Peach:
Oriental Fruit Moth: First generation timings are updated below:
OFM 1st Generation Timing | |||
Insecticide Type | |||
County/Region | Degree Days by 5/9 base 45 | Conventional
170-200, 350-375 |
Diamide
100-150, 300-350 |
Gloucester – Southern | 230 | 1st – past
2nd – 5/13-14 |
1st – past
2nd – 5/11-13 |
Hunterdon – Northern | 186 | 1st – 5/9-10
2nd – 5/19-20 |
1st – past
2nd 5/17-5/19 |
Plum Curculio (PC): PC adults usually begin egg laying once the fruit is out of the shuck. Preferred materials that offer PC control now are Avaunt, and Imidan. 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. We have been seeing low levels of native stink bug activity during routine scouting. 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. Although low levels of thrips have been observed during routine scouting in southern counties, no 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.
Peach Scab: In addition to Rusty Spot and Bacterial Spot, peach scab requires protective applications at this time. Topsin, Topsin/Captan combinations, Gem, Inspire Super, and especially Quadris Top applied at petal fall are the best materials for blocks that had scab last year. Both Gem and Topsin should be used at the high rate to deactivate overwintering lesions on the wood. Quadris Top contains azoxystrobin 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 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 Gem, 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 started. A biofix was set for CM on May 5th in southern counties. No biofix has yet been set for northern counties.
Codling Moth Degree Day Timing | ||||||||
Application and Insecticide Type | ||||||||
County Area | Biofix | Rimon:
75-100DD + 14-17 days later
|
Intrepid
150 + 450 DD Diamides – Altacor, Voliam mixes: (150-200 DD) + 14-21 days later |
Cyd-X, Carpovirusine
250 DD + every 7-9 days during brood hatch (later if first spray is an IGR) |
Standard Insecticides – Delegate, Avaunt, OP’s, carbamates, pyrethroids
250 DD + 550 DD
|
|||
DD | 75 | 100 | 150 | 450 | 250 | 250 | 550 | |
Southern | May 5 | 5/10 | 5/11 | 5/13 | Too far off | 5/16 | 5/16 | Too far off |
Northern |
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.
Diseases: Apple Scab, Powdery Mildew, Cedar Apple Rust, are diseases of concern at this time. The NEWA scab models are predicting about 95% ascospore maturity during this period in southern NJ. Primary apple scab spores are released during any substantial wetting and infection period. Cedar apple rust infections can occur anytime between pink and 3rd cover.
Fire Blight: The first blossoms opened in southern counties on April 26. For shoot blight suppression start applications of low rates of apogee during bloom. In southern counties the window for the first applications of apogee is rapidly closing. From a calendar perspective, blossom sprays using antibiotics should be applied on a 3-7 day schedule or anytime temperatures are 65° F or above and the relative humidity is 60% or above when the bloom is open.