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Abstract
Fruit rot diseases are a major issue for blueberry growers in the southeastern U.S. These diseases cause significant pre- and post-harvest losses, and the current management practices for fruit rots rely on fungicide applications. In particular, anthracnose ripe rot of blueberry, caused by Colletotrichum spp., is a devastating fruit rot disease. To understand which fungi are associated with fruit rots of blueberry in Georgia, a survey of organisms from rotting blueberry fruit was conducted during 2021 and 2022. Pathogenicity and fungicide resistance tests were carried out on identified Colletotrichum spp. isolates. Organic fungicide field trials were also conducted to determine efficacy against blueberry fruit rots and leaf spots. The survey identified multiple fungal genera, with Colletotrichum spp. having the highest prevalence by county and location. Fungicide resistance was identified to pydiflumetofen, boscalid, cyprodinil, pyraclostrobin, and fludioxonil in tested isolates. One organic fungicide field trial revealed PureSprayGreen to be effective against leaf spots while none of the tested products were found to be effective for fruit rot control.