In today’s Almond Matters, brought to you by Valent U.S.A., mite concerns will be right around the corner with temperatures rising. Field Market Development Specialist with Valent U.S.A., Todd Burkdoll said overwintering females are already starting to show up. He noted that he had already seen a few mites per leaf on the interior of the trees in an orchard last week.
“Those mite populations will probably explode. So, it’s a good time to get a pre-explosion miticide on. Something that’s going to take out the eggs and the early nymphs,” Burkdoll explained. “I recommend Zeal. It works really, really well for that. It’s an early application timing like this right now. Basically, you can knock them out before they get started. If you wait until there’s a huge population, then you’ve got to go in there and spray maybe more than one time.”
Winter temperatures were largely mild, enabling overwintering populations to survive. Burkdoll emphasized the importance of prevention when dealing with mite concerns. As the weather warms up, mite populations can increase rapidly. “Getting on right now in the early stages, taking out the eggs, taking out those first stage nymphs will be an advantage in overall preventive control,” Burkdoll explained.
At the same time, growers are being advised to take the recent rains that came through California into consideration. Burkdoll noted that rust, scab, and Alternaria were particularly challenging last year. Wet conditions and cooler temperatures to start the week have created an environment that is conducive to disease development. “After a rain event like this, I think it mandates some type of fungicide application to keep the problems at bay rather than allowing them to take over. So, it would be a good time in the next day or so to get something on if you didn’t have any on some time before,” said Burkdoll.
Listen to the report below.