Strawberries

Over the last few weeks I have been sent pictures of and have seen dark spots on the foliage of strawberry plants (figs. 1 and 2). These spots can look pretty bad at times and are thought to possibly be the start of some disease such as angular leaf spot or anthracnose. The dark spots are usually on the upper or lower surface of the leaf, but at times can be found on both surfaces of a leaf.

Tarnished plant bug (TPB) (Lygus bug) adults are about ¼ inch long, oval, flattened, yellow to greenish brown, and have dark markings on their wings. The immature forms are pale green. There are 3-5 generations of this pest each year. Adults become active in early spring and lay their bow-shaped eggs into stems, and leaf midribs. Egg hatch takes place about a week later, and the green-yellow nymphs develop through 5 instars, reaching the adult stage in approximately 30 days.

Sample Collection & Preparation for Perennial Fruit Crops

Pest ID Guide