According to The Packer, “Growing organic strawberries has never been easy for Florida farmers, but the task got a lot more challenging in late December, when a fungus called Pestalotiopsis took hold in some of the state’s berry fields.” Their article from earlier this week noted that the growth of the fungus exploded during Christmas week, when the wet and warm weather created ideal conditions for it to develop and expand. At this time it is not known if the fungus will be able to survive past April when the season ends, but the fungus has the ability to jump to other plant species where it can shelter until the next season, so farmers will be watching for it very carefully. You can read more here.
