Peach:
Oriental Fruit Moth: First generation timings are updated below:
| OFM 1st Generation Timing | |||
| Insecticide Type | |||
| County/Region | Degree Days by 4/23 base 45 | Conventional
170-200, 350-375 |
Diamide
100-150, 300-350 |
| Gloucester – Southern | 254 | 1st – 4/18-20
2nd – 4/29-5/1 |
1st – past
2nd – 4/25-4/29 |
| Hunterdon – Northern | 186 | 1st – 4/28-5/2
2nd – 5/8-5/12 |
1st – 4/23-4/26
2nd 5/3-5/7 |
Plum Curculio (PC): PC adults usually begin egg laying once the fruit is out of the shuck. Avaunt is the preferred material for PC and OFM control at petal fall. If using high rates of a neonicotinoid (i.e. Actara, Belay, Assail), be aware that there is a synergistic effect when used in tank mixes with DMI materials (i.e. Rally) with regard to bee toxicity. Neonicotinoids should not be used if there are any flowering weeds in your orchard. Those flowering weeds will attract bees, which will be killed by the insecticide. The use of most of these products when bees are present is off label and therefore not legal. If pyrethroids are being used, then high rates are advisable, since low rates often do not control PC, especially in hot weather. Where PC is a problem, growers should rotate away from pyrethroid insecticides if possible. Actara and Belay will also control PC (and GPA), but not OFM.
Green Peach Aphids (GPA): Green Peach Aphid: GPA colonies typically begin forming at bloom, however in southern counties aphids have yet to be seen in any significant numbers. The neo-nicitotinoid Admire Pro is a good aphid material that may added to petal fall sprays with materials effective for OFM, PC, and plant bugs. If you are employing mating disruption for OFM control, and your ground cover is clean of blooming weeds, a good choice that will cover catfacing insects, aphids, and plum curculio is Thiamethoxam (Actara). Examine trees for the presence of colonies by standing back and looking at the entire tree. Clusters of curled leaves will define a single colony. Count the number of colonies on ten trees and use a treatment threshold of 2 colonies/tree at petal fall to shuck split for peach, and 1 colony/tree for nectarine. If treating aphids alone then Movento @ 6 oz/A is a good non-neonicotinoid choice. Movento must be combined with a spreader/penetrant spray adjuvant. Used later during late May to early June this will also control san jose scale. Movento will not control PC or catfacing insects. Lannate (methomyl) can also be used, but is not quite as effective and is a weak PC material.
Tarnished Plant Bugs and Other Catfacing Insects: This is the other key insect complex at this time of year. Tarnished plant bugs will become more of an issue as temperatures warm and mowing and other ground cover activities become more common. General spray timing at this time of year should still be targeted for Oriental Fruit Moth and/or Plum Curculio (PC). Most materials, except the diamides (Altacor, Belt, Tourismo) used for these pests will have some efficacy for plant bugs. Catfacing insects are typically more of a problem during hot dry springs.
Flower Thrips: Thrips are an occasional pest at bloom during hot dry weather. During routine scouting in southern counties, no thrips activity or fruit injury has been observed to date. Thrips seldom cause injury at shuck split but in hot dry years can cause significant injury when ripening fruit start to color.
Bacterial Spot: Copper formulations should be used starting now to suppress bacterial spot. Generally we recommend starting at 0.5 ozs metallic copper and gradually lowering the rate as the season progresses. The rate applied will depend on the formulation. Dr. Lalancette published a chart listing common copper formulations and rates for peach and nectarine applications. Avoid combining copper with captan especially if it has been overcast for several days. Also avoid acidic spray solutions when applying copper. Antibiotics such as Mycoshield and Fireline may also be used and may be safer and have longer residual under certain conditions.
Peach Scab: In addition to Rusty Spot and Bacterial Spot, peach scab requires protective applications starting at Petal Fall. Topsin, Topsin/Captan combinations, Gem (now called Flint Extra), Inspire Super, and especially Quadris Top are the best materials for blocks that had scab last year. Both Flint Extra and Topsin should be used at the high rate to deactivate overwintering lesions on the wood. Quadris Top contains azoxystrobin (also in Abound), which is phytotoxic to many apple varieties. Phytotoxic residues can remain in the tank for long periods after an application is made, even if a tank cleaner is used. Do not use Quadris Top or Abound near apples or in the same sprayer used for apples. Bravo (chlorothalonil) is also a good protectant that may be applied no later than shuck split.
