Blueberry diseases survey in Estonia
¹Estonian University of Life Sciences, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,Department of Horticulture, Kreutzwaldi 1, 51014 Tartu, Estonia
²The Central Botanic Garden, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 2B Surganava St.,Minsk BY-220012, Republic of Belarus
³Plant Production Inspectorate, Teaduse 2, Saku, Harjumaa 75501, Estonia;e-mail: marge.starast@emu.ee
Abstract:
In Estonian University of Life Sciences at the Department of Horticulture a blueberry-cultivation project was started in 1997. Nowadays blueberry cultivation is developing into a promising activity for small farms and efforts have been made to maintain blueberries in the different regions of the country. Surveys were conducted to determine the occurence of diseases in commercial blueberry fields at three farms of South Estonia. One plantation was located on peat (abandoned peat pits) soil and two plantations on mineral soil. Pesticides were not used in the blueberry plantations. Diseases were observed at the end of harvesting time (late August) in 2006. Several lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.), highbush blueberry (V. corymbosum L.) and half-highbush blueberry (V. corymbosum x V. angustifolium.) cultivars were represented. In all plantations several plant diseases were found whereby Pucciniastrum vaccinii Wint. occured often. Lowbush blueberry plants were more disease-resistant than highbush and half-highbush blueberries. In the plantation located on peat soil the infection of diseases was lower.
Key words:
infection, pathogen, resistance, Vaccinium angustifolium, Vaccinium corymbosum