All
apothecia were dried up when checked this morning, at the Monilinia monitoring
sites I use in the Berwick-Aylesford area. I believe we are
past the window for Monilinia primary infection for most highbush
blueberry production areas in Nova Scotia. Most growers got through
the season with applying 2 well timed sprays for the control of Monilinia
Blight. Some early varieties, would have received three sprays, as their
infection window is slightly longer than other varieties and their development is
slowed by cooler weather.
It is important for growers to
monitor for infections in order to evaluate their Monilinia spray program so
that they can make better decisions on application timing and products in the
coming years. If primary infection has occurred, shoot, leaf and
bloom blight will show up early bloom, which may be as early as next week on
some varieties.
These blighted tissues will
produce conidia which can be moved to the flower by wind, rain splash and
pollinators. Once this secondary infection takes place Mummified fruit will
develop and drop to the ground near harvest and carry inoculum for the disease
into the next year.
This second phase of the
disease is next to impossible to control, so well timed fungicide applications
are necessary to control the primary infections.
I believe, I have a site that
will show the second phase of the disease development and will try and update
the blog with symptoms as the disease develops. By being able to recognize
infections and gauge disease pressure we will be better prepared for spring
2023.
