5.05.16 Another Mummy Berry Infection Event, Night of May 5 to May 6
We had another mummy berry infection period in most areas where we have weather stations. All locations EXCEPT Waldoboro and Searsport had an infection period that started around Thursday, May 5 and extended to Friday, May 6. The infection period started on Thursday, May 5 between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. in all locations. With this cool weather, I expect the cups are hanging on through the weekend at least.
If you have applied fungicides after April 26 to April 29 (ten to seven days before this infection period), your plants were probably protected through this Thursday to Friday infection period. If you have not applied fungicides, you have up to 72 hours after the infection period start, which is the evening of Sunday, May 8, to apply fungicides with kickback activity (fenbuconazole or propiconazole) to protect your plants. If you are applying a second (or third) application of fungicide, it would be good to rotate to a fungicide with a different mode of action or at least a different chemical to avoid fungicide resistance developing in your field.
Please let me know what your mummy berry plot is doing since we are coming close to the end of the season.
Contact info: sannis@maine.edu or the Blueberry Hotline 800.897.0757 (in Maine)
Thank you, Seanna Annis