The Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) has announced that the first occurrence of spongy moth caterpillar and berry-picking birds have influenced its research at the “superfruits’ nursery at the Willsboro Research Farm.
Farm Manager Michael H. Davis, Ph.D., is developing best management practices against these pests for the nursery’s juneberry, honeyberry, aronia, and elderberry. The term “superfruit” is used to describe high-antioxidant, high-value fruits.
The first outbreak of spongy moth caterpillar in the fruit trials at the research nursery occurred in 2022. The caterpillars defoliated the nursery’s eleven commercial and nine wild varieties of juneberry, but the four ornamental juneberry varieties were not damaged.
Spongy moth caterpillar also damaged the NNYADP trial’s four-year-old aronia trial, but did not defoliate the plants. However, the damage from the caterpillar, as well as damage from rose chafers and Japanese beetles, may have contributed to the aronia’s unproductive fruiting in 2022.
Blue honeyberry plants, added to the NNYADP “superfruits” research plan in 2018, have not yet grown to full maturity. None of the twenty varieties of blue honeyberry experienced spongy moth caterpillar damage in 2022; however, a tear in netting covering the planting allowed cedar waxwings to negate the opportunity for fruiting.
Spongy moth caterpillar did not harm the five American and two European varieties of elderberry that were added to the NNYADP trial in 2020. Davis pointed out that more than 95 percent of elderberries in the U.S. are imported, indicating a substantial domestic production market opportunity for American growers.
The NNYADP is a farmer-driven program that was established by the New York State Legislature in recognition of the agricultural potential of the northernmost region of the state. Funding for the NNYADP is supported by the New York State Legislature through the New York State Assembly and is administrated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.
Photo Credit: istock-dorin-s
Categories: New York, Crops, Fruits and Vegetables, Weather