Small strawberries to start the season

Yesterday, we set up our 2010 spring miticide trials at the Central Crops Research Station in Clayton, NC and the plants are 2-3 weeks behind a typical season. Our samples from this week had no mites on them, which is not surprising given the cold winter. We will continue to sample biweekly until mite populations increase and will then sample weekly.

Once mite populations develop, we will begin our trials, which include validation of treatment thresholds for NC conditions and comparisons of registered and unregistered materials for mite management. A portion of these studies are supported by the NC Strawberry Association.