The information and recommendations in this newsletter are applicable to North Carolina and may not apply in other areas.
The information and recommendations in this newsletter are applicable to North Carolina and may not apply in other areas.
From: Tom Melton, Extension Plant Pathologist
Tom Kucharek, Plant Pathologist, reports blue mold in Florida. The only product we have labeled for blue mold in greenhouses in Dithane DF at 0.5 pound per 100 gallons of spray. It must be used as a preventive. It is relatively cheap, even when sprayed at the recommended 10-day interval. Growers do not need as much spray volume for Dithane as other fungicides they may have used because the intent is to cover the leaves, not necessarily wet the media. Check out the following web site for everything you want to know about blue mold, including forecasts, diagnosis, and control: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/bluemold/. These new Florida sources have not yet been incorporated into the forecasts. So be sure to check the forecasts closely over the next few days. If any show spores coming your way, I would recommend the preventive Dithane DF sprays.
The following report was provided by Tom Kucharek:
"Blue mold was present in plant beds on three of the three farms visited this morning in northern Alachua County. One plant bed on one of the farms had an infection center that was likely active two or more weeks ago. Yellowed plants were thought by some of the growers to be associated with nutrient related problems and thus the earlier activity of blue mold was not reported until yesterday to Bill Brown, our local Extension agent with responsibility. He immediately visited the one farm that reported the presence of blue mold and confirmed it. He and I expanded the search area slightly and found it on the three farms we visited this morning. It is not reported in any other area in Florida at this time, but I suspect that it is present in other areas at this time. I will send more updates as I become aware of pertinent information. On another note, tomato spotted wilt has been found in one plant bed in Columbia County."
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Last modified on March 22, 2000 by Stephen J. Toth, Jr.