Prevent Almond Full Bloom Diseases Before They Strike

Many diseases strike during full bloom when flowers, flower parts and developing almond nuts are susceptible to infection. To control those diseases, BASF Technical Service Representative Leigh Ann Harrison recommends proactively applying fungicides, as many diseases can return quickly or leave a lasting impact on a tree’s health.

 

“Growers should control what they can and protect against what they cannot,” said Harrison. “Since factors such as environmental conditions are hard to predict and can spur diseases that impact yield, a well-managed fungicide program lets growers take control back into their hands for disease prevention.”

 

Some diseases that tend to emerge during full bloom include:

 

Jacket rot

During cool and wet times — typically in the latter part of bloom or during extended periods with wet weather — jacket rot flourishes. To identify jacket rot, look for water-soaked brown spots on blossom petals. This infection spreads to flower jackets, causing them to impact developing nuts.

 

Brown rot

This fungus typically attacks when flowers are fully open, which makes rain during bloom a breeding ground for brown rot. Growers can identify this disease when flowers collapse and shoot blight occurs, exuding gum at the base of infected flowers and cankers on blighted twigs. The cankers, caused by the killing of woody tissues of the tree, are the epicenter of brown rot, making it difficult to rid an orchard of the disease following infection.

 

Disease prevention extends tree life and improves crop quality. Knowing which fungicides to use — and when to use them — is key to preventing full bloom diseases. Merivonâ fungicide from BASF protects almond blossoms from various disease pressures to increase yield and profitability. This product extends its activity by creating reservoirs on leaf surfaces that continually redistribute its protective chemistry to provide long-lasting disease protection.

 

To learn more, visit www.GrowSmartAlmonds.com or contact your BASF representative.

 

Always read and follow label directions.

 

Merivon is a registered trademark of BASF.

© 2020 BASF Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division
With a rapidly growing population, the world is increasingly dependent on our ability to develop and maintain sustainable agriculture and healthy environments. Working with farmers, agricultural professionals, pest management experts and others, it is our role to help make this possible. That’s why we invest in a strong R&D pipeline and broad portfolio, including seeds and traits, chemical and biological crop protection, soil management, plant health, pest control and digital farming. With expert teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we connect innovative thinking and down-to-earth action to create real world ideas that work — for farmers, society and the planet. In 2018, our division generated sales of €6.2 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or any of our social media channels.

 

About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 122,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of around €63 billion in 2018. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.