Narrator: “Blueberries will grow wild throughout Maine without ever having been planted. Even
though they don’t need human input to grow, many fields are managed to increase yields.
The Cooperative Extension at the University of Maine conducts extensive blueberry research
on everything from fungi, insect pests and disease to weeds, pruning practices and beneficial
insects.” Frank Drummond, professor of entomology: “It
has to be squeezed through the holes in the screen. It knocks off some of the pollen loads
that are on their back legs.” Seanna Annis, professor of mycology (fungi):
“And I’m kind of looking around to see if I see any swimming spores, which I don’t.”
Dave Yarborough, Cooperative Extension specialist: “The Cooperative Extension really got involved
as a way to bring research-based knowledge to the wild blueberry growers.”
Narrator: “Many growers have adopted integrated pest management, or IPM. This method takes
the whole ecosystem into account, figuring out when to apply pesticide so it will kill
the insect pests at a time when they’re most vulnerable.”
Judith Collins, assistant specialist: “These are yellow sticky cards to monitor for blueberry
thrips.” Yarborough: “By understanding the biology
of the pest, we can reduce the amount of spray that we need by about 80 percent.”
Collins: “We’re looking at better ways to time pesticide applications, because basically,
by the time you can physically see the damage, it’s too late.”
Narrator: “IPM is also about making sure the chemicals won’t harm the bees or other
beneficial wildlife.” Drummond: “Well, we’re able to use the
bees to sample the environment, so it’s a very efficient way to have a million individuals
go out and sample the flowers within a radius of a couple of miles.”
Narrator: “Sara Bushmann, a graduate student, is studying wild, native pollinators and their
diversity in fields that are managed in different ways.”
Sara Bushmann, graduate student, bioscience: “One thing we’ll try to look at is if
there’s a difference in pollination level in relation to the diversity of wild bees
that we find.” Narrator: “Another aspect of integrated
pest management is studying the factors that are involved in the spread of disease.”
Annis: “We’re collaborating with Frank Drummond on our project to look at how the
monilinious spores get transferred from infected leaves and flowers to healthy flowers.”
Narrator: “Monilinia also is known as Mummy Berry, because it makes the fruit shrivel
up like mummies. Frank and Seanna are looking at how bees spread the fungus.”
Drummond: “The bees are actually moving the pathogen around inadvertently. So the
fungus is deceiving the bees, in terms of tricking them, making them think they’re
just another flower. These silvery pieces on the leaves reflect UV light, and the fungus
also produces sugar. The bees are attracted to the UV light because it mimics a flower.
They land on it, and in so doing, they pick up the spores.”
Annis: “The idea, though, is how well this transfer really is occurring. And are bumblebees
better at it, because they’re better pollinators than honeybees? Is there a difference between
the two of them? And also, just how much of this is really happening?”
Drummond: “Yup, so we will put this one in there.”
Narrator: “Researchers with the Cooperative Extension also study different pruning methods,
determining which are the most effective at helping blueberries thrive.”
Yarborough: “Well, burning was a practice that was used to prune the blueberries. The
wild blueberry has about two-thirds of its biomass underneath the ground, so when we
prune the plant, we’re really taking that top third off. You do this to invigorate the
plant, to produce new stems that are more productive.”
Narrator: “While burning is quite effective at killing insect and weed pests, UMaine researchers
are helping growers to develop cheaper, more environmentally friendly methods.”
Yarborough: “The type of burning originally done was putting down straw …”
Narrator: “… which is extremely labor-intensive.” Unidentified male: “Strictly for the love,
remember that, Dave.” Yarborough: “We did the research at the
university. We found that if we pruned blueberry plants within an inch to the ground, this
would be equivalent to burning for the pruning process.”
Narrator: “The Cooperative Extension also works to bring scientific research to growers,
holding informational sessions and gatherings throughout the growing season.”
Yarborough: “I’m Dave Yarborough, blueberry specialist for the university. I’m also
a weed scientist.” Annis: “I’m Seanna Annis, I’m a berry
ecologist. I study blueberry diseases.” Yarborough: “And the ants and the spiders
so far have been the two really predominant beneficial insects.”
Yarborough: “Also to provide demonstration plots, because the growers will actually get
to see the results of the work … The sulfur is on this half.”
Narrator: “To see more results of the work on blueberries and to learn about one study
in more detail, click on the ‘Blueberry Genetics’ video.”