The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) conducted an agricultural chemical use survey of fruit growers in 12 states, pertaining to 21 multiple fruit crops. Those surveyed included multiple states in the Southeast, including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Data is for the 2023 crop year, the one-year period starting after the 2022 harvest and ending with the 2023 harvest.
Highlighted are three fruits: apples, peaches and blueberries.
Nitrogen was the nutrient used the most on apples (75% of acres planted to apples) and peaches (52% of acres planted). Potash was the most widely applied nutrient on blueberries (83% of planted acres), followed by phosphate (79%) and nitrogen (74%).
Apple growers applied both fungicides and other chemicals equally to 88% of the acres. Blueberry and peach farmers applied fungicides to 82% and 72% of the acres, respectively. Growers applied insecticides to 85% of apple acres, 80% of blueberry acres and 68% of peach acres.
Fungicide Use
Trifloxystrobin was applied to 60% of apple acreage, while fluopyram was applied to 49%. Captan was applied to 53% of blueberry acreage, while fenbuconazole was applied to 39%. Propiconazole was applied to 34% of peaches, and sulfur was applied to 30%.
Insecticide Use
Chlorantraniliprole was used in 65% of apple acreage, while spinetoram was used in 54%. Zeta-cypermethrin was used in 43% of blueberry acreage, while bifenthrin was applied in 34%. Lambda-cyhalothrin was applied in 28% of peach acreage, while esfenvalerate was applied in 27%.
Herbicide Use
Pyraflufen-ethyl was applied in 20% of apples, while glyphosate isopropylamine salt was used in 18%. Glufosinate-ammonium was applied in 29% of blueberries, while flumioxazin and simazine were each used in 22% of acreage. Rimsulfuron was applied in 19% of peach acreage, while flumioxazin was used in 12% of acreage.