Over the past 7-10 days it has become clear that a bacterial spot epidemic is underway. It is eerily reminiscent of the epidemic of 1997, although so far it does not appear as widespread or affecting all cultivars as that year. Many blocks are dropping leaves this week, and fruit lesions are beginning to appear. Remember that it takes about a week for leaf infections to appear, and about 2 weeks for those infected leaves to start dropping. It takes about 3 weeks for those same infections to show up on the fruit. Looking back at weather records over at CoCoRaHs (choose your dates and local observations) it appears that the severe winds of May 23, and the rains over the weeks that followed set up a conducive environment for the bacteria in southern counties.  We are seeing leaf drop in many locations regardless of treatment. The coming week will tell the story of how much fruit infection there is. [Read more…]

A major rain and hail storm occurred at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Bridgeton during last Thursday evening, 22May. Hail stones the size of marbles fell for about 15 minutes. [Read more…]