Honeybee pollinating blueberries. Photo courtesy of Cesar Rodriguez-Saona.
Cesar Rodriguez-Saona, extension specialist in entomology, Department of Entomology, is the principal investigator of a two-year, $199,783 grant from the USDA Crop Protection and Pest Management program for the project, “Improving Management of a Key Insect Pest of Blueberries Through Optimization of Pollination Services,” from September 1, 2024, to August 31, 2026.
Plum curculio adult on blueberry fruit. Photo courtesy of Cesar Rodriguez-Saona.
This grant is part of a $20 million investment by the Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM) program to address high priority issues related to pests, including insects, nematodes, pathogens, and weeds, and their management using IPM approaches at the state, regional and national levels. The program supports projects that will increase food security and respond effectively to other major societal challenges with comprehensive IPM approaches that are economically viable, ecologically prudent, and safe for human health.
Rodriguez-Saona and Rutgers post-doc Beth Ferguson, who is co-principal investigator on the grant-funded project, are investigating an integrated pest and pollinator management strategy for plum curculio, a persistent pest of blueberries in the mid-Atlantic. This pest damages the blueberry fruit through a scar left by feeding damage and from laying eggs, resulting in premature fruit drop from larvae.
Rutgers post-doc Beth Ferguson, in the field.
Management can be conducted post-bloom, but pesticides cannot be applied while honeybees are present, explained Rodriguez-Saona.
“Because plum curculio adults arrive in blueberries around peak bloom, growers cannot adequately respond to increasing populations. Honeybee hives are currently kept in blueberries until the end of bloom, but whether this contributes significantly to yields is not known. The benefits of removing hives early to increase yields and better manage plum curculio may outweigh any effects on late-season fruit production.”
The overall goal of the funded project is to use plum curculio management as a model for effective creation and implementation of integrated pest and pollinator management strategies in pollinator-dependent crops.
