As I mentioned in the last update, we observed plant emergence in Yarmouth County and I want to share this again to remind growers who plan to apply herbicides in sprout fields.
GDD accumulation at many stations has now exceeded 200 GDD
(check Figure 1). An additional 70 GDD is expected to accumulate by Sunday
based on current weather forecasts from Environment Canada. From the blueberry
GDD model, we can expect plant emergence starting around 270 GDD. Blueberry
emergence from cut stems (Figure 2) has already begun and sporadic emergence
from rhizomes is also being observed. Growers planning to apply herbicides that
may damage emerged blueberry stems, such as Spartan, Ignite, Velpar, or Chikara, should apply
these herbicides as soon as possible if they have not already done so.
