Coryneum Blight
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to disease control! It’s hard to wrap our minds around the attitude of being proactive, not reactive. The materials we have available are protectants, not curatives. So what’s your plan to have clean fruit next year? The following is taken from the UC IPM website – “Shot hole is managed primarily with fungicide treatments to protect buds and twigs from infection.” The key word in successful blight control is “prevention.”
The first autumn rains can start the spread of the disease. Infection can take place in the dormant season if proper moisture and temperature conditions occur. Spores, spread primarily by splashing water, can remain viable for several months. Establishing a protective barrier with copper is vital to keep Coryneum from germinating and spreading. Good spray coverage is important! The disease usually starts low inside the tree where moisture persists, so be sure to target this area. The most common application timing is at 50% leaf fall. It’s not necessary to wait for that to happen. How aggressive you need to be with rates and applications depends on if you need to clean up a problem or are just performing routine maintenance.
The main symptoms of shot hole on peach occur on twigs and buds, but fruit lesions may develop when spring weather is wet. Twig symptoms first appear as small, purplish black spots. These turn brown as they enlarge, often having a light center with a purplish brown margin. Tiny, dark brown bumps develop at the center of each lesion.
Fruit and leaf symptoms look much like those of twig lesions. They are small spots, purplish at first, and turning light brown in the center as they enlarge. Sporodochia form in leaf lesions but not in fruit lesions. Leaf lesions may be surrounded by a light green or yellowish zone; in many cases the brown tissue in the center will fall out, leaving the "shot hole" that gives the disease its name.
Sanitation is a key component of any disease control program. In orchards where twig infections are prevalent, the efficacy of the dormant treatment can be improved by pruning out and destroying infected wood. A conscientious annual program of removing infected wood is necessary over multiple years to alleviate the problem. The following quote comes from the 1996 Colorado Tree Fruits crop management guide. “Once established in an orchard, Coryneum blight is difficult to eradicate. Infected buds and twigs may produce spores for 2 to 3 years. ”
Badge copper has been a great tool for us against blights in the orchard, here’s a little info on its dual copper mode of action;
Badge® SC is a patented, liquid formulation of copper hydroxide and copper oxychloride. The copper hydroxide releases copper ions fast for immediate plant protection, while the copper oxychloride slowly releases copper ions for extended residual control PLUS excellent wash-off resistance for the best protection possible during and after rains.
Key Features:
· Dual forms of copper for immediate plant protection plus extended residual, maximizing crop protection for the best crop quality possible.
· Excellent wash-off resistance for the best protection possible during and after rains, giving you peace-of-mind knowing Badge SC is still working no matter what Mother Nature throws at you.
· The best mixing liquid copper formulation available; goes into solution and stays in solution.
· No blue residue, for more desirable fresh produce.
New Product Alert
Cropworx has brought on a new product to help mitigate drift issues in the orchard. COMPADRE is a non-ionic, non-foaming, and shear tolerant drift control agent containing suspended antifoam/defoamer. COMPADRE may be used as a drift control adjuvant to enhance deposition, retention and control spray droplet size of agricultural and industrial chemicals. Its low use rate makes COMPADRE cost-effective. If you’ve had issues with drift control, consider this product next year to keep your chemical where it’s meant to stay. It’s been highly effective in weed control programs!
CoronaVirus Food Assistance Program 2
The USDA is providing critical support to our nation’s farmers and ranchers through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP2). CFAP 2 provides vital financial assistance to agricultural producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19.
Attached is a fact sheet that explains the CFAP 2 program. In simple terms, fruit crops are eligible along with livestock, alfalfa, grain crops, vegetables, among a lot of others. Producers are encouraged to contact their local FSA offices to get more information. The deadline to apply is December 11, 2020. Here are the phone numbers for the offices:
Mesa County-970-242-4511
Montrose/Gunnison/Ouray-970-249-8407
Delta County-970-874-5726
Garfield/Eagle/Pitkin-970945-5494
See link:
Barrels/ Shuttles
As a reminder, throughout the season the Cropworx crew works hard to keep your needs met with timely deliveries and also removal of empty OIL barrels and shuttles. These barrels/ shuttles go through a rigorous cleaning process and are then put right back into rotation with more material. They are costly to replace and each year more barrels/ shuttles seem to disappear. The cost of these units is not passed along to the customer, and we need your help in getting them back after they’re empty. Please help us in our efforts to save the barrels/ shuttles and let them have long, illustrious life cycles meeting your needs with the chemicals we provide. If you have empty barrels/ totes please let us know!
Unfortunately we are no longer able to take lime sulfur barrels or shuttles back!
“You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people’s initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.”
~Abraham Lincoln
