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 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.