ISHS Acta Horticulturae 446: VI International Symposium on Vaccinium Culture
PREDICITING BLUEBERRY STEM BLIGHT IN NEW PLANTINGS |
| Author: | W.O. Cline |
| Keywords: | Botryosphaeria dothidea, Vaccinium, highbush, rabbiteye |
| Abstract:
Stem blight caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea was observed to occur more often on large, overly-vigorous bushes than on smaller bushes in a field of ‘Reveille’ southern highbush blueberries planted 2 yr previously. This field had a high soil organic content (5–10%) and larger bushes had cold injury on succulent basal shoots. Cold injury was correlated to bush size when a survey revealed that areas with bushes below 75 cm in height and with 10 or fewer main shoots had a 1% stem blight incidence, compared to 13.8% for larger bushes. At another location, cold injury was observed on 30% of bushes, and treatments applied in December 1996 included 1) removal of cold-damaged basal shoots, 2) removal and use of an asphalt-based tree wound spray, 3) removal of basal shoots and cold-damaged stem tips and 4) untreated control. Stem blight incidence the following July was 11, 13, 11 and 16%, respectively. The stem blight fungus was also isolated from necrotic, herbicide-injured ‘Premier’ stems and from necrotic tissue on rooted hardwood cuttings grown in the greenhouse for 6 months. | |
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