Mummy Berry (5514)

Mummy berry is the most serious and widespread disease of highbush, lowbush, and rabbiteye blueberries. It is most serious in the north following moist, spring weather conditions. Crop losses can be severe, depending on environmental conditions and variety susceptibility. Blueberry varieties differ in their susceptibility to this disease.

Symptoms and Disease Cycle
Mummy berry is caused by the fungus Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi. Spores within berries infected by this pathogen can remain viable in or on the soil for several years. In the spring, tips of the newly infected leaves, buds, stems, and flower clusters suddenly will wilt, turn brown, and eventually become covered with a powdery mass of spores produced by the fungus. Spores from these blighted shoots are carried to open flowers along with the pollen. The fungus colonizes the developing fruit by growing into and colonizing the ovaries. When nearly mature, infected berries become dry, shrivel, and drop early. These shriveled berries, on which the fungus will overwinter, are called "mummies." In the spring, cup-shaped fruiting bodies are produced on the mummies and can be found on the soil surface. These fruiting "cups" release spores that infect new plants. Mummy berry usually is more severe in low-lying areas of the field.

For more information, please see this Penn State Small Fruit Production Guide Web page.

Penn State Horticulture Department

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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