By Clint Thompson
Dry conditions that are prevalent in much of Georgia should not be mistaken as an opportunity for the state’s peach producers to let up on their fungicide spray program.
Even as the crop nears harvest, farmers should stay diligent with their fungicide applications, says Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Extension fruit disease specialist.
“The spray program, cover sprays, you can’t get away from it. You can stretch when it’s drier, and that’s good. But I tell people if it’s not raining, you still need to spray every 10 to 14 days. If it is raining, then it’s every 7 to 10 days,” Brannen said.
“That’s the standard that I utilize. They can stretch and actually save a little bit of money on their sprays if it’s not raining a whole lot.”
Peach producers can expect sunshine and high temperatures for the foreseeable future. According to weather.com, the potential for rain for the rest of April in Fort Valley, Georgia is minimal. Temperatures are also expected to reach the mid-80s next weekend. Conditions are already shaping up to be much different than last year when persistent rainfall highlighted the growing season.
“It’s been a little bit drier which is good. Hopefully, bacterial spot will not be as bad as it was last year. It’d be great if we could have rain every week or two, but not every day. That would be ideal,” Brannen said. “We’ll just have to see how the season progresses. But as of right now, we’ve actually had pretty good conditions for peaches. We’ve had what we need in the way of moisture but not too much and drying days in between. That’s pretty much the ideal scenario for us in the Southeast.”
