The warm weather this past weekend and the last few days will have had buds develop and probably many fields have susceptible buds. I have not had reports on bud development this week, so please check your field. Mummy berry cups are probably in most regions and typically continue for at least 2 weeks after […]
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There are mummy berry (fungus name Monilinia) pinheads, developing cups, and/or active cups being produced plots have been examined in Midcoast and Downeast blueberry fields. In the fields I have reports from, the flower buds are just starting to progress into F2 (T2) stage when they look like a crown. I suggest you wait until […]
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I have reports of mummy berry cups in West Rockport, Hope, near Deblois and around the barrens. The plants were mostly in F1 but some were at F2. Please check your own field for the flower development. If you use fungicides to manage mummy berry disease, I recommend waiting until there is approximately 30 to […]
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I am looking for crop fields with red leaf disease this summer, since one of my graduate students, Nahida Kabir, will be studying red leaf disease starting this summer and continuing in the summers of 2026 and 2027. We are looking for fields affected by red leaf disease ( see pictures below) with patches of […]
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We have just started to see bud swelling in the Midcoast region. The warm weather forecast for this weekend and early next week will probably get the plant buds starting to open. We are starting to get our blueberry weather stations out and hope to have them all out over the next week or so. […]
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Join UMaine’s Wild Blueberry Team for a series of free summer events on wild blueberry field management. Highlights include sprayer calibration sessions, discussions on pest and pollinator management, and our annual Field Day at Blueberry Hill Research Farm in Jonesboro. Visit our Upcoming Events Page to view the full schedule and register. For questions, contact […]
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The Calderwood Lab has released a new fact sheet, Considerations for Solar on Wild Blueberry Land in Maine, detailing research on the feasibility of dual-use solar installations (or agrivoltaics) over Maine wild blueberry fields. While wild blueberry plants recovered well after solar installation, excessive shading significantly reduced yield, making dual-use solar unprofitable under standard industry […]
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“New” powdery mildew reports There are reports in the news of a “new” powdery mildew fungus (Erysiphe vaccinii) that is attacking blueberries around the world. The major interest in this fungus is because it has spread to countries that have recently started planting cultivated blueberries, such as China, Morocco, Peru, and Mexico. This disease is […]
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Keeping the Spirit of Maine’s Wild Blueberry Harvest Alive By Kate Olson, July/August, 2024 (Smithsonian Magazine) Kate Olson made the journey to Down East Maine last year to interview Wabanaki and migrant wild blueberry harvesters, as well as University of Maine Wild Blueberry Extension Specialist Dr. Lily Calderwood. Olson learned firsthand about the enduring traditions […]
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University of Maine awarded $3.5M for new statewide weather network By Christian Harsa, December 9, 2024 (News Center Maine) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded the lab of the University of Maine’s Extension Wild Blueberry Specialist, Dr. Lily Calderwood, a $3.5M grant to install a statewide system of advanced weather stations, News […]
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