Peach
Bacterial Spot: Leaf symptoms have been seen in only a few locations and only on highly susceptible varieties. Bacterial spot has not been troublesome this spring probably due to mostly dry conditions during petal fall and early covers. Fruit remains highly susceptible until pit hardening so management practices should be continued.
San Jose Scale (SJS): Scale crawlers have not yet been seen but are usually active by now. The best materials include Esteem, Centaur, and Movento. Esteem and Centaur can both be applied at the start of crawler emergence. Movento may take up to a week become fully systemic. It should also be applied with a spreader. Spray volume is the name of the game when achieving good scale control. Diazinon can also be used with a maximum of 1 in-season application per year. The sprayer should be calibrated to soak all wood surfaces where there is known scale activity.Green Peach Aphids (GPA): GPA colonies are present in northern peach orchards at up to 3 colonies per tree and over 1 colony per tree in nectarines. For peaches these levels can be tolerated, but not on nectarines where GPA damage is present on the fruit.
Plum Curculio (PC): PC activity is over in southern counties but still active in northern counties. Fresh eggs were recently deposited on peaches late last week. Activity should not last too much longer, so one additional cover of a PC effective insecticide should be all that is needed.
Tufted Apple Budmoth (TABM): Tufted apple budmoth started to emerge on 5/12 in southern counties and on 5/17 in Hunterdon County. While this insect has not been an issue over the last 6-8 years, locally high levels of moths have been captured in some pheromone traps this past week. TABM is a leafroller that can web a leaf to the surface of the fruit, and feed between the leaf and the fruit. On peaches this damage can lead to unmarketable and rotten fruit. Young larvae may get established in the stem end. When this is the case, the larva can ‘fall’ into the fruit interior in varieties where the flesh easily separates from the pit, or in split pit fruit. Degree day modeling for timing sprays dictates that the first alternate middle treatments should be timed for around 6/1-2 in southern counties, and by about 6/11-12 in Hunterdon County and northern farms. This is for conventional materials, including Delegate, Altacor, Belt and other diamide mixtures. Timings for TABM control are outlined below. If you are a grower who did have TABM damage last year, you are advised to use the timings that follow:
Conventional, Diamides |
Conventional, Diamides |
Intrepid, Rimon |
Bt | |
County Area | AM – 4 Alt Mid Sprays | EM – 2 Complete Sprays | EM – 2 Complete Sprays | EM – 2 Complete Sprays |
Southern | 1st 6/1-2, 2nd 6/6-8 | 1st 6/3-6 | 1st 6/2-8 | 1st 6/6-8 |
Northern | 1st 6/9-10 | 1st 6/11-14 | 1st 6/10-13 | 1st About 6/14-18 |