5.19.16 Mummy Berry Season is Probably Over, Time to Look for Botrytis
Mummy Berry
I have only had reports of dried up pinheads and cups in the midcoast, and Hancock and Washington counties this week. I think the cups are done in most locations. Mummy berry season is probably over in most areas.
Botrytis
I have not heard any reports of Botrytis blossom blight this year so far. Where Botrytis infection is found in a given year is highly variable and dependent upon local inoculum in the field. In most fields, this varies every year. Fields with very heavy damage in a crop field one crop cycle may have none or very little infection two years later. Whether this fungus is a problem can be detected by looking for infection of early blooming clones from which the fungus can then be spread with wet weather to other clones. I do not recommend protective fungicide sprays for Botrytis unless you are absolutely sure you have symptoms in your field and a lot of wet weather is forecast for your field during bloom. Spraying fungicides during bloom should be avoided if at all possible.
![Botrytis blossom blight symptoms on flowers. Notice hairs sticking out of flowers.](https://extension.umaine.edu/blueberries/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2012/12/Botrytis-infected-flowers.-jpg.jpg)
Botrytis kills almost open (pink stage) and open flowers. There may be only a few flowers in a cluster or a few clusters of flowers on a stem that are infected. The characteristic sign of the fungus is black hairs (often with gray spore masses at their tips) sticking out from the dead flowers. Please see pictures.