Thornless blackberrynot appreciated until recently, is now more and more often found in amateur and commercial crops due to the valuable fruit. The lack of spikes makes the cultivation and care of shrubs as well as harvesting easy. However, the blackberry is vulnerable to pest attacks. Here are the most commonblackberry pestsSee eggs to recognize them and learn how toblackberry pest controlWe recommend chemical and natural spraying!
Thornless blackberry is sometimes attacked by pests
Fig. pixabay.com
The most common pests of thornless blackberry are:blackberry spear, raspberry kistnik (more commonly known as raspberry pest), and hoppy spider mite and aphids. The latter two commonly attack many different useful and ornamental plants. Recently,has been added to the list of blackberry pests by the blackberry fly , which also attacks blueberry bushes, raspberries and some vegetables.
1. Blackberry spit
The most important pests of thornless blackberry is the blackberry spearThis very small pest is classified as a mite. Adult specimens range in size from 0.16 mm to a maximum of 0.18 mm. The larvae resemble adult individuals, but are even smaller than them. This pest can hibernate in seasoned fruit and buds, and more precisely under their scales. During the growing season, it feeds on virtually all parts of blackberries, i.e. leaves, flower buds, flowers and fruit.The most characteristicsymptoms of this pest foraging on blackberriesare fruit unripening and red fruit color until late autumn or even winter. The fruit is acidic and cannot be eaten, as the pest introduces toxic compounds into the fruit with its saliva.
Fighting the sea breamshould start with the use of one of the most important integrated protection methods. It is about selecting the appropriate quality reproductive material, coming only from properly qualified nurseries. If we have infested plants on the plantation, remove damaged shoots at the end of the season and burn them. Also, do not leave damaged fruit. There are currently no plant protection products registered tocontrol this pest blackberries
2. Kistnik raspberry
Another important pest of blackberries is the raspberry beetle(Byturus tomentosus) - a beetle about 5mm in size, which hibernates in the soil, and in spring it starts feeding on developing leaves, gnawing at the crumb.It also damages the flowers by destroying the stamens. The larvae feed on the bottom of the flower, which often causes the flowers to dry out. As the fruit ripens, the larva leaves the fruit and hides in the soil where it pupates.
Fighting this pest on blackberriesis done by manually shaking the beetles into containers with water and destroying the infected fruit . The chemical method is limited (almost no registered funds).
3. The spider mite
Anotherblackberry pest is the spider mite(Tetranyus urticae). Its reproduction is favored by dry and hot summer, there are 5-7 generations during the growing season. Symptoms are the formation of small spots on the leaf blade, thenthe leaf blade turns brown and diesThe spider mite is very easily transferred from one plant to another, often even from growing weeds.Ecological control of this pest on blackberriesconsists in frequent sprinkling of plants on dry days and spraying with garlic and dandelion decoctions.
Garlic decoctionPrepare as follows: Grind 100 g of garlic, add 5 liters of water and set aside for 12 hours. Then dilute in the proportion 1: 1 and then spray. The treatment should be repeated after 3 weeks.
To preparedandelion decoctionapprox. 40 g of ground, fresh roots, leaves and stems (without flowers), pour 10 l of water and sets aside for 2-3 hours. Both preparations retain their properties for 1 day.
In addition, we can use ready-made natural preparations, available for sale, such as Emulpar 940 EC and Agrocover. When they do not help, chemical control is introduced with the use of plant protection products. Two agents are registered for the spider mite on blackberry, ie Foteca Pro 0.18 EC in a dose of 50 ml / 100 l of water and Grot 018 EC in a dose of 50 ml / 100 l of water (unfortunately both only for professional users). We use non-chemical methods in home gardens.
4. Blackberry aphids
Listing pests of thornless blackberryit is also necessary to mention the aphids, which puncture the tissues and leaves with the use of a piercing-sucking mouthpiece. By sucking their sap, they weaken plants and transmit viruses. The control is carried out by spraying with decoctions of garlic and dandelion (described above) and onion husks.
In order toprepare the onion shell preparation , pour 100 g of onion husks into 5 liters of water and set aside for 3 days. The preparation works 24 hours a day.In the fight against blackberry aphids, we can also use commercially available non-chemical preparations, such as Agricolle Target, Emulpar 940 EC and garlic-scented potassium soap. Decis Mega 50 EW (used at a dose of 0.25 l / ha) and Calypso 480 SC (used at a dose of 2 ml / 100 l of water) are registered for chemical control of aphids on blackberry.
5. Spotted bow tie
A new pest that has recently appeared in Poland is the macular fly (Drosophlila suzukii).It attacks fruit ripening on plants by laying eggs inside them. This causesrotting of the blackberry fruit while it is still ripeningThe spotted fly is a close relative of our fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), which attacks rotting fruit after harvest. The control is of course firstly plant decoctions (garlic) and the agent SpinTor 240 SC, based on a substance of natural origin. As a last resort, you can use Decis Mega 50 EW in a dose of 0.25 l / ha (only allowed for professional users).
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MSc Eng. Katarzyna Żywot-Górecka
