It has been almost 30 days since we have had appreciable rainfall across much of the blueberry growing region in southern Georgia. While most locations in the southern half of the state are not technically in a “drought” (see https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/), it has certainly been dry for the past month. (At…
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Georgia blueberry growers are invited to attend an upcoming Blueberry Fruit Quality Webinar on Thursday, October 13th @ 7PM. Members of the UGA Extension Blueberry Team including Dr. Jonathan Oliver, Dr. Zilfina Rubio Ames, and Dr. Angelos Deltsidis will provide a brief overview of factors affecting blueberry fruit quality, highlight…
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University of Georgia Extension and the Southern Region Small Fruit Consortium hosted the first Blueberry IPM Academy for county and area extension professionals in the southeastern U.S. during fall 2021. This event featured presentations by blueberry extension specialists from the Southeast on numerous topics including: Cultural Practices and Fertility, Harvesting…
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Following the damage to blueberries in Georgia caused by recent freezes, the threat exists for subsequent damage from fungal pathogens. On tissues already damaged by the freezes, two fungal pathogens of particular concern are Botrytis and Botryosphaeria. BotrytisThe fungus Botrytis cinerea causes Botrytis flower blight and fruit rot on blueberry. Cold-damaged blooms,…
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While the upcoming forecasted freeze event is understandably foremost on the minds of those connected to the Georgia blueberry industry right now, diseases associated with bloom remain a concern. Many growers in the southern region of Georgia have initiated sprays for mummy berry disease already, but growers who haven’t already…
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Current Situation Wet weather across Georgia’s blueberry production belt during 2021 has led to some usual and some unusual disease issues in recent months. Through mid-September, 2021 rainfall in Alma, Georgia is running about 12 inches above normal, and rainfall in Homerville, Georgia is over 16 inches above normal….
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A new bulletin on blueberry propagation from UGA Cooperative Extension has recently been published. In this bulletin, authors Haralson, Brannen, and Oliver present a set of best practices for blueberry propagation that will help to minimize losses and improve the quality of plants produced. The bulletin is available through UGA…
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Recent warmer, damp weather has led blueberry growers in the southern region of Georgia to initiate sprays for mummy berry disease. According to the mummy berry model developed by Dr. Harald Scherm (UGA), there is a HIGH RISK for mummy berry disease initiation in southern Georgia as of February 15th, 2021. Growers…
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By: Jonathan E. Oliver (UGA Fruit Pathologist), James Jacobs (UGA County Extension Coordinator, Pierce, Charlton, and Brantley Counties), Zack Williams (UGA County Extension Agent, Bacon County), Renee Holland (UGA Area Extension Agent – Commercial Blueberry) Background Anthracnose fruit rot of blueberry is caused by the fungi Colletotrichum acutatum and Colletotrichum…
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In conventional blueberry production, fungicides are frequently used to manage blueberry diseases. Unfortunately, as a result of repeated fungicide usage, the fungi targeted by these chemicals can develop resistance to specific fungicide modes of action. This ultimately can make these fungicides less effective for disease management. To reduce the chances…
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