Cool Temperatures, Wet Weather Affecting Blueberry Crop
ORONO, Maine – The recent cool, wet conditions in Maine may delay the state’s blueberry crop for about a week, according to David Yarborough, University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s blueberry specialist and UMaine professor of horticulture.
Yarborough says the wet and windy conditions of May have increased the incidence of mummyberry disease and made it difficult to apply the necessary fungicides to protect the plants.
The weather conditions have also hampered pollination, Yarborough says. Maine brings about 50,000 bee hives from Southern states in order to pollinate the blueberry crop, but colder temperatures mean bees stay in their hives. A few warm days are needed for adequate pollination.
For more information or to contact Yarborough for an interview, leave a message at 581-2924 or 1-800-897-0757. Contact Jessica Bloch at 581-3777 for immediate assistance.
Contact: David Yarborough, (207) 581-2924, 1-800-897-0757 ext. 1, or davidy@maine.edu; Jessica Bloch, (207) 581-3777 or jessica.bloch@umit.maine.edu