Overview of Blueberry Diseases: Dept. Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences Michigan State University

Overview of
blueberry
diseases
Annemiek Schilder
Dept. Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences

Michigan State University
Blueberry production in Michigan
– 20,000 acres of highbush
blueberry
– Average of 100 million lbs

produced over past 5 years,
which is 27% of total U.S.
production
– Value: US$ 100-165 million
– 1/3 handpicked, 2/3

mechanically harvested
Plant pathogens
• Fungi
• Bacteria
• Viruses
• Nematodes
Mummy berry
Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi
Mummified berries Shoot strike with Spores produced

produce “trumpets” “oakleaf” pattern on main leaf vein
in spring
Bees transfer spores to flowers
P. Oudemans, Rutgers Univ.
Flower strike
Fungus grows inside fruit
Mummy berry
Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi
Infected berries mummify and fall to the ground

where they overwinter
Mummy berry facts
• A problem in wet sites or near woods; the
disease can spread from wild blueberries
• Up to 60% yield loss possible; there
is also a zero tolerance in processed fruit
• 50-57ºF optimal for mummy germination, which is
synchronized with development of host
• Spring frosts increase risk of shoot strikes
• Long bloom period and good pollinating weather

increase fruit infection risk
Phomopsis twig blight
Phomopsis vaccinii
Twig and
blossom blight,
dying fruit
clusters
Spores are produced in
bleached areas and are
dispersed by rain splash
Phomopsis canker
Phomopsis vaccinii
Cane collapse in
Cankers on canes
mid-summer
Phomopsis leaf spot and fruit rot
Phomopsis spore
droplets on fruit
Phomopsis leaf postharvest
spot Phomopsis fruit rot
leads to soft berries
and berry splitting
Phomopsis facts
• The disease is often introduced

with the planting material
• Rainy seasons are conducive to
infection and spread
• Fungus can infect young canes and twigs directly
but needs wounds to enter older wood
• Most infections occur in spring and early summer,
role of frost and herbicides unclear
• A hard winter or drought stress may exacerbate
symptoms
Botryosphaeria stem blight
Botryosphaeria dothidea, B. ribis, and other species
Botryosphaeria stem blight
facts
• Primary disease limiting establishment
of blueberry plantings in SE US
• Fungus enters the plant through wounds
(mechanical, insect, freeze injury)
• Disease causes rapid death of canes, especially
in 1- and 2-year-old plantings
• Most infections occur early in the growing season,
but infection can take place year-round
• The disease also occurs in other wild and
cultivated hosts, e.g., holly, blackberry, willow
Bacterial blight/canker
Pseudomonas syringae
Facts about bacterial canker
• Cold, rainy weather and spring frosts in early
promote disease development
• Bacteria are dispersed by rain and enter the plant

via wounds
• 1-year-old canes and twigs are most susceptible
• Late-season applications of nitrogen may delay

hardening off of plants and promote fall infection in
the Pacific Northwest
• Bacteria can be spread via pruning shears

Botrytis blight/gray mold
Botrytis cinerea
Twig blight
Leaf blight
Spores on blighted
blossoms are
dispersed by wind
Botrytis Facts
• Botrytis promoted by
extended cool, wet periods
• Botrytis has a wide host

range and spores are
common in the air Post-harvest fruit rot
• Fungus overwinters in infected plant parts,

and produces spores on dead plant material
• Botrytis also a common cause of post-harvest

fruit rot
Phytophthora root rot
Phytophthora cinnamomi
Yellow/red leaves
Wilting, defoliation, and plant death
Small root system

Phytophthora root rot
Phytophthora cinnamomi
Oospores develop in infected Oospores release

roots and can survive in the swimming spores
soil for more than 10 years (zoospores) which
infect roots
Phytophthora root rot facts
• Disease is promoted by rainy periods
resulting in standing water in the field
and heavy soils with poor drainage
• Old bark beds also can harbor the disease
• Oospores can survive in the soil for more than 10

years
• The disease can spread via movement of soil from

infested fields, with run-off water, on equipment
and boots, and via infected planting material
Armillaria root rot Armillaria mellea
Black, shoelace-like
strands under bark
Cane death,
stunting of bush
White hyphal
mats below
bark at crown Mushrooms at base
Armillaria root rot facts
• Planting at a site of a cleared

orchard or oak forest with a
history of the disease can lead
to infection
• The fungus spreads by root-to-root contact and

can survive for many years on old stumps and
roots in the soil
• Armillaria root rot may also spread via wood

chips from trees that died of the disease
Crown gall Agrobacterium tumefaciens
Galls on blueberry canes

can disrupt sap flow and Bacteria enter the plant
can weaken or kill canes through wounds
Facts about crown gall
• Crown gall bacteria may be present
in the soil or infected planting
material
• Wounding of plants (freezing injury,
mechanical injury) promotes the
disease
• Once the plant is infected, it continues to
make galls
• Usually a problem in planting beds but
less so in the field
Leaf rust
Thekopsora minima
Necrotic lesions on upper

leaf surface and orange
pustules on lower surface
Leaf rust facts
• Alternate host for stem rust is hemlock tree
(Tsuga spp.) which is the source of new infections
in early summer
• In warm climates, leaf rust survives on evergreen
blueberry leaves
• Repeating cycles of infection (from blueberry to

blueberry) can lead to premature defoliation
• Infection is favored by temperatures above 68ºF

prolonged leaf wetness – incubation period
is 10 days
Powdery mildew Microsphaera vaccinii
Powdery mildew facts
• Powdery mildew is promoted by warm summers

with limited rain and high relative humidity
• In blueberries, powdery mildew is mostly present

on the lower leaf surface in contrast with other
plants
• The fungus overwinters on infected

leaves and probably in bark
• Powdery mildew usually is of

no concern and growers do not spray for it
Leaf spots of blueberries
Gloeosporium leaf
spot (G. minus)
Septoria leaf spot

