Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/256927
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER FEBRUARY 15, 2014 23 Besides a preharvest spray, some other general management techniques will help reduce postharvest fruit rots: —Bruised or wounded fruit are susceptible to blue mold and gray mold. While harvesting, handle fruit carefully when picking and transferring fruit from bag to bin to avoid bruising or wounding. —The more mature a fruit, the more susceptible it is to storage diseases. Harvest fruit at proper maturity. —Inoculum sources for pathogens causing disease in storage (if not already hitching a ride on the fruit) come from plant and soil debris. Use clean bins and minimize the amount of soil and plant debris brought in on bins. —Keep fruit cool after harvest. Warm temperatures encourage pathogens to grow. —If delivering to a packing house, minimize time between harvest and delivery of fruit. To minimize the threat of rots next season, there are things you can do before, or early in, the growing season. —Practice orchard sanitation. Prune out cankers, dead branches, and mummies that serve as inoculum sources. Mucor rot is a soil- borne pathogen that survives in orchard soil and enters storages in soil adhering to bins. Fallen fruit can become infested with mucor rot inoculum and serves to contaminate bins in the orchard. —Prune for increased airflow to promote faster drying and better spray penetration. Ensure good spray coverage. —Improve fruit quality through nutrient programs, such as apply- ing calcium sprays. Fruit with adequate calcium are less vulnerable to rots. —Control insects that may act as vectors of diseases. • Blue mold. Gray mold. ©2014 Nichino America, Inc. All rights reserved. Centaur and Nichino America logo are registered trademarks of Nichino America, Inc. Always read and follow label directions. 888-740-7700 www.nichino.net Centaur® delivers powerful, effective pest control…that's no myth. With Centaur® insect growth regulator, you get consistent and reliable performance against scale in your orchard. Centaur is effective on mealybugs and pear psylla, too. Centaur gives long lasting control of immature stages by inhibiting the molting process. From delayed dormant to crawler emergence, Centaur provides flexible application timings. Centaur is soft on important parasitoids, which works well where beneficial insects are vital. So, wage war against scale in your orchard. Get Centaur. For more information on Centaur, contact your local Nichino America sales representative or distributor for details. Win the epic battle against scale. PHOTOS COURTESY OF KARI PETER Mucor rot.