By Clint Thompson
The recent revelation that Neopestalotiopsis has infected strawberry plug plants originating from nurseries in Prince Edward Island will impact Alabama producers.
Blake Thaxton, executive director of the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA), has heard various reports of the disease for the past several weeks.
“When the plug growers that are here started receiving tips, all of the alarms went off and I was getting calls. We plugged in Auburn pretty quickly and got the diagnostic lab to test some of the plant material, and they were testing positive right away,” Thaxton said. “That was a wake-up call, I feel like, for a lot of folks in the state to try to figure out how we’re going to move forward. We’re actively looking into other options for clean material in the future.”
Strawberry Blog
Phil Brannen, University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist, noted in the UGA Extension Strawberry Blog that nurseries are canceling orders or advising plug plant growers and producers to take plants at their own risk. The disease levels currently observed in nurseries will likely impact the supply of tips, and therefore, plug plants for many strawberry producers.
“I know some of the plug growers were not going to plant tips. I think the larger plug growers that are out of state were planning to move forward. They were going to clean it up the best they could, and there’s some strategies from some of the researchers like Dr. (Phil) Brannen in Georgia and Dr. (Natalia) Peres in Florida about some spray programs,” Thaxton said. “I think some of them were moving forward, even with positive plant material. I’m sure they were going to do a visual sorting to get the cleanest material they can from the tips they received.
“It’s a balancing act because the plug growers need to be supported at this time so we have them in the future. The strawberry growers that are going to be putting plants in the field have to really weigh the benefit versus the risk of bringing that disease into their farm.”
Thaxton said there will be a roundtable discussion on the disease and how to come up with clean material in the future at the annual AFVGA Conference in February.
Disease Background
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. The disease was first discovered during the 2018-19 season in five farms and was attributed to one nursery source in North Carolina.
More than 20 farms experienced the disease during the 2019-20 season. It was attributed to two nursery sources early in the season in North Carolina and Canada.