Tobacco blue mold was confirmed on August 5th in eastern Tennessee. Other locations with known confirmations of blue mold are Lancaster, Pennsylvania (found July 9) and Abingdon, Virginia (found July 16). As of today, there are no reports of blue mold in Ontario tobacco, however growers should be monitoring their fields regularly for signs of this disease, as blue mold can develop and spread rapidly under cool, moist conditions.

Any suspected cases of blue mold should be reported to the OMAFRA office in Simcoe at 519-426-4434 or 519-426-3823. More information on this disease can be found in OMAFRA Publication 298 – Flue-Cured Tobacco Production Recommendations or in the CTRF publication “Flue-Cured Tobacco Best Management Practices – Blue Mold” (September, 2004).