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Abstract
Cane diseases of commercial blackberry are prolific in the southeastern United States. Two prominent yet understudied diseases include cane blight (CB) and orange cane blotch (OCB). Leptosphaeria coniothyrium, the causal agent of CB, is thought to be the primary cause of cane dieback. However, members of the Botryosphaeriaceae family, Colletotrichum spp., and Fusarium oxysporum have also been documented as being associated with blighted canes. To determine what species are responsible for cane dieback in the southeast and to establish chemical management options, pathogenicity studies and fungicide efficacy trials were conducted. Cephaleuros virescens, a parasitic alga causing orange cane blotch (OCB), is associated with cane cracking and blackberry yield reduction. Disease cycle monitoring and studies using potassium phosphite were used to detail the relatively unknown disease cycle of this alga on blackberry, to observe how disease severity is reduced with applications of potassium phosphite, and to determine optimum application timings.