How to prevent and control blueberry mummy berry? A full breakdown of practical methods

Blueberries have extremely high nutritional value and are very popular among consumers on the market, but mummy berry is one of the most serious diseases commonly occurring during cultivation. It can severely affect blueberry yields and cause relatively large economic losses for farmers. So what causes blueberry mummy berry? And how should it be prevented and controlled? Let's take a detailed look together.

1. Symptoms of mummy berry

Mummy berry is a disease caused by fungi. In the early stages of onset, mature fungal spores germinate on the surface of new leaves or flowers, and hyphae develop in the surface cells of the flowers and leaves, causing the cells to rupture and die, which leads to sudden wilting and browning of leaves, buds, flowers and other parts. After about a period of time, the fungal spores produce a powdery substance that covers the leaves, stems and styles, and at the same time spreads to flowers that have already opened for secondary transmission, ultimately causing the fruit to wilt, lose water, dry out and become mummified.

2. Patterns of onset

After overwintering, if fallen mummified fruit on the ground is not cleaned up in time, its spores will germinate again and cause repeated infection the following year. The occurrence of mummy berry is related to climate and variety. It is severe in regions with abundant rain in early spring and high temperatures, and is more severe in regions with long periods of low winter temperatures. The degree of onset varies among different varieties. Some varieties have weaker disease resistance and are extremely susceptible when the disease occurs, while some varieties have strong disease resistance and are not easily infected.

3. Prevention and control methods

First of all, choose varieties with strong disease resistance for planting to reduce the chance of infection. Before overwintering, do a good job of clearing the orchard, and burn or deeply bury fallen leaves and fruit in the orchard in a centralized manner to reduce pathogens and lower the possibility of onset. Shallow plowing and applying fertilizer before flowering in spring can reduce the occurrence of the disease. When the disease occurs, promptly remove diseased leaves or diseased flowers to prevent the condition from continuing to spread, and spraying chemicals can also be used for prevention. Spraying urea solution in early spring will reduce the incidence rate, and spraying azinphos-methyl before flowering can prevent the plants from being affected, with an effectiveness rate of over 90%.

The above is an introduction to blueberry mummy berry prevention and control methods. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.