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nafex - [NAFEX] Peach Disease or Insects?

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  • From: Don Yellman <don.yellman@webformation.com>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Peach Disease or Insects?
  • Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 15:25:40 -0400

Dennis:

I have had both bacterial spot (which also visibly affects the leaves) and
peach scab in past years, and managed to eliminate them with timely dormant
sprays of Kocide. Neither of these diseases resulted in blobs of pectin on
the fruit, and the photo in your referenced link, which looks exactly like
what I had, shows none.

You may not have serious oriental fruit moth infestations in northern
Illinois, but in the east and southeast we do. While we have yet to hear
from Shirley with perhaps a better description of the problem on her little
peach fruits, and a more specific location than zone 7, she does live in the
southeast somewhere, and that is where the OFM is most active. In many
southeastern orchards, the OFM will visit every peach on the tree if allowed
to do so, leaving from 1 to 3 little blobs of pectin on the surface. Such
fruits will soon contain OFM larvae, which tunnel around near the pit and
usually cause the fruit to drop prematurely. Even OFM penetrations that do
not result in larvae compromise the integrity of the skin, which causes brown
rot later in the season. When I spray for OFM early in the season, I also
include a fungicide like Captan in the mix to prevent other early problems of
peaches: small patches of powdery mildew and rusty spot. When either of
these is visib
le on a peach at thinning time, that is one to take off.

The oriental fruit moth can also affect the twigs of trees when the larvae
tunnel in, leaving swollen ends on small branches, and causing twig and even
branch dieback.

The only things the OFM likes better than peaches are smooth-skinned stone
fruits such as nectarines or pluots. To grow such fruits in the southeast,
you pretty much have to stand by the tree with a sprayer all season long, or
bag the fruits after thinning.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA



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