Peach Leaf Curl Alert

Symptoms:

Visual symptoms appear as reddish areas on newly emerged leaves. With time, swelling and leaf distortion occurs. As the disease progresses, leaves may fall and become replaced by a new set of leaves that could be healthier if a period of low humidity was present during their development.

The loss of leaves during springtime will result in decreased fruit production and defoliation and could expose branches to sunburn.

Who Am I?

Peach leaf curl is a common fungal disease that mainly attacks peach trees. Infections occur near the end of the dormancy period; the pathogen is present on branches, bark, and buds of the trees.

As the weather begins to change and flower buds swell, water splashes from irrigation or rain and causes fungus spores to reach the buds. That’s where the infection takes place—despite the fact that no green tissue is present.

Control Measures

*Names marked in red are considered to be highly poisonous to beneficial insects.

*Names marked in green are considered to be organic and IPM (integrated pest management) compatible.

Caution and careful notice should be taken when using any plant protection products (insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides). It is the grower’s sole responsibility to keep track of the legal uses and permissions with respect to the laws in their country and destination markets. Always read the instructions written on labels, and in a case of contradiction, work in accordance to the product label. Keep in mind that information written on the label usually applies to local markets. Pest control products intended for organic farming are generally considered to be less effective in comparison to conventional products. When dealing with organic, biologic, and to some extent a small number of conventional chemical products, a complete eradication of a pest or disease will often require several iterations of a specific treatment or combination of treatments.

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