Blue Beasts
- Alexa Brentlea Pinter
- May 17, 2018
- 1 min read
Today I will be discussing the biology, pest and plant protection of blueberries.
Blueberries is of the Family Ericaceae and Genus Vaccinium and requires bees or other insects to pollinate. Certain types of blueberries have to be cross pollinated in order to produce fruit. The depth of the corolla and breadth of the opening determines the type of bee or insect that can pollinate it. Some of the most common pollinators include the following:
Honey Bees
Southeastern Blueberry Bees
Bumble Bees
Bradley's Andrena
Carpenter Bees
Orchard Bees
Once the flowers are pollinated they can produce blueberries. Each bud can have up to 16 flowers/blueberries. The growth of said blue berries can be interrupted by a host of pests including the following:
Spotted Wing Drosophila
Causes fruit rotting and eggs may turn into larvae in fruit.
Japanese Beetle
Leave plants susceptible to winter injury.
Leafroller
Damages on leaves.
Forest Tent Caterpillars
Damage can cause a lose of 2 years of crop.
Birds
Birds can cause minor damage of eating a single blueberry or destroying the entire crop.
Protection from these pests include netting directly on the plant, a structure around the plant completed with a form of netting, or a chemical and audio repellants aimed at bugs and birds.
Diseases are not commonly an issue in California blueberry plants but plants in other areas are more susceptible to the following diseases:
Bacterial Leaf Scorch - Leaf appears "burnt" and dies/falls off the plant, eventually the whole plant dies.
Necrotic Leaf Blotch - Shows up in summer and causes defoliation of the plant.
Stem Blight - Caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea, kills/stops plant growth on infected stems.
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