Date of Award

Spring 5-5-2023

Level of Access Assigned by Author

Open-Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Botany and Plant Pathology

Advisor

Seanna Annis

Second Committee Member

Jianjun Hao

Third Committee Member

Dalphy Harteveld

Additional Committee Members

David Hiebeler

Abstract

Mummy berry, caused by Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi (MVC), is a prolific disease of Vaccinium angustifolium (wild blueberry) leading to decreased yield in wild blueberry fields throughout the Downeast (DE) and Midcoast (MC) regions of Maine (ME). This study aimed to identify factors affecting primary inoculum production and infection by MVC on wild blueberry, and what bud stages of wild blueberry are most susceptible to infection. Through common garden (CGE), field and incubation experiments conducted in 2021 and 2022, factors affecting carpogenic germination of MVC pseudosclerotia and relationships between susceptible wild blueberry buds and environmental factors were analyzed. The CGE conducted in 2021 did not find any difference in germination of MVC pseudosclerotia from different fields. Incubator and field experiments evaluated the effect of soil type on pseudosclerotia germination in 2022. The incubator experiment found pseudosclerotia origin had a significant (P2=0.7742). Disease management practices may have affected these results. From this study, a clearer understanding of which environmental and other factors affect MVC carpogenic germination and infection risk in wild blueberry have been elucidated.

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