The warm weather has definitely taken many growers by surprise, with floral bud break on the Bluetta variety of blueberries already occurring. We’re getting many calls and emails asking:
“Are apothecia present yet? And should I be spraying?!”
Our field was checked on Monday of this week (2/23/15) and NO apothecia are present yet.
Image by Jade Florence. Mummies overwintering.
We’re still waiting on vegetative bud break, which is when apothecia develop. I’ll be checking the field again tomorrow (February 27, 2015) and will post pictures of bud break on both Bluettas and Berkeleys, along with more images of mummies in the field to give you an idea of what’s happening in Corvallis, Oregon.
In the meantime, if you want to know what stage your mummies are at, check out the Multimedia tab at the top of the page for a video about scouting for mummy berry in your fields!
Below is a list of the mummy berry stages you’re likely to see at this time of year
Stipe initial noun a hardened protrusion that grows from the pseudosclerotium (mummy) and serves as the foundation of the apothecium (mushroom or fungal fruiting body)
Image by Jade Florence. Pseudosclerotia that lack a stipe initial are less of a threat than those that have germinated. Mummies must have a stipe initial in order to produce an apothecium.
Image by Jade Florence. A pseudosclerotium that is at the “germination” stage. Stipe initials are up to 4.9mm long.
Image by Jade Florence. A pseudosclerotium at the “emergence” stage. This stage follows “germination” and is characterized by stipe initials from 5mm up to 15mm typically.
Image by Jade Florence. Apothecia (fungal fruiting bodies) are produced coinciding with blueberry vegetative bud break.
As usual, if you have any questions or concerns, leave a comment below. Cheers!
