How to Manage Pests

UC Pest Management Guidelines

SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS

Leaves produced in spring are thickened, curled, and colored red or yellow instead of normal green. Severely affected shoots die. Irregular, reddish lesions are sometimes seen on fruit. Badly diseased leaves fall by early summer, and repeated infections debilitate trees and kill branches. After fall and winter rains, spores (blastospores) of the fungus might be observed as a white bloom on the surface of leaves and be found on twigs, buds, and inbetween bud scales.

COMMENTS ON THE DISEASE

Taphrina deformans survives on tree surfaces and buds and is favored by cool wet weather during spring. The pathogen most likely survives the warm, dry summer period as ascospores. With fall and winter rains, the ascospores germinate and form numerous budding blastospores. Tree to tree spread of the pathogen occurs by airborne ascospores that can move longer distances or by blastospores, which are disseminated in splashing water. Leaves and the occasional fruit infections occur only on young plant tissue.

MANAGEMENT

Peach leaf curl can be a serious problem, especially on many of the low-chilling varieties and when spring weather is unusually wet. Annual management is recommended. To successfully control the disease, treatment timing is crucial. This disease is usually kept under control with a dormant fungicide application, but in wet years more than one spray application may be needed.

Organically Acceptable Methods
Spraying with Bordeaux mixture or copper is acceptable in an organically certified crop.

Chemical Control
Most copper products have long residual activity, even during prolonged wetness. Therefore one application in the dormant/delayed dormant period is sufficient except in areas of high rainfall or where leaf curl has become an increasing problem. In such cases, an added application at delayed dormancy in late winter or before bud swell is recommended. Recently, formulations of fixed coppers have been developed with reduced metallic copper equivalent (MCE). Residual activity is very important to control peach leaf curl and these products, when lower rates are used (e.g., 1.2 to 2.1 lbs/A MCE for reduced MCE fixed coppers, compared to 3 to 5 lbs/A MCE for fixed coppers or even 8 to 10 lbs/A MCE for basic copper sulfate), have not been as efficacious over long rainy winter seasons.

If using the newer reduced MCE products

• always use the upper label rate,
• consider using a sticker or winter oil as an adjuvant to increase persistence, and
• plan to make two applications.

Several other fungicides that are equivalent or even more effective than copper for managing peach leaf curl are ziram, chlorothalonil (Echo or Bravo), and dodine (Syllit) when applied at the optimal time. Ziram is most effective.

1. Apply in late November/early December after most leaves have fallen from trees to ensure excellent coverage of branches, stems, and buds and before significant late fall and winter rainfall occurs. (This spray will also control shot hole (Wilsonomyces carpophilus).
2. Apply an additional January/early February treatment if high rainfall occurs in December and early January.
3. In addition to January/early February treatments, apply a pre-bloom (at bud swell or two weeks before bloom) if high rainfall occurs in February.

To increase fungicide persistence of the materials, use an adjuvant such as an oil or a sticker.

Common name		Amount to Use	R.E.I.+	P.H.I.+
(trade name)			(hours)	(days)
The following materials are listed in order of usefulness in an IPM program, taking into account efficacy. When choosing a pesticide, also consider information relating to environmental impact. Not all registered pesticides are listed. Always read label of product being used.
A.	ZIRAM 76DF	6-8 lb/acre – high precipitation fall/winter 4-6 lbs/acre – low precipitation fall/winter	48	30
	MODE OF ACTION GROUP NAME (NUMBER1): Multi-site contact, Dithiocarbamates (M3)
	COMMENTS: While not a preferred timing, if heavy rains are occurring as leaves are emerging in spring or disease symptoms are present, an application of ziram can be beneficial in helping to reduce the spread of the fungus. Apply treatments at a minimum of 100 gals water/A. Higher gallonage (120-150 gals/A) generally improves coverage.
B.	THIRAM
	(Thiram Granuflo)	3.5 lbs/acre	24	7
	MODE OF ACTION GROUP NAME (NUMBER1): Multi-site contact, Dithiocarbamates (M3)
	COMMENTS: Apply dormant applications post-harvest in late fall and/or in late winter prior to bud swell, at bloom and petal-fall. Apply treatments at a minimum of 100 gals water/A. Higher gallonage (120-150 gals/A) generally improves coverage.
C.	FIXED COPPER#
	(various products)	Label rates	see label	see label
	MODE OF ACTION GROUP NAME (NUMBER1): Multi-site contact, Inorganic metal (M1)
	COMMENTS: Not all copper compounds are approved for use in organic production; check product. Use higher labeled rates of new formulations of copper products (e.g., minimum of 3-4 lbs MCE/A/application) to increase effective residues that are toxic to the pathogen.
D.	DODINE
	(Syllit)	3.0-4.5 pints/acre	48	15
	MODE OF ACTION GROUP NAME (NUMBER1): Multi-site systemic, guanidine (M7, U12)
	COMMENTS: Plan to make at least two applications in northern peach production areas of California where higher rainfall occurs. A single application may be sufficient in southern peach growing districts of California. Apply treatments at a minimum of 100 gals water/A. Higher gallonage (120-150 gals/A) generally improves coverage.
E.	CHLOROTHALONIL
	(Echo 720, etc. )	3.125–4.125 pt/acre	12	NA
	(Bravo Ultrex DF)	2.8-3.8 lb/acre	12	0
	MODE OF ACTION GROUP NAME (NUMBER1): Multi-site contact, Isophthalonitriles (M5)
	COMMENTS: Do not use with or closely following oil sprays. Plan to make at least two applications in northern peach production areas of California where higher rainfall occurs. A single application may be sufficient in southern peach growing districts of California. Apply treatments at a minimum of 100 gals water/A. Higher gallonage (120-150 gals/A) generally improves coverage.
F.	BORDEAUX MIXTURE#
	10:10:100	Label rates	see label	see label
	MODE OF ACTION GROUP NAME (NUMBER1): Multi-site contact, Inorganic metal (M1)
	COMMENTS: For information on making Bordeaux mixture, see UC IPM Pest Note: Bordeaux Mixture, ANR Publication 7481. Check copper label to determine if organically acceptable.
+	Restricted entry interval (R.E.I.) is the number of hours (unless otherwise noted) from treatment until the treated area can be safely entered without protective clothing. Preharvest interval (P.H.I.) is the number of days from treatment to harvest. In some cases the REI exceeds the PHI. The longer of two intervals is the minimum time that must elapse before harvest.
#	Acceptable for use on organically grown produce.
1	Group numbers are assigned by the Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) according to different modes of actions (for more information, see http://www.frac.info/). Fungicides with a different group number are suitable to alternate in a resistance management program. In California, make no more than one application of fungicides with mode of action Group numbers 1,4,9,11, or 17 before rotating to a fungicide with a different mode of action Group number; for fungicides with other Group numbers, make no more than two consecutive applications before rotating to a fungicide with a different mode of action Group number.
NA	Not applicable.

PUBLICATION

UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Peach
UC ANR Publication 3454
Diseases
J. E. Adaskaveg, Plant Pathology, UC Riverside
R. A. Duncan, UC Cooperative Extension Stanislaus County
J. K. Hasey, UC Cooperative Extension Sutter/Yuba counties
K. R. Day, UC Cooperative Extension Tulare County
Acknowledgment for contributions to Diseases:
W. D. Gubler, Plant Pathology, UC Davis
B. L. Teviotdale, Kearney Agricultural Center, Parlier

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