Berry growers all over the nation can benefit from a newly created disease and pest diagnostic tool.
Berries are an important crop in the U.S., but they also come with a lot of diseases and pests that make them a high-input crop to grow. In order to help berry growers to know exactly what is affecting their crops, Marvin Pritts, a professor of horticulture and small fruit specialist with Cornell University, created a disease and pest diagnostic tool. See the details below.
Details of the Disease and Pest Diagnostic Tool
The disease and pest diagnostic tool created by Pritts offers an online gallery that works as a pictorial aid to help berry growers to identify the specific disease or pest that is affecting their berry crops. The tool currently offers diagnosis for the following berries:
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
Growers are presented with a list of symptoms that they are seeing in their crops, divided by categories such as ‘whole plant,’ ‘leaves,’ ‘flowers,’ ‘fruit,’ and ‘canes and stems.’ Each option leads to more choices for the specific symptoms, details and photos of particulars disease or pests. Many of the diseases or pests include a link for more information about each, including treatment details. Once berry growers know exactly what is wrong with their berry crop, they can know the best way to treat the issue
Growers can use the Berry Diagnostic tool here, and it includes links to additional berry diagnostic tools for blackberries and Ribes (currants and gooseberries).
Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.
