As blackberry season peaks in Arkansas, research is shedding light on a trellising system that could improve pest management for blackberry growers.
Rotating cross-arm trellis being used in blackberry at the Fruit Research Station in Clarksville, Ark., as part of several research projects. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Jenifer Fouch)
A study on insecticides to control spotted wing drosophila in blackberries showed that the rotating cross-arm trellis exhibited four times fewer spotted wing drosophila larvae in blackberry fruit than the more commonly used T-trellis. The data also show that the canopy structure created by the rotating cross-arm trellis, also known as RCA, offers more light penetration and airflow, resulting in more heat and less humidity, effectively dissuading spotted wing drosophila fruit flies from laying eggs in berries.
Aaron Cato, a researcher for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and an extension specialist in integrated pest management in the horticulture department, discussed these findings in a recent Food, Farms, and Forests episode.
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