2025

Continued Monilinia infections May 8, 2025

Mummy berry cups are still present in fields and the plants are still susceptible. There have been Monilinia infection conditions across Maine blueberry areas from Lincoln east through to Washington county. Two to three infection periods have occurred from May 4th to May 7th in all fields with reporting weather stations, and I expect the […]

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Monilinia infection periods possible later this week

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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Infection by Mummy berry fungus unlikely this weekend

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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Mummy berry season is starting

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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Looking for Red Leaf Disease in Wild Blueberries

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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Blueberry season is starting

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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Powdery Mildew in wild blueberries in Maine is NOT a new disease

“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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