More Diseases!
 

You may have noticed that many of our trees are showing signs of leaf diseases.  At this point in the growing season the trees can completely lose their leaves and still survive.  The reason we have started seeing leaf spots, blotches and blights is the continued wet weather.  It is not recommended to spray anything at this time, but home owners can reduce the amount of inoculum over-wintering by raking up the leaves and compost in an active compost pile or take them to the landfill.  The Norway maple has shown to be very susceptible to a leaf disease called anthracnose.  This tree has been planted in the landscape but has revealed itself to be an invasive weed tree.  The Norway Maple produces a prolific amount of seeds each year and many germinate and will compete aggressively with our native tree species.

Low bush blueberry producers are on the lookout for a leaf disease that could be spread to their whole field during harvest if not managed properly.  The spots of Valdensinia are typically round, large, and brown, and can have a bull’s-eye appearance. Leaves can have from 1 to about 10 spots that can be from an eighth- to a half-inch and larger. These spots rapidly enlarge on the leaves and can spread from stem to stem within a few days. Young leaves drop off when infected by only one spot and while still green. Stems can have complete leaf drop or only have a few infected leaves at the top of the stem. Older infected leaves will remain on the plant until leaf drop in the fall. In pruned fields, stems with complete leaf drop will not produce flower buds for the next year. Crop fields with leaf drop will have decreased yields and smaller berries. The fallen infected leaves are the source of new spores to cause more infections.

Please contact Seanna Annis or Dave Yarborough at the Blueberry Hotline (800-897-0757) if you suspect you have the Valdensinia Blueberry disease in your field or if you have any questions.

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