Orchard Outlook Newsletter Vol 21, No 17

Wednesday, October 20, 2021


Table of Contents:


  • Fall herbicide application
  • Fall soil pH adjustments
  • Orchard rodent control
  • Reducing the risk of apple scab
  • Peach leaf curl
  • Workshops and conferences for the winter season


Winterizing Orchards


Fall Herbicide Application

Fall is prime germination time for winter annuals, and perennials are susceptible to treatment because they’re actively storing reserves in their roots. Refer to this year's special article 'Fall Weed Control for Winter Annuals and Pesky Perennials' for more information.

Takeaways from the article:

  • Winter annuals like common groundsel, common chickweed, and bluegrass can grow past their treatable stage quickly in spring.
  • Summer and winter annual species have populations that germinate in both fall and spring and therefore troublesome weeds may need to be managed at both times.
  • Bluegrass species should be identified by molecular analysis to inform herbicide choice.
  • Products to manage bluegrass species in young orchards are limited so pre-emerge options should be considered and may need to be applied prior to fall grass germination.
  • After harvest, consider using a post-emerge herbicide to clean up weeds along with a residual product to save time early next season. Orchards without fall application of residual herbicides are expected to exceed weed thresholds in early spring before those treated with residuals.
  • Fall pre-emerge herbicides should be applied to bare ground for uniform control.
  • The majority of weed species by abundance in established orchards are perennials including dandelion, vetch, and wood sorrel. Site preparation is an important first step to limit creeping perennials.
  • After harvest there is an opportunity to treat perennials when they are storing reserves in their root systems before a hard freeze.
  • If planning to apply glyphosate, wait until late spring to avoid translocation to fruit tree root systems.
  • Even if you are not set up to perform weed control in the fall, now is a good opportunity to identify what weed species are present to inform herbicide choices for early next year.
Figure 1: An overhead view of weed cover in the tree row of a young planting on May 14, 2021. The weed cover in the photo is mainly the winter annual shepherd's purse that germinated in the fall of 2020.


Fall Soil pH Adjustments

Soils in the valley are naturally acidic, and nitrogen fertilizers will slowly acidify soils over time. As soils acidify, nutrients such as calcium, potassium and phosphorus are less available for uptake by fruit trees. Other nutrients such as manganese and aluminum become more available and uptake by fruit trees can become excessive.

The pH of orchard soil should be between 5.5 and 6.6 (target 6.0) because nutrient availability is best within this range. Fall is the ideal time to make soil pH adjustments because it gives time for limestone to neutralize the acidity before the next growing season. Also in the fall, the dust from limestone applications will not interfere with growth or bloom.

Recommendations:

  • The results of a soil test will give a lime requirement based on your soil type and pH.
  • Apply calcitic limestome unless magnesium is needed from dolomitic limestone.
  • A surface application of no more than 3 tonnes/ha of limestone in any one year is recommended because higher volumes could be washed away and are ineffective.
  • If the lime is being worked into soil then you can follow the recommended rate on your soil report. Incorporating lime into soil will show benefits sooner than a surface application. A surface application moves down at a rate of about 1 inch per year.
  • If you have ongoing issues with lack of calcium in established plantings, consider banding gypsum at a rate of 4 tons per acre under trees. Annual applications have been shown to reduce bitter pit and senescent breakdown. Gypsum can also improve soil structure and improve water infiltration. Be aware that gypsum can reduce magnesium uptake. Gypsum will not replace the need for lime for pH adjustment.

Orchard Rodent Control

Rodents feed on tree bark in the fall and winter when other food supplies are scarce. The most common issue is when rodent feeding girdles the trunk of young trees at or near the ground surface or at the height of snow accumulation.

Recommendations:

  • Mow ground cover and maintain a weed-free strip to expose mice to predators.
  • Clean up drop apples from the tree row and alleyways to remove attractive food sources.
  • Be aware that using straw mulch can harbour mice.
  • If rodent activity is observed (mouse tunnels, droppings and chewed apples), consider the use of rodenticide. Bait stations manage the risk of poisoning other species and the control is long-lasting.
  • Bait stations placed on the perimeter of the orchard target mice moving into the orchard from bordering fields, fence lines or ditches. Pay particular attention to orchard blocks that neighbour corn and soybean fields.
  • Install tree guards, if feasible, on young trees. Remove after snow melt in spring to avoid fungal problems at the base of the trunks.


Diseases


Reducing the Risk of Apple Scab

Scab spores can be reduced for the next growing season by accelerating the decay of infected leaves in the fall of the current season. The benefit is less disease pressure next spring that can help to reduce the risk of primary scab infections. All efforts to reduce primary inoculum for next year will be helpful for scab control under new fungicide restrictions.

Recommendations:

  • Spraying urea (46-0-0) onto leaves on the ground can reduce spores by about 66%. The recommended rate is 50 kg/ha in 1000 L/ha of water. Alternatively, apply the solution to full trees as leaf fall begins. Urea should be dissolved in warm water before putting it in the tank. The 50 kg/ha rate will supply approximately 23 kg/ha of nitrogen to the ground, so nitrogen application next spring should be adjusted accordingly.
  • Flail chopping all plant matter on the orchard floor in November can reduce the number of scab spores by as much as 85%. Flail chopping in only the alleyway can reduce scab spores by as much as 50%. Why does chopping work? Dr. Gordon Braun explained in a year 2000 publication that:
    • "By chopping up leaves finely, they are more easily broken down by bacteria and molds to be consumed by earthworms."
    • "The apple scab fungus needs to mate with the opposite mating type and smaller leaf pieces reduces the likelihood of the two meeting."
    • "The smaller fragments also fall deeper into the grass and have a greater probability of resting in a position which is less than horizontal which reduces the ability of the ascosopres being successfully discharged into the air currents and carried to susceptible leaves."
  • Using both shredding and urea applications can produce the best results.
Figure 2: Scab spores can be reduced for the next growing season by using both leaf shredding and leaf urea application in the current season.


Peach Leaf Curl

Peach leaf curl is a fungal disease of peaches and nectarines that is usually well-controlled by a fungicide application in spring or late fall. Infections occur in the spring at bud swell when overwintering spores are washed from the surfaces of the bark. Therefore, a fungicide application prior to bud swell in the spring is preferred. However, occasionally early warm temperatures combined with extended snow cover can make spring applications challenging.

Recommendations:

  • The spores overwinter on the bark, so fall applications for peach leaf curl should be tailored to provide complete coverage of trunks and branches. Fall application should be made after 75-100% of leaf drop has occurred and when the temperature is above freezing.
  • Unusually wet winter weather with heavy rain can wash off a protectant fungicide applied in fall. If residues are washed off, re-treatment in spring before buds swell is recommended. 
  • Chlorothalonil (Bravo) has been the most effective fungicide in Nova Scotia. Only 1 spray of Bravo may be applied per year, meaning it cannot be applied in both spring and fall. Other products registered for control include Ferbam, fixed copper products and Syllit. Note that Ferbam is being phased out and the last date of use is December 14, 2021.
Figure 3: Peach leaf curl infections occur in the spring and can be protected by a fungicide in the late fall or early spring.


Events and Notices

For an ongoing list of events including workshops and conferences for the winter season, visit the ‘Events’ tab on the NS Tree Fruit Blog. At this time, all of the usual workshops and conferences are being planned for in-person venues while following COVID protocols. Here's a snapshot:


Edited by Michelle Cortens, Tree Fruit Specialist
Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc.


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