Observations taken from Waterville to
Aylesford:
Apothecia that emerged
at the beginning of the week are looking aged due to the dry conditions but are
still active.
New apothecia have also emerged and are active.
The
weather has been cool this week so bud development has been variable between
sites and very dependent on microclimates. Be sure to compare
development on your own farm.
Early varieties (Duke) - 20-40% F2 stage
Mid-season Varieties
(Draper, Bluegold)- 20% F2 stage
Late Varieties (Burlington, Liberty) - 0-14% F2 stage
Spray timings should target 40% of
buds at F2 stage with active apothecia to give fungicide coverage through
periods of free moisture.
The weather forecast continues to predict dry weather until
the middle of next week, so the risk of infection remains low.
Growers are urged to pay attention to the weather forecast and if
rain is forecast the risk of infection can quickly change to high, in which case, fungicides should be applied before the rain event.
