Hello,
everyone
I have received
some notes from growers to inform me that this year’s yield
looks promising. We have been getting all the positive growing conditions since
the beginning of this production season. We have decent bloom and great flying
weather for bees. Many areas in the province are in the middle of the petal
fall (pinhead) stage and a small percentage of early green fruits (5-10%).
Figure 1 is a good example to show the average wild blueberry crop stages in
the province.
If you
like to share your observations from your fields, please call or text Hugh at 902-890-0472
or email: hlyu@perennia.ca.
Have a
great week.
Hugh
Figure 1. Wild blueberry petal fall
(pin head) and early green fruits.
GDD Updates_ April 1- June 10
Figure 2. GDD Summary, April 1-
June 10
Botrytis Blight Infection Report- June 10.
This year’s
bloom period was significantly dryer than the 2023 season. We didn’t get any concerning
spring frost during the bloom period. The botrytis infection level in crop
fields was significantly lower than last year from my initial field observation.
There was minimal Botrytis infection in dry fields and fields with fungicide
application in proper timing, as well as sheep sorrel and goldenrod-free
fields. In fields with wet conditions (including wet spots in fields, located
in a wet area or close to the coastal line) and weed infestations from sheep
sorrel, goldenrods, and other flowering plants, still show Botrytis infection symptoms.
This is an early assessment of this year’s Botrytis blight infection.
Figure 3
is a Botrytis infection symptom photo from our research plot taken this year.
Figure 3. Botrytis Blight Infection
on Wild Blueberry Blossoms from a Research Plot (Photo Credit: Sarah Schaefer).