Developing Damage and Economic Thresholds for Foliar Disease Management in Perennial Plantings of Strawberry

ReportLeaf spot, leaf blight, and leaf scorch are foliar diseases of strawberry commonly found in perennial plantings throughout North America. These diseases are suspected to adversely affect yield, winter hardiness, and the overall production life of a planting. A three year study was implemented to determine to what extent these diseases impact yield and the production life of a planting, and to define when it is economically feasible to manage them. The first year of the study focused on: 1) Gathering baseline yield data in established plots in Ithaca, NY; 2) Creating a disease gradient across these plots so that we may effectively study how disease impacts yield over the production life of the planting; 3) Establishing a ½ acre strawberry planting in Geneva, NY with varieties that are differentially susceptible to the diseases under study; and 4) Developing and refining experimental procedures to look at the effects of disease under experimental conditions