News
Diseases
Fruit
High fire blight risk for Ontario with predicted storms
Potential for thunderstorms June 10-11, 2020 have fire blight infection risk extreme across the province.
June 10, 2020 By Fruit and Vegetable
Infection risk for fire blight in apples is extreme according to the Ontario fire blight prediction maps, says Kristy Grigg-McGuffin, horticulture IPM specialist with Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).
Hot temperatures and thunderstorms are forecast in many areas across Ontario overnight on June 10 and into Thursday morning. Grigg-McGuffin writes that the unsettled weather may also bring hail, strong winds or heavy rains that could trigger trauma blight.
Grigg-McGuffin emphasizes the following for Ontario apple growers:
- Assess for damage following the storm;
- If applying an antibiotic, be mindful of pre-harvest intervals (50 days for Streptomycin and 90 days for Kasumin);
- Apply Streptomycin or copper as soon as possible after the trauma event, research suggests four to 12 hours is ideal timing.
For more, read Kristy Grigg-McGuffin’s full report here.
Print this page
