Additional fungicides are available for management of Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot disease in strawberries. According to University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Strawberry Blog, Rhyme and Tilt, which are DMI fungicides, provide some suppression of the disease. It is not as much as Thiram and Switch but it’s better than nothing.
“If the disease is confirmed, I would consider adding one or the other of these DMI fungicides to your arsenal,” University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Fruit Disease Specialist Phil Brannen said in the blog post.
Early incorporation of fungicides is encouraged if the disease is observed.
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. It 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.