Increasing summer disease pressures

Summer disease pressures have increased in the past two weeks. At our AREC in Winchester, we recorded three extended wetting events since the last post Jul 6: Jul 5-6 (13 hr wet at 73° with 0.06 in. rain; Jul 8 (7 hr wet at 73° with 0.12 in. rain); and Jul 11 (8 hr wet at 79° with 0.63 in. rain). Infection by the bitter rot and white rot fungi will occur quickly with wetting and temperatures in the 70s.

The image below, sent to me from the Winchester area, suggests increasing rot pressures.

Rots with mummies. (Photo by W. Mackintosh).

The proximity and distribution of the spots to the mummies suggests that they are developing rots. Some spots were described as having droplets on them. The explanation is that it is probably droplets splashed off the mummies, carrying spores and other dark juicy material. Some droplets carrying spores may incite rot infection and others may not, or some might stay latent for a period of time. Some rots might just be growing slower than others so they get over run by the faster growing organism.

For purposes of predicting the development of the sooty blotch and flyspeck (SBFS)  fungal complex, we record accumulated wetting hours from rainfall or dew, starting 10 days after petal fall. This year we chose May 2 as the petal fall date for Winchester, so the start of wetting hour accumulation (ACW) was from May 12. Wetting hour accumulation in July has brought the total ACW to 273 hr, (past the 250-hr action threshold). ACW at Roanoke remains similar to Winchester at 269 hr, but with only 0.36 in. rainfall in July.

Other areas of Virginia with (ACW total) and rainfall in July are: Staunton (452 hr, 1.40 in.); Rappahannock County (Gadino Cellars, 362 hr, 3.06 in. rain); Red Hill (878 hr, 0.24 in.); Lynchburg (552 hr, 1.54 in,); Floyd (362 hr, 1.66 in.); Danville (649 hr, 2.53 in. rainfall). 

Increasing summer disease pressures

At Winchester last week we had two significant extended wetting events favorable for SBFS and fruit rot development: June 15-16: 11 hr at 76-72°, with 0.46 in. rain, and June 16-17: 15 hr at 69-63° with 1.95 in. rain. Much of this rain came at the beginning of the event, and this volume of rainfall would have depleted much of the protective fungicide residue, leaving the fruit exposed to potential rot infection.

For purposes of predicting the development of the sooty blotch and flyspeck (SBFS) fungal complex, we record accumulated wetting hours from rainfall or dew, starting 10 days after petal fall. This year we began wetting hour accumulation at Winchester from May 14. As of Monday, June 20, accumulated wetting hours (ACW) toward the 250 wetting hour threshold for specific treatment against the SBFS fungal complex were: at 909 ft elevation, 257 hr (with the 250-hr threshold reached June 5); at 952 ft elevation, 248 hr (near the threshold); and at the 983 ft elevation, 218 hr ACW.

At Tyro, VA we started wetting hour accumulation May 4, and as of June 20, a sensor placed at the 941 ft elevation had accumulated 315 hr (with the 250-hr threshold reached June 6); the one at 1165 ft. elevation had accumulated 188 wetting hours, and the one 1465 ft. elevation had accumulated 213 wetting hours. 

At both Winchester and Tyro, most of the wetting hour accumulation at the higher elevations has been only with rain events, while accumulation at the lowest elevation has been with dew as well as rain events.

Summer disease management should be directed toward the array of potential problems in specific orchard blocks, utilizing protective fungicides for general purposes, but supplementing them with more specifically active fungicides directed at higher disease pressures and special control problems. Expect higher fruit rot pressures where fire blight killed shoots and fruit mummies are present in the trees. For more information on the effectiveness of apple fungicides for management of sooty blotch/flyspeck, Brooks fruit spot, black rot, white rot and bitter rot consult Table 6 (pp. 53-54) in the 2016 Spray Bulletin for Commercial Tree Fruit Growers.