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  • Spider mites may may seem insignifigant but they can cause extensive damage and reduce yields if not caught early in the season.

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  • The link to the article below provides the best synopsis to date of information on Neopestalotiopsis and its management. It is a very discouraging disease, but every effort should be made to keep from spreading it from one location to another.

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  • Dr. Natalia Peres (University of Florida) shared some additional information with me concerning possible fungicides to use in rotation with Switch and Thiram. Keep in mind that none of these fungicides are providing great control of this disease, but they are providing increased yields by comparison to untreated plots. Rhyme and Tilt (DMI fungicides) are…

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  • A lab in Florida has confirmed that the Neopestalotiopsis we are observing in the one Georgia site mentioned in the last post is in fact the pathogenic strain. This matches the fact that the disease has spread rapidly in the field and is causing significant damage. Again, be on the lookout for this disease —…

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  • We do now have one likely site with Neopestalotiopsis in Georgia strawberries. We had several sites that were decimated by this disease last year, but this is the first for this year. Symptoms and presumptive spores of the pathogen are showing up in this site, and the plants were obtained from a nursery in Canada…

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  • See below for information on a webinar at 7:00 p.m. EST on April 22, 2021. This is being developed by the National Strawberry Growers Association.

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  • There is at least anecdotal evidence that this new pathogen of strawberries can be moved from field to field on farm equipment (possibly by laborers as well). Keep this in mind as we move forward. Washing equipment (soap and water) after use in a field with Neopestalotiopsis may or may not be sufficient to kill…

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  • As an update to my previous posts on this new disease of strawberry, there is now an additional nursery implicated in the spread of Neopestalotiopsis. This nursery, located in Canada, received plants from the one North Carolina nursery that is the original source of this pathogen. This Canada nursery has also been identified as a…

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  • What a difference a month can make. One month ago, I reported that we were not seeing major issues with Neopestalotiopsis, the new disease of strawberries that has caused headaches for Florida strawberry production. Unfortunately, just as in Florida, the more aggressive form of Neopestalotiopsis is causing damage on strawberry farms in several southern Georgia…

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  • I am still not hearing of major issues yet with the new Neopestolotiopsis pathogen and disease of strawberries in Georgia — not yet anyway. However, the article in the link below presents a pretty dire picture for Florida strawberries. Be vigilant and let your county agent know if you are having any issues with disease…

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