What the Extension Service Said

In my last post I reported something funky going on with my Boysenberries, and that I’d turned to OSU’s agricultural extension service for help.

Turns out it’s something called white drupelet, and it’s caused by those aforementioned vagaries of our spring temperatures. Actually, it’s not really the weather that causes it- it’s ultraviolet radiation that causes it, but it’s the weather that makes that possible. Which means, no it’s not a virus so I won’t have destroy my canes (Yay!) but it also means, no, I can’t really do anything about it (Waaah!), unless I want to spray a shit ton of water on them in the afternoon, which I don’t.  

The good news is that for the berries where only one or five drupelets are white, it doesn’t really affect anything but the appearance of the fruit, so since I’m freezing them anyway for use later in jam or syrup or pie or something, I can use the weirdish ones. The one at left here is no good for anything.

Except maybe throwing it to the hens, who will eat just about darn anything.

Here is an article from UC Davis that the extension service referenced regarding white drupelet.

Is this affecting anybody else’s berries?