Rusty Spot: An effective material should be included at petal fall, and continue through 2nd cover on rusty spot sensitive varieties. Rally at 2.5 – 5 oz./acre is the standard and most effective product. Other effective materials include Flint Extra, Inspire Super, and Quadris Top. Both Gem and Quadris top will control all diseases at petal fall.
Apple:
Codling Moth (CM): The first codling moth flight has not yet started .
Spotted Tentiform Leafminer (STLM): Adults are flying, but are not considered a pest target at this time. This is one of the most highly parasitized insects in the orchard. We have not seen a real problem with this insect in recent years. However in recent summers we have observed an increase in trap counts and injury in a few orchards in southern counties. Monitor your orchard for damage.
European Apple Sawfly (EAS): This insect is active through bloom and into petal fall and first cover. Adult females lay eggs just under the skin of freshly set fruit, and the young larvae mine just under the skin. Where this insect is active, it is a primary target at petal fall. In orchards of mixed variety plantings, the petal fall spray for the entire planting is prolonged. This enables EAS to start damaging the first varieties where petals fell earlier before a petal fall spray could be applied to the entire block.
Plum Curculio (PC): Overwintered PC adults migrate in from orchard edges during bloom and feed on newly formed fruitlets. Oviposition activity will begin sometime after petal fall and will continue through May and into Early June. PC and EAS are the main targets at petal fall.
Diseases:
Diseases: Apple Scab, Powdery Mildew, Cedar Apple Rust and Quince Rust, are diseases of concern at this time. The NEWA scab models are estimating about 90% ascospore maturity during this period in southern NJ. Northern counties will have less ascospore maturity. Statewide we are at or just past Peak ascospore discharge. Now through first cover will be the critical time for scab control. Primary apple scab spores are released during any substantial infection period. Most materials used for scab control with the exception of captan will control rust diseases. Powdery mildew has not been a problem in NJ for quite a while however the DMI and QoI chemistries used for scab will also control PM. See the Production guide for more information.
Fire Blight: From a calendar perspective, blossom sprays using Streptomycin should be applied anytime temperatures are 65° F or above and the relative humidity is 60% or above and blossoms are open or there is trauma from extreme weather. Rotations of Streptomycin and Oxytetracyclene (Mycoshield; Fireline), and Kasumin (Kasugamycin) will help manage resistance. Apogee or Kudos applications for shoot blight suppression should be started at bloom. See the product label and the factsheet “An Annual Program for Fireblight Management in Apples” for more information. Apogee and Kudos are not labeled for pears. On varieties where bitter pit has been a problem, the shoot blight suppression program may result in increased levels of bitter pit.
Pear
Pear Diseases: Rust diseases, Fire Blight (see the apple section), Rots, and Fabrea leaf spot are the main targets at petal fall. See the NJ Commercial Tree Fruit Production Guide for recommended materials timings and rates.
Pear Psylla: Pear psylla nymphs hatch sometime during bloom or petal fall. Applications for psylla control should have been started prior to bloom. At petal fall include materials such as Agrimek or Agriflex, Sivanto or Movento for pear psylla. Plum curculio is also a pest at petal fall. Agriflex, Actara, and Avaunt are good PC materials at this time.
Grape:
Grape Diseases: Phomopsis, and Anthracnose, are the main targets for disease management at this stage. Bud break occurred in most varieties on or about 4/17. Some varieties are at one inch shoot growth as of this writing. Cover sprays containing Captan, EBDC’s (e.g. mancozeb), and Ziram are effective for phomopsis and anthracnose. As we move closer to bloom Powdery Mildew and Downy Mildew will also need control.
Grape Insects: Grape insects active at this time include flea beetles and climbing cutworms. Scout vineyards and apply effective materials if damage or activity is noted.
