In recent years, plum curculio infestation levels have increased in NJ causing significant contamination issues in harvested fruit of early blueberry cultivars. Our research this past year has resulted in an:
- improved method of monitoring plum curculio populations - Pyramid traps baited with grandisoic acid and benzaldehyde allow for early detection and better timing of insecticide applications.
- improved method of control - The combination of a pre-bloom application of Rimon and a post-bloom application of Avaunt reduced larval emergence by about 50% compared with post-bloom Avaunt treatment alone.