(S. albopunctata)
Leaf spot facts
• Leaf spot diseases are widespread
in the southern United states
• Infections occur mostly on immature leaves and

may take up to 4 weeks to become visible
• Most leaf spots appear mid- to late season and

are favored by wet weather
• Spores are rain-splash dispersed and the fungi
overwinter in infected leaves
• Don’t confuse with spray injury

Post-harvest fruit rots of blueberries
Colletotrichum Alternaria Botrytis
Phomopsis Aspergillus Pestalotia

Post-harvest fruit rots of blueberries
Epicoccum Hainesia Sphaeropsis
Aureobasidium (yeast) Rhizopus Penicillium

Anthracnose fruit rot
Colletotrichum acutatum, C. gloeosporioides
Rotting berries with orange

spore masses in the field
Anthracnose fruit rot
Spores produced in blisters
Spore masses on
Spores are dispersed by rain dead twig in spring
Anthracnose fruit rot facts
• Most cultivars susceptible
• Promoted by warm, rainy weather

and frequent overhead irrigation
• Berries are susceptible at all stages of

development
• Fungus overwinters in infected twigs and bud
scales
• Berries can also be infected by contact with

infected berries during harvesting and processing
Alternaria fruit rot Alternaria tenuissima
Alternaria leaf spot

Spores on rotting (not very common)
fruit are dispersed
by wind
Post-harvest fruit rot
Alternaria fruit rot facts
• Very common post-harvest
rot
• Cool, rainy weather during

fruit development promotes
infection
• Fungus survives and produces spores on dead
plant material, spores very common in air once
fruit starts to ripem
• Large wet stem scars predispose berries to

infection
Virus and virus-like diseases
Blueberry mosaic
Blueberry shoestring (Blueberry mosaic virus)
(Blueberry shoestring virus)
Red ringspot
(Blueberry red
ringspot virus)
Tomato
ringspot
(Tomato ringspot
virus) Blueberry stunt
(Blueberry stunt
phytoplasma)
Blueberry scorch
(Blueberry scorch virus)
Blueberry shock
(Blueberry shock virus)
What is a virus?
Genetic material
(DNA or RNA)
Virus shapes
(under electron
microscope)
Protein coat
Infection Plant cell
process
DNA Cell
Plant virus or Protein machinery
RNA coat
Cell
machinery
Virus becomes
systemic in plant
Role of vectors in transmission of viruses
from plant to plant
Dagger nematode (Xiphinema),

vector of tobacco ringspot virus
Blueberry aphid, vector of

blueberry shoestring virus
Sharpnosed leafhopper,
vector of blueberry stunt
phytoplasma
Virus disease facts
• Viruses are systemic in plants
• Vegetative propagation main

means of virus spread!
• Over time, viruses can stunt growth,
reduce yield, and kill plants
• Viruses can spread within and between

fields, especially when vectors are abundant
• Cool springs often result in more symptom

expression
Plant parasitic nematodes
Pratylenchus, Meloidogyne,
Xiphinema, Trichodorus, etc.
Stylet
Galls on roots
Nematode eggs
Facts about plant-parasitic nematodes
• Feed on roots externally or internally
and cause root lesions, stunting, galls
• Can swim short distances and prefer
sandy soils
• Spread via soil, water, equipment,
and plant material
• Usually do not cause much damage in blueberry
plantings but may be a problem in nursery beds
• Some nematodes are virus vectors (e.g.,
Xiphinema spp.) and can therefore be damaging
in low numbers

Overview of Blueberry Diseases: Dept. Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences Michigan State University

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Overview of

Dept. Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences

– Average of 100 million lbs

– Value: US$ 100-165 million

– 1/3 handpicked, 2/3

Mummified berries Shoot strike with Spores produced

P. Oudemans, Rutgers Univ.

Infected berries mummify and fall to the ground

• Long bloom period and good pollinating weather

• The disease is often introduced

• Bacteria are dispersed by rain and enter the plant

• 1-year-old canes and twigs are most susceptible

• Late-season applications of nitrogen may delay

• Bacteria can be spread via pruning shears

• Botrytis has a wide host

• Fungus overwinters in infected plant parts,

• Botrytis also a common cause of post-harvest

Wilting, defoliation, and plant death

Small root system

Oospores develop in infected Oospores release

• Old bark beds also can harbor the disease

• Oospores can survive in the soil for more than 10

• The disease can spread via movement of soil from

• Planting at a site of a cleared

• The fungus spreads by root-to-root contact and

• Armillaria root rot may also spread via wood

Galls on blueberry canes

Necrotic lesions on upper

• Repeating cycles of infection (from blueberry to

• Infection is favored by temperatures above 68ºF

• Powdery mildew is promoted by warm summers

• In blueberries, powdery mildew is mostly present

• The fungus overwinters on infected

• Powdery mildew usually is of

Septoria leaf spot

• Infections occur mostly on immature leaves and

• Most leaf spots appear mid- to late season and

• Don’t confuse with spray injury

Colletotrichum Alternaria Botrytis

Phomopsis Aspergillus Pestalotia

Epicoccum Hainesia Sphaeropsis

Aureobasidium (yeast) Rhizopus Penicillium

Rotting berries with orange

Spores produced in blisters

• Promoted by warm, rainy weather

• Berries are susceptible at all stages of

• Berries can also be infected by contact with

Alternaria leaf spot

• Cool, rainy weather during

• Large wet stem scars predispose berries to

Dagger nematode (Xiphinema),

Blueberry aphid, vector of

• Vegetative propagation main

• Viruses can spread within and between

• Cool springs often result in more symptom

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