Extended wetting for fruit rots July 8-9; accumulated wetting hours.

July 8-9 we had another extended wetting period: 15 hr with 0.24 in. of rain at 72°. This wetting period was favorable for rots.

As of Thursday morning, July 10, we had accumulated 293 wetting hours since May 18, well beyond the 250-hour threshold for specific treatment against the sooty blotch/flyspeck (SBFS) fungal complex at our usual AREC monitoring site at elevation 950 ft. But at the 910 ft. elevation cumulative wetting hour (CWH) total continues to run about 100 ahead, now standing at 391 CWH. Early sooty blotch symptoms (signs of the fungi) are now visible.  

Orchards at lower elevations in Nelson County (Tyro area) have also exceeded the 250-wetting hour threshold for presence of the SBFS organisms on unprotected fruit (total 345 CWH at 941 ft elevation). CWH total at the higher elevation stood at 200 CWH as of Thursday morning, July 10. Scout lower areas of your orchards regularly for onset of SBFS appearance and adjust your fungicide program accordingly.