Tyfu Cymru Soft Fruit Network Factsheet

Disease Management of Bush Fruit

Currants, gooseberries and blueberries can be an important addition to any soft fruit business, but effective pest and disease management is required to get the best out of your plants.

The perennial woody nature of these crops means that overwintered pests can carry problems over from one year to the next, so you must be vigilant in the monitoring and control before these issues get out of hand.

This guide summarizes the main problem areas for bush crops, but for any pest/disease control advice you should aim to consult a BASIS qualified consultant – one-to-one visits can be arranged for eligible businesses through the Tyfu Cymru program to provide you with targeted advice on soft fruit growing.

The AHDB has also recently released a Bush Fruit Crop Walker’s Guide which can be useful in diagnosing a wide range of pest and disease causes in bush fruit with a wide range of photographs. This can be accessed online here: https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/bush-fruit-crop-walkers-guide  

Download the factsheet here: Disease Management of Bush Fruit

Disclaimer

Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information and recommendations given in these notes.  All applications of crop protection chemicals should be made in accordance with label recommendations, which should be consulted before spraying.  Some of the pesticides mentioned in these notes may not be supported by label recommendations for their use on bush fruit crops but are permissible via Extension of Authorisation for Minor Use (EAMU) in the UK under ‘The Revised Long Term Arrangements For Extension Of Use (2002)’.  In these cases, the use of the pesticide is at the risk of the user and Tyfu Cymru does not accept liability for any loss or damage caused by such use. Growers must have read the EAMU associated with a pesticide before use and must hold an electronic or hard copy of the EAMU on record. The references to on-label approvals and EAMUs for use of pesticides on bush fruit and are correct at the time of writing. These are subject to change and approval may be withdrawn at any point. It is the grower's responsibility to check approvals before use of pesticides. If in doubt a grower should seek advice from a BASIS qualified advisor - this is available free of charge for eligible growers through the Tyfu Cymru program, please contact us to arrange a visit to your site.