*** Disease Update - 15 July *** There have been many reports of blue mold during the past week. Blue mold has been confirmed in Robeson County, NC..... Clay County in north-central TN.... Watauga, Alleghany, and Avery Counties in northwest NC.... and Dickenson and Russell Counties in extreme southwest VA. Note that most of these new reports come from the southern Appalachian Mountains, where recent weather has been favorable for disease development. For example, in the outbreak in Alleghany County, NC, 50% of the plants in a 6-acre field have active lesions, with strong sporulation occurring. Other mountain counties may also have blue mold that has not been discovered. In Kentucky.... disease activity remains very light from isolated outbreaks. The source site in Casey County will be retained in the forecasts. We add the site in north-central TN. The Jonesborough site will anchor the forecasts from the mountains. So far, reports from the mountains are clustered near the conjunction of VA, TN, and NC. If a more distant outbreak emerges from that area we will add another trajectory starting location.
***** The Weather....... in the northern sections..... scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected today in the Northeast as a cold front moves through the region. Dry conditions return on Tuesday. Partly cloudy and dry for most of the mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley regions Monday and Tuesday. To the south..... a dying cold front lies from the lower TN Valley through the Carolinas. High pressure at the surface and aloft will exert more influence on the weather early this week. Expect increasing temperatures and mostly dry weather. Isolated afternoon showers are possible in some areas, mostly from the southern Appalachian Mountains southward through GA and FL. Highs in the 80's and 90's over all the eastern U.S. Lows in the 60's and 70's.
***** There is Moderate Risk for southern New England today as the cold front moves through. Low Risk on Tuesday. Weakly Moderate Risk is in effect Monday and Tuesday for tobacco crops in the southern Appalachian Mountains, south-central KY, central and eastern TN, and southern GA and northern FL. There is Low Risk Monday and Tuesday near the source areas in NC, central VA, and southeast PA.
TK
Serious Threats: None
HIGH RISK areas: None
Current Sources:
Previous Sources:
Pinar del Rio, Cuba
Santiago, Dominican Republic
Papantla, Veracruz, Mexico
Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico
Local Weather in North Carolina is available from the WRAL-TV5 Weather Center, which also has links to other weather sites.
***** 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.