By Nikki Rothwell...Unfortunately, we have noticed a mistake regarding Lorsban trunk sprays in the 2009 Fruit Management Guide. The PHI listed for Lorsban trunk sprays in cherry is six days – this information is incorrect. The Lorsban 4e label, Lorsban Advanced, and Lorsban 75WG all have a 21-day PHI. Lorsban 50W has a 28-day PHI. We apologize for this error and remind growers to make sure to read the label before applying any pesticide. The information in the Fruit Management Guide does not supersede the label directions.

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International Plant Management is having its Sweet Cherry Variety Showcase on July 9 at Phil Shwallier's Country Basket, 1185 Nine Mile Road, Sparta Michigan. Many sweet cherry varieties will be on display with variety and high tunnel discussions from Greg Lang, Phil Schwallier and Wally Heuser.

The variety displays will open at 4:00 PM with variety discussions beginning at 5:00 PM. A complimentary barbecue will be served at 6:30 PM. Everyone is welcome to attend. Feel free to bring cherry samples. Samples will be displayed in one or two quart tills and extra tills are available if you need them.

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By Nikki Rothwell...The USDA released the estimates of the cherry crop last Thursday, June 18. The USDA no longer breaks out the crop estimates by location in the state, but rather only provides one estimate for Michigan. The 2009 tart cherry crop estimate is 220 million pounds for Michigan.

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By George Sundin, Nikki Rothwell and Erin Lizotte... Cherry leaf spot is the most important fungal disease of tart cherry in Michigan. The leaf spot fungus Blumeriella jaapii infects leaves with symptoms first appearing on upper leaf surfaces as small purple spots. As spots accumulate on leaves, the leaves turn yellow and fall.

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By Erin Lizotte... Cherry leaf spot is arguably the most damaging fungal pathogen of tart cherry. Cherry leaf spot primarily infects foliage and reduces the photosynthetic ability of a tree through tissue degradation and early defoliation. When significant defoliation occurs before harvest, fruit may be soft and immature, have low soluble solids, and ripen unevenly.

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By Nikki Rothwell, Karen Powers, Joy Landis and Tracy Aichele... The new MSU cherry website (www.cherries.msu.edu) has many attributes that will benefit Michigan growers. Due to the complex nature of producing cherries, growers rely on up-to-date horticultural and pest management information from Michigan State University Extension staff and specialists.

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Erin Lizotte and George Sundin...American brown rot management is becoming increasingly important as the sugar content in the fruit begins to build and cherries begin to color. Spore production is greater between 59°F and 74°F than at cooler temps, and the optimal temperature for infection is between 67°F and 77°F. Although injury to the fruit may lead to increased infection, the brown rot fungus readily infects when no wound or fruit-to-fruit contact is present.

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Nikki Rothwell and Larry Gut...Borers, broadly grouped as insects whose larval stages feed inside the bark of woody plants, are key pests of fruit tree systems. Researchers have found that these insects contribute significantly to the decline or reduced vigor of stone and pome fruits.

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Nikki Rothwell and Greg Lang...Winter damage has been observed in sweet cherries in the northwest as well as other regions of the state. Growers first noticed this damage because trees had no bloom. The trees look brownish and relatively bare compared to those with a true full bloom.

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By Nikki Rothwell, Amy Irish-Brown and Joy Landis... We have rolled out a new cherry website for this season that is designed to concentrate all of our MSU cherry-related resources into a “one-stop shopping” location. Please check us out on the web at www.cherries.msu.edu. Throughout the year, we will continue to expand this site.

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National Agriculture Statistics Service, 6/21/07. For the full length version please visit: http://www.ipm.msu.edu/cat07fruit/pdf/6-26cherryproduction.pdf

United States tart cherry production is forecast at 294 million pounds, 11 percent above the 2006 production and 9 percent above production in 2005.

Michigan, the largest producing state, expects a crop of 230 million pounds, up 21 percent from the 2006 crop and 11 percent above 2005. A severe freeze on April 7-8 destroyed the majority of the tart cherry flower buds in the southwest portion of the State, while there was less damage in west central Michigan. Conditions in the northwest were excellent during bloom and pollination, leading to high yield potential.

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Mira Danilovich...Cherries have natural tendency to produce “blind wood.” This phenomenon is associated with the flower bud formation on the young wood, so after the harvest we are left with long bear spots with no spurs. Research done by MSU’s Dr. John Bukovac, showed that it is possible to manipulate the flower bud formation in favor of spur development by applying gibberellic acid.

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Nikki Rothwell, Jim Nugent and George Sundin...
Cherry leaf spot
Cherry leaf spot symptoms are variable around the state with some areas showing very few lesions while other regions have sustained significant defoliation as a result of the disease. Due to this variability, post harvest sprays will most likely be applied on an orchard-by-orchard basis.

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Nikki Rothwell and Mira Danilovich...Two primary diseases that affect cherries during the summer season are cherry leaf spot and brown rot. Powdery mildew can also affect tart cherries in a hot, dry year such as this one. Major constraints to an economically viable cherry production in Michigan include adequate control of these diseases.

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Jim Nugent...Gibberellic acid (GA) may be used on tart and sweet cherries to reduce flowering during the early years of an orchard's life. The reduced flowering and subsequent reduced fruiting allows the young trees to increase vegetative growth. Also, minimizing flowering in early years helps slow the transmission of pollen-borne viruses to the young trees. GA is also used in mature tart cherries to increase fruiting capacity by stimulating the formation of lateral shoots and spurs.

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Jim Nugent and Nikki Rothwell...Even though the winter was quite mild, some sweet cherries in northwest Michigan are exhibiting significant winter dieback. Most of the affected trees show whole or partial limb death and often include death of last year's terminal growth. This winter injury is directly related to tree stress last season.

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Mira Bulatovic and R.L. Andersen...The study of pollen tube viability and growth had been conducted on sweet and tart cherry varieties under the variable conditions. The samples were placed into the chambers at 15 0, 20 0, 25 0 and 30 0C. Pollen tube growth was observed under the fluorescent microscope 4 hours after the pollination and than every 24 hours thereafter over the 120-hour period. Pollen tube growth in the outside field conditions were used as control. Montmorency and MC-15 were used as female varieties in all the combinations.

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