FORECAST SUMMARY: Thursday, May 17:
*** Disease Update, 11 May: Gene McAvoy sends the following report from southern Florida: "Downy mildew incidence and severity is picking up as growers enter harvest phase in the Immokalee area. Over 18 scattered infection sites are present in a 30 mile radius around Immokalee. Crops infected include summer squash, cantaloupe, and within the last few weeks several watermelon fields have been diagnosed with downy mildew. Severity ranges from light to moderate with squash most severely infected, followed by cantaloupe and watermelon."
*** Conditions are unfavorable for long-range transport and deposition from Thursday through Sunday. *** Trajectories move no farther north than east-central FL, and survivable transport of spores is unlikely under sunny skies each day. Mostly dry over the southern FL source region, with only isolated showers expected on 2 or 3 days out of the next four. Low Risk for southern FL cucurbit crops this weekend; Low Threat to other growing regions.
TK
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Previous Sources:
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This service is provided by the North Carolina State University departments of Plant Pathology and Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences.