Usually two cover sprays are needed after petal-fall to obtain satisfactory control of fruitworms. In the North, one spring application of insecticide has given satisfactory leafhopper control, but in the South additional sprays are needed later in the season to prevent spread of the disease by migrants of the second and third generations. Yellow sticky traps placed on low vegetation in the woods are a good way to monitor leafhopper populations. Record trap catch weekly and apply a cover spray to fields and field margins when the trap catch of adults begins to increase for each generation. This fungus disease causes sudden die-back of one or more branches.
Leaves turn red, yellow, and brown as they dry, but remain firmly attached to the stem.
When affected branches are cut lengthwise, they show a brown discoloration of the woody tissues. Stem blight cannot be controlled with fungicides, but pruning out the dying stems soon after they show signs of the disease may help reduce inoculum and keep the fungus from spreading through the crown to other parts of the same plant. Apply this spray from the ground whenever possible to get maximum coverage on the lower half of the bushes. If ripe berries are already present, the available crop should be harvested just before the field is treated. If weather or labor conditions prevent harvest and ground application within five days, affected fields should be sprayed by air immediately.