Crop development is moving along rapidly as we approach the end of the first week of July. There is a lot of blue showing up in the crop fields, which is early for this time of year. There's a good chance harvest will be earlier than normal.
With the early projected harvest it will be improtant to get leaf rust controls on within the next two to three weeks so farmers can get the tractor cleaned up and the harvesters mounted before harvest.
Typically, Bravo and/or Proline applications are made in late July but with the early season this should be moved ahead a bit.
These controls are particularly important if you have fields with a history of early leaf drop in the fall. This is often due to leaf rust infestations. The Bravo and/or Proline application will cause some reduction in other diseases, but it's major target is controlling leaf rust which will help keep leaves on the plant later into the fall.
Refer to the the link below for the Insect and Disease Management Guide for application rates.
Wild Blueberry Insect and Disease Guide
Remember the WBPANS field day is on Saturday July 21st, in Debert
