Infected stems will wilt and die and young twigs will die back from elongated cankers produced by the fungus. In hot weather, leaves on infected twigs turn brown and remain attached to the stem. As canes mature, they become girdled by the diseased lesions. Fruiting structures of the fungus will form on dead twigs and leaves. These structures produce spores which are spread primarily by rain splash.
Infected fruit are soft, often split and leak juice.
Disease Management Recommendations include removing and burning all blighted or discolored wood during dormant pruning. When blighted tips appear in the summer, cut shoots back to a point where pith appears normal. No commercial cultivars show strong resistance to Phomopsis canker. A few blueberry cultivars vary in their resistance to the twig blight phase.