New Webinar: Pollinator-Safe Fungicides: Floral Microbial Biocontrol of Anthracnose in Blueberry

Anthracnose, also known as “ripe rot,” is a disease that is a huge threat to blueberry production because it can cause 100% yield loss. Infection happens early during the flowering phase, and the disease cannot be detected in infected plants until it is too late for treatment. This has led farmers to proactively apply fungicides at weekly intervals during the blooming season.

Pollinators are essential for blueberry pollination, and fungicides are known to affect pollinators in a number of ways. For example, fungicides have been shown to make bees both more vulnerable to toxins and more susceptible to disease. So as farmers choose to use fungicides, they are putting pollinator partners at risk and possibly impacting blueberry yields as well. Another treatment option is needed. 

This is where Dr. Caitlin Rering’s work becomes interesting. Dr. Rering’s lab has been working to identify a microbe that is already established in orchard ecosystems that can compete with and inhibit Anthracnose infection.

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