Assessing foliar fungicide mobility and persistence in wild blueberries

Foliar diseases in the vegetative year such as Sphaerulina leaf spot, leaf rust and Valdensia leaf spot pose problems to wild blueberry growers in Atlantic Canada. The pathogens that cause foliar disease infect the leaf tissue and create chlorotic or necrotic areas that prevent the plant from photosynthesizing. When a plant cannot photosynthesize, it is unable to create sufficient amounts of carbohydrates required to produce blueberries, ultimately reducing harvestable yields. Fungicides are a chemical control option that growers can use to prevent foliar diseases. To date no research has been conducted on the mobility and persistence of foliar fungicides used on wild blueberry. The purpose of this project is to determine, 1) which fungicides have the greatest trans cuticular movement, allowing for increase mobility, 2) how do these fungicides move within the leaf tissue, and 3) how long do fungicides persist in the leaf tissue. A combination of field trials and laboratory experiments will be used to answer these questions. The findings of this project will be used to make recommendations to growers and guide future research to better understand the mechanisms for increased fungicide efficacy.

Faculty Supervisor:

David Percival

Student:

Partner:

Bragg Lumber Company Limited

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Agriculture and Food; Sustainability & the Environment; Environmental Science and Technology

University:

Dalhousie University

Program: