It has been a tumultuous year for US almond growers. According to BASF Technical Service Representative, Dr. Kevin Caffrey, the excess of moisture early in the year led to greener hills, bringing with them an unexpected surge in pests attacking almond crops.
However, bloom diseases such as jacket rot and monilinia were heavy this year. “Hull rot popped up out of nowhere. You could drive by and see trees with 50 percent strikes, just dead branches from how much hull rot came in,” Caffrey added.
Insect damage was also significant with increased damage from navel orangeworm and leaffooted plant bug. There were also reports of higher-than-average ant damage. Caffrey said that growers in many instances were looking to save money by cutting out some sprays. However, with nuts coming off the tree, many are noticing significant damage rates.
Source: agnetwest.com
