Early-spring agrotechnical and plant protection practices in fruit crops

Winter pruning of fruit species

• The implementation of early-spring phytosanitary pruning of fruit species is a very important part of Good Plant Protection Practice and a continuation of the autumn-winter care;
• The most suitable period for this activity is February, before the buds swell;

• It is recommended that pruning be carried out first on apple and pear, which are the most cold-hardy, after which cherry, sour cherry, peach and apricot are pruned;
• It is advisable that young trees be pruned earlier, as they do not tolerate late pruning;
• Pruning shapes the crown and fruiting of the fruit species and removes the infected branches, thereby reducing the overwintering infection from pests - powdery mildew on apple, scab on pear, brown rot, black rot on fruit species, white grubs, wood-boring insects, goat moth, apple clearwing moth and others, and their spread during the active vegetation of the crops is limited;
• Dry branches and twigs are cut out, making the cuts at a distance of 20-30 cm from the damaged area;
• Old cracked bark is removed, caterpillar nests, egg clusters and mummified fruits are cut out;
• After pruning, the cuts are coated with oil-based paint or white latex to which a copper-containing fungicide is added, or the ready-made paste Tervanol is used, with the aim of better callusing, as well as protection against the penetration of secondary infections and infestation with diseases and pests.

Soil tillage

• Ploughing in of fallen leaves, whereby the overwintering inoculum of diseases present in the leaves is destroyed – scab on apple and pear, white rust on cherry and sour cherry, red leaf spots on plum, etc., and of pests that overwinter in the soil – cherry fruit fly, black plum fruit sawfly, etc.;
• During soil tillage, the root system must not be injured, as this leads to infections with bacterial canker and causal agents of root rot;
•  The depth of ploughing is determined by the age of the plantation and the type of rootstock.

Winter-spring chemical treatment

It is carried out after pruning, after bud swelling and before bud burst.

Against diseases – 1% Bordeaux mixture:

• For all stone fruit species – protects the trees from peach leaf curl, shot-hole disease of stone fruits, early brown rot, bacterial blight, bladder plum disease and others;
• For pome fruit species, if they are affected by fire blight (most often apple, pear, quince, medlar).

Against pests – when the following are established:

• European red mite – 60-80 winter eggs per 10 cm of shoot;
• Aphids – 10% buds with eggs;
• Leafrollers – 3-5 egg clusters per tree;
• California red scale – when presence is established;
• Plum scale – 20-30 per 100 cm of scaffold branch.
  To achieve high-quality and maximally effective winter-spring spraying, the following conditions must be observed:
• Treatment should be carried out in dry, warm and calm weather at an air temperature above 5^○C;
• The spray solution should be applied from the top to the base of the tree trunk, ensuring thorough spraying (wetting to runoff) of the trees;
• The nozzles of the sprayer should have an opening of 2 mm.

       Main pests for the period:

       Fire blight on fruit crops

       Peach leaf curl

       Pear psylla

       California red scale