FORECAST SUMMARY: Wednesday, July 25:
*** Forecast are abbreviated today. A weather synopsis / disease development summary follows. Selected trajectories from the various source areas are given below.
*** Disease Update *** from 23 July....Jim LaMondia has confirmed the first report of blue mold from the Connecticut River Valley in 2001. A single lesion was found in a field of shade tobacco in Hampshire County, MA, near the town of Hadley. A spray program was in effect at the time of infection and will be continued. Bill Nesmith brings us an update from the Ohio Valley. He states that blue mold activity is building fast in much of the Ohio River Valley. Damaging levels are being reported across a wide swath of northern and eastern KY.... from Owensboro east to Grayson, and from Maysville south to Jackson. Lower levels exist south of Bowling Green and Somerset, but activity is increasing rapidly in that area as well.
Eastern U. S. Weather...... A cold front lying across the upper Ohio Valley and the Northeast will move slowly southward over the next two days. Showers and thunderstorms are quite likely near the front, with a good chance of showers elsewhere. The weather in southern Canada should be unfavorable for disease development.
*** Trajectories from the source areas in the Ohio Valley will be moving generally east. Trajectories from the mountains and the east coast states will be moving generally northeast. *** The growing areas of southern Canada will be at Low Risk today and Thursday. All other growing areas in the eastern U.S. are at Strongly Moderate to HIGH Risk of disease development Wednesday and Thursday.
*** We strongly encourage growers to monitor their plants for signs of disease. Diligent scouting and prompt reporting of blue mold are essential if one wishes to derive maximum benefit from the services we provide. ***
TK
HIGH RISK areas: All growing areas of the eastern U.S. are at Strongly Moderate to High Risk today and Thursday.
Blue Mold Active in the Plant Bed and Greenhouse (click on small image for larger image)
What should one look for?
(Red = New, 1 to 7 days; Blue = Active, > 7 days; Green = Old)
Current Sources:
Previous Sources:
Papantla, Veracruz, Mexico
Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico
Uvalde, Texas
D'Hanis, Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas
Pinar del Rio, Cuba
***** NOTE: These forecasts/outlooks only apply to disease development from airborne transport of spores!!! We do not have the capability to ascertain blue mold development by other means, such as transplanting of infected seedlings, nor will we attempt to do so. Please consult the Extension Service personnel in your area if you have concerns about these matters! *****
This service is provided by the North Carolina State University departments of Plant Pathology and Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences.