4.09.12 Mummy Berry Forecast: Monday, April 9
By Seanna Annis
Lincoln and Knox Counties
There were borderline conditions for an infection period in the Appleton and Liberty area. The leaf wetness was almost long enough to provide an infection period but was short approximately ½ hour. In a wet field in Liberty, mummy berry pinheads were seen on Thursday. Plants in the area were susceptible, BUT I think it unlikely there was an infection period in the Liberty and Appleton area on Sunday night. There were minimal conditions for infection with cups only just getting started to produce spores, and borderline conditions for the fungus to get into the plants.
Wet fields south of these areas may have had cups open by this weekend, and so may have experienced an infection period. I do not have any growers in that area monitoring mummy berry plots so I can only speculate.
Waldo and Southern Hancock and Penobscot Counties
Most fields have not shown any cups or even pinheads by this past weekend, which is probably due to the dry conditions. After the rain and snow mix this weekend, I expect mummy berry cups will start to appear in other fields. In Appleton, a pinhead was just starting this morning (Monday) after seeing nothing before this past weekend. I expect pinheads starting in Belfast soon and then around Ellsworth.
Plants are at the susceptible stage (40% of stems with crown flower buds) in many of the fields in these areas.
Northern Hancock and Washington Counties
Plant flower buds are just starting to swell. Plants seen on Friday and Saturday were not at the susceptible stage with only the earliest clones with flowers at F1 (just opening of bud scales).
No cups have been seen in these areas.