From scouting performed Thursday April 25th, some blueberry varieties in the Annapolis Valley are approaching the F2 bud stage (bud scales are seperating in flower bud), and apothecia cups have began to develop but they are still immature (not releasing spores). So far there has not been a monilinia infection period, but if development continues at this rate there is potential for an infection period during the rain forecast for this Saturday. I will send out a blog post early next week to to confirm whether or not there was an infection period.
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| Apothecia cup from April 25,2019 |
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| Bud stage from April 25, 2019 |
As a reminder though these observation are from the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia and may not be representative of your location. Infection periods only occur when bud development has reached the F2 stage, monilinia spore cups are present, and temperature and moisture levels are ideal. Scouting for monilinia cups, and monitoring plant development and conditions in your specific field is crucial to determining when infection periods occur. For more information on this disease, checkout Management of Mummy Berry Disease in Highbush Blueberry.