Triangle residents who pick their own strawberries at area farms may not notice it, but the plants they’ll be taking from this season may not be the same varieties as in past years.
A fungal disease called Neopestalotiopsis , Neo-P for short, infected suppliers’ strawberry tips, making some local farmers wary about introducing plants into their fields.
Neo-P is harmful to strawberry plants but does not attack humans or other animals , Bill Cline, an extension specialist on small fruit production and pathology at N.C. State, told The News & Observer in a phone interview. Still, infected plants may not immediately show symptoms, and many farmers only plant strawberries once each year…