MUMMY BERRY DISEASE BLIGHT RESISTANCE IN HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRY CULTIVARS

Fifty-five highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum I,.) cultivars and selections were evaluated over 2 years for their resistance to the sh oot blighting phase of mummy berry disease [Monilinia vaccinii-corymbo si (Reade) Honey]. Blight incidence in 1993 ranged from 1% to 78% and differences among cultivars were significant. In 1994, infection level s were lower and ranged from 0% to 43%, again with significant differe nces among the entries, Several cultivars exhibited mummy berry blight resistance in both years. Ranking most resistant to less resistant we re 'Jersey', 'Elliott', 'Bluejay', 'Duke', 'Stanley', 'Barrow', 'Meade r', and 'Angola'. Among the cultivars consistently blight-susceptible. were 'Bluehaven', 'Bluegold', 'Northblue', 'Croatan', 'Northsky', 'Si erra', 'Harrison', 'Coville', and 'Murphy'. The consistent resistant r eaction of certain cultivars indicates that they may be suitable as pa rents for introducing resistance into a breeding program. The evaluati on methodology developed in these tests should be useful in screening germplasm for new sources of resistance and evaluating segregating pro geny from crosses.