Project Summary

The US blueberry industry has expanded significantly since 2000 to meet consumer demand for fresh and processed blueberries. Unfortunately, Anthracnose (Colletotrichum spp.) and Botrytis fruit rots, continue to reduce fruit quality and marketable yields.

This proposal takes a multi-pronged approach to improve blueberry fruit rot management. Objective 1 will establish testing protocols for rot management and an economic analysis of disease management options.

Changes in production methods have evolved rapidly creating questions about the population structure and fungicide resistance of blueberry fruit rot pathogens. We will characterize and compare production systems across five states and decipher species complexes and presence of fungicide resistance. Production methods likely affect microbial communities. We will define the core microbiome of the blueberry carposphere and investigate the impact of fungicide programs on disease and the microbiome across five states.

Managing fungicide resistance in a perennial crop is challenging because the populations are resident and detection assays are slow and costly. We will develop rapid methods to identify fungicide resistant genotypes. Understanding the impact of fungicide resistant genotypes on fitness is key to management. We will create a series of fungicide resistant mutants to assess fitness impacts of specific mutations.

Findings from all objectives will be integrated to build the BLUE-DYNAMO website, the project centerpiece, which provides a portal for growers and field professionals to view management options, gain insights on economic effects, view population composition from different regions, and see where fungicide resistance is emerging.