Optimizing Blackberry Pest Management: The Impact of RCA Trellising and Spray Coverage

In this episode of  Arkansas Food, Farms and Forests, we discuss a study on the interaction of trellising type and spray coverage in blackberries.Aaron Cato, an extension specialist in the horticulture department focusing on integrated pest management, shared details about his latest research and related studies that looked at the impact of the rotating cross-arm trellis on pest management in blackberries focusing on the spotted wing drosophila infestation. The research found that the RCA trellis provided better pest control than the traditional t-trellis. The data also revealed insights into the effects of microclimate on pest infestation and emphasized the need for cultural controls alongside insecticides.Read the Research: Impact of trellising on spray coverage and spotted-wing drosophila infestation: comparing the rotating cross-arm trellis to the T-trellisRelated Studies: Rotating Cross-Arm Trellis Offers Improved Yields, Quality for BlackberriesRelated Links:Recommendations for RCA Trellis for Blackberries Department of Horticulture Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural Food Life ScienceArkansas Agricultural Experiment StationArkansas Cooperative Extension Service U of A System Division of Agriculture