ISHS Acta Horticulturae 810: IX International Vaccinium Symposium
FOLIAR DISEASE IMPACT AND POSSIBLE CONTROL STRATEGIES IN WILD BLUEBERRY PRODUCTION |
| Authors: | D.C. Percival, J.K. Dawson |
| Keywords: | Vaccinium angustifolium, Septoria spp., Thekopsora minima, disease incidence and severity, berry yield |
| Abstract:
Foliar diseases including Septoria leaf spot (Septoria sp.) and blueberry rust (Thekopsora minima) have recently been causing significant yield reductions in wild lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) production. Field trials were initiated near Debert (Nova Scotia) and Tracadie (New Brunswick) to evaluate the impact of five fungicides on the occurrence of these foliar diseases and on leaf photochemistry, yield components and harvestable yield. Five treatments consisting of chlorothalonil (Bravo®), boscalid and pyraclostrobin (Pristine™), pyraclostrobin (Cabrio™), propiconazole (Topas™), sulphur (Kumulus®) and an untreated control were used at three application timings (early August 2006, early June 2007, and both dates) and were replicated five times. Results from this study indicated that (i) disease incidence and severity were reduced with the use of Bravo®, (ii) the chlorophyll efficiency and photosynthetic rates in the Bravo® treatment were higher than the control, and (iii) an increase in floral bud number occurred with the use of Bravo® at the Debert site. Significant differences in berry yield were also found, with the Pristine™ treatment having a 13.3% greater harvestable yield than the control at the Debert site. The Bravo™ and Pristine™ treatments had 101% and 83.1% greater harvestable yields, respectively, than the control at the Tracadie site. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
