fresh raspberries and strawberries is growing, but most berries purchased in Michigan are grown in other states or countries. Growers in Michigan and other Midwestern states can produce outstanding berries, but producing reliable yields and consistent quality is sometimes challenged by our cold winters and short, humid growing seasons. Protective structures, such high and low tunnels, can mitigate these climatic limitations, but selecting the type of structure and plastic film cover is complicated by the enormous array of products available, and tunnels represent added risks and costs.

TunnelBerries is a seven-state research and extension project designed to provide growers with the knowledge needed to expand raspberry, blackberry and strawberry production in the Upper Midwest and Northeast U.S. with the use of protective structures or “tunnels.” Work began in 2014 and we have made significant progress on several aspects of tunnel production. One significant effort is on the use of low tunnels to produce day-neutral strawberries late into fall. Another topic is raspberry and blackberry production in high tunnels. Here we have learned raspberry yields can be increased substantially by double cropping; fruiting on one-year primocanes and second-year floricanes.

Another effort is to understand and describe the benefits and drawbacks of different tunnel plastics. Plastics now on the market can screen out specific wavelengths of light that influence tunnel temperatures as well as potentially alter pesticide longevity, insect populations and even fungal pathogens. Efforts to understand these effects are underway.

Source: msu.edu

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.