Mummy Berry 2018 Post #2

Just a reminder that for the primary infection of monilinia to occur you need three things:

1.       Inoculum present: history of monilinia blight.
2.        A susceptible host: vegetativebuds have 5mm of green tissue exposed and bud           scales haveseparated (F2 stage)in the flower buds.
3.        Ideal environmental conditions: wet periods with relatively warm temperatures.

Image from April 27,2018

From scouting done on April 27, 2018 in the Annapolis Valley we found that flower buds are beginning to open and are quickly approaching the F2 stage. This combined with the forecasted weather suggests that there may be an infection period sometime later next week. Due to the forecast for this weekend we will be sending out an email Monday to confirm if there was or was not an infection period.

As always this is just a general reminder, specific infection periods for each grower will be dependent on location, bud development, variety, and past history of monilinia infections. For more information on blueberries, monilinia, and sprays please review the Highbush Blueberry Insect and Disease Management Schedule 2017 and Management of Mummy Berry Disease in Highbush Blueberry