By Clint Thompson
The serious threat of Neopestalotiopsis disease in strawberry plants this fall means growers need to be aware of the management options at their disposal.
Natalia Peres, professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, discussed the available options for producers who risked this year’s crop by planting potentially infected plug plants.
“We do know about some sprays that will minimize the loss. They’re not perfect, but Switch, Thiram and some DMI fungicides like Rhyme, they have shown to give some suppression of the disease. I say suppression because it’s not really like control. It gives some suppression so they can harvest something,” Peres said.
Alarm Bells
Phil Brannen, University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist, cautioned growers in August about the high potential risk for Neopestalotiopsis with plants originating from Prince Edward Island. He noted that nurseries canceled orders and advised plug plant growers and producers to take plants at their own risk.
Peres stressed that other factors are at play that will determine the severity of Neopestalotiopsis’ impact. This includes weather conditions and specific cultivars.
“If they’re taking a cultivar that’s highly susceptible and infected, the loss is going to be much higher than if it’s a cultivar that can tolerate a little bit more. We know a lot more now about cultivar susceptibility. If they know the plants from that nursery are infected but if they’re taking plants from a cultivar that is not as susceptible then the loss might not be as big as if they’re taking a highly susceptible cultivar from a nursery that has infected plants,” Peres said.
Neopestalotiopsis causes leaf spots on strawberry plants. It develops quickly and produces spores on the leaves. It can cause severe leaf spotting and fruit rot under favorable weather conditions.