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by Aaron Cato - June 5, 2020
Looking for additional control options for broad mite? Provided here is information about a new effective product for broad mite control in blackberry and other caneberry crops.
Broad mite is a relatively new pest in Arkansas Blackberry and it is beginning to be an almost yearly issue for many growers. Unlike mite species such as the two-spotted spider mite, broad mite is microscopic and generally goes unnoticed until damage on new growth and reproductive structures is observed (Picture 1). Broad mite numbers often build very rapidly and work by Dr. Donn Johnson has indicated that reaching 5 mites per leaf can lead to significant losses. The main risk of yield loss is to late crops coming from primocane fruiting varieties.
Management of broad mite is often complicated by a few factors. First, there was previously only one labeled miticide that was effective at controlling this pest in field environments, Agri-Mek. This is not a very sustainable system and could lead to selection of resistance due to a lack of alternatives for rotation. Second, only two applications of Agri-Mek are allowed in one growing season. This can be problematic considering that we’ve observed damaging populations from June-October, and because populations have sometimes been observed to slowly bounce back after an initial application. Last, the preharvest interval of Agri-Mek is seven days and broad mite infestations often need to be managed during primocane harvest.
Recently Magister was registered for use in caneberry crops to control broad mite (Picture 2). Dr. Donn Johnson previously researched the efficacy of this product and found it to be comparable to Agri-Mek (Picture 3). This is good news as this allows diversity in control options and gives growers the ability to rotate products and lower the risk of resistance in this system. Only one application of Magister is allowed per season at 32-36 oz/A. This product also has a 7-day preharvest interval, so miticides that can be used easily during harvest are still not available.
Additional effective control options are always going to benefit the grower, and I think this is a great example of that ringing true. Growers that deal with serious infestations often have reservations about spraying too early with only two applications of Agri-Mek available for the entire growing season. Even one additional product with one use will help to ease this headache. If you have any other questions about this product or broad mite please give me a call at 479-249-7352, and be sure to read the label before buying this product and before applying it for broad mite control.
Picture 1 – Broad mite damaged (left) and normal (right) blackberry flowers and leaves. Photo credit Vincent et al. 2010.
Picture 2. – Label for Magister use in Caneberry for Broad Mite Control. See this link for access: Magister
Picture 3 – Efficacy data for a variety of products applied to blackberry with broad mite infestations. Only Agri-Mek and Magister are shown to be effective products that are labeled for use in blackberry.