Peach leaf curl, the San José scale or aphids are some of the most common pests affecting stonefruit at this time of the year. In its latest phytosanitary report, the Government of Extremadura compiled some helpful advice to control them.
Peach leaf curl (Taphrina deformans) thrives in rainy and mild temperature conditions. According to the department, the best moment to introduce prevention treatments in peach, mandarin and plum plantations is with the first pruning. Their application in extra-early varieties will have to be repeated after seven to nine days, using products formulated with copper, captan (only before flowering), thiram (allowed until June 2014), difenoconazole and dodine (must not be mixed with oil).
Extremadura's General Directorate of Agriculture and Livestock pointed out that San José scales have spread considerably in recent campaigns. The problem is mainly said to affect late plum varieties, as the fruit is exposed to the insect's three generations in the region. The report recommends applying pyriproxyfen mixed with paraffin oil. The only authorised pyriproxyfen formulas for use with peach and plum trees are Juvenal and Atominal.
Lastly, Extremadura's Plant Health service issued a warning regarding aphids (Myzus persicae), as it is currently the time when this insect's eggs hatch. Experts recommend a first application during the pre-flowering to control their population, and the recommended products are pirimicarb, lambda-cyhalothrin, azadirachtin, deltamethrin, acetamiprid, thiacloprid (not authorised for plums), pymetrozine (not authorised for plums or apricots), methyl-chlorpyrifos (not authorised for plums or apricots) and flonicamid (not authorised for apricots).
Source: agroquimica.es