Imagine this scenario with me: you’re examining your fruit trees, several that you’ve been growing for years.Much to your horror, most of your apples have come down with
06.06.2023 - 16:02 / gardenerspath.com / Helga George
How to Prevent and Mitigate Almond Hull RotIronically, almond hull rot typically affects trees with a heavy crop that have been well tended, ones that have been irrigated and fertilized properly.
The first symptoms of this disease are the withering and death of some of the shoots.
Rhizopus and Monilinia are the primary types of fungi known to be responsible for this affliction.
However, you can greatly reduce the incidence of this rot by cutting back on your irrigation and fertilization practices.
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Read on to learn how to manage this disease.
Initial SymptomsWhile examining your lush almond trees several weeks before harvest, you may notice that the leaves on some shoots have withered and died.
This is an indication that you should look at your almonds more closely, because this symptom could indicate that the fruit (drupes) are under attack by the fungi that cause hull rot.
The process of invasion results in the death of the shoot and of the strikes (fruiting wood), and this will reduce the productivity of the tree in the future.
Nuts may also be more difficult to remove from dead shoots during harvest. This makes them prime habitat for the dreaded naval orange worm.
The Fungi That Cause Hull RotAlmond trees are susceptible to these species of fungi from the beginning of hull split until the hulls dry. The timing on this can range from 10 days to 2 months.
Since the hull is full of nutrients and water, when it splits, this provides the perfect environment for opportunistic fungi, species that take advantage of existing conditions rather than initiating their own invasion.
Scientific experts have studied two types of
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