Emerging fungal disease threatens strawberry crop

Record Ohio rain slashes strawberry crop growth

The excessive rainfall in Ohio this year has broken records, impacting the strawberry crops at Bloom and Berries Farm in Loveland. Nearly half of their strawberry crops have been lost due to the rain.  Jeff Probst, the owner of Bloom and Berries Farm, joins FOX Weather to provide more insight.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A harmful fungal disease that impacts certain fruits is growing in prevalence and threatening some strawberry harvests, according to agricultural specialists.

Neopestalotiopsis, known widely as "Neo-P," attacks plants by causing brown lesions to occur on leaves, which leads to rotting fruit and, ultimately, the death of the plant.

The fungus was first reported in Florida during the 1970s but has since spread to many states, including Ohio and communities in the mid-Atlantic.

According to agriculture experts, the disease is often found when weather conditions are warmer and wetter than is typical for a region.

Specialists with the University of Delaware report 26 positive sightings of the disease in the state since 2020 but caution that the figure is only from submitted samples - meaning the true number is likely higher.

WHAT SEASON DO FRUITS AND VEGETABLES GROW IN?

Fortunately, neither Ohio nor Delaware are on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s list of top fruit-producing states, so the disease doesn’t appear to be significantly affecting the heart-shaped fruit’s national harvest.

According to data from the agency, California and Florida annually produce a combined total of 98% of domestic strawberries, with the Golden State accounting for the vast majority of more than 2 billion pounds of the crop.

The country produces enough strawberries to export hundreds of millions of pounds every year, making it the third most valuable fruit export, behind only apples and grapes.

Despite the high production levels, specialists warn that there still might be fewer of the sweet fruits readily available in areas that depend on local supply.

"Consumers can expect that there will be a limited supply of Ohio-grown strawberries this year," Melanie Lewis Ivey, an associate professor of fruit pathology at The Ohio State University, told the university's Ohio State News program. "Based on reduced supply, the price of strawberries may be higher than in previous years."

AN UNLIKELY REGION IS NOW JOINING THE STRAWBERRY PRODUCTION GAME

The disease’s spread has largely been attributed to plants bought at nurseries, where Neo-P can go undetected.

According to specialists, fungicides can help manage the disease but do not completely eliminate the issue, setting a crop up for potential reinfection during a future harvest.

In most cases, experts suggest destroying the infected plant and discarding its remnants to prevent cross-contamination.

So far, scientists have not developed a strawberry variety that is fully resistant to Neopestalotiopsis, but efforts are underway at places like the Genetic Improvement of Fruits and Vegetables Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, and other research centers to produce fruit with improved resistance to the disease.