This is our first Monilinia update for this year.
We are starting to see buds swelling and some F2 buds
are appearing in some early fields.
I have a report from fields in Queens County and the percentage
of F2 is around 10%. Other fields I visited near the Truro area are not quite
at the F2 stage but starting to see buds swelling and close to opening. In
those fields I visited, they were at less than 5% F2.
Figure
2. 1st Monilinia Update for Nova Scotia- April 16, 2021Table 1. 1st Monilinia
Update for Nova Scotia- April 16, 2021
|
Wild blueberry production
regions, NS |
The average percentage
of floral buds at F2 or beyond |
|
|
|
|
South West Nova
Scotia |
|
|
Queens |
10% |
|
|
|
|
Hants County |
NA |
|
|
|
|
Halifax County |
NA |
|
|
|
|
Guysborough
County |
NA |
|
|
|
|
Colchester
County |
< 5% |
|
|
|
|
Cumberland
County |
NA |
|
|
|
|
Pictou and
Antigonish Counties |
NA |
|
|
|
|
Cape Breton |
NA |
*If you would like to share information with me about the
blueberry plant growth stage in your areas, please contact me at 902-890-0472
or email me, hlyu@perennia.ca.
I appreciate your information.
General information about Monilinia disease and management.
It is important to monitor plant development stages in
your fields, especially if this disease has occurred in your fields previously.
I encourage growers to go out to the fields and see how floral buds are
developing.
When looking at fruit buds do not count obviously dead
fruit buds. To do that, you can walk your fields in a “W” pattern and collect
20-30 stems randomly. From those collected stems, count the total number of
floral buds and the number of buds at the F2 stage or beyond. You can simply
dive the number of F2 buds by the total number and times 100. This would give you
the % of F2. Please don’t count obviously dead floral buds.
For monilinia to infect blueberry plants, there should
have mummy berry spores, blueberry buds at a susceptible stage (F2 and above)
and an infection period of long enough wet period and temperature. Only treat
for Monillinia when blueberry buds are at least at 40% and before the next
forecasted wet period.
For products to prevent monilinia infection, please refer
to Perennia’s updated pest management guide for wild blueberry (2021): https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Wild-Blueberry-WEED-INSECT-DISEASE-GUIDE-2021-WEB.pdf.
Please check with your processors or buys to see what products are allowable in
their markets.
Resources:
Monilinia Blight of Lowbush Blueberry: https://cdn.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/images/sites/wild-blueberry/pdfs/Monilinia_Blight_Lowbush_Blueberry.pdf
Forecasting Mummyberry Fungus Infection: https://extension.umaine.edu/blueberries/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2010/06/mummyberry-forecasting-handout.pdf
The next update will be on Friday, April 23.