Peach: Diseases, Symptoms and their Management

May 2, 2023 no responses

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Peach is a fruit crop grown commercially in temperate regions of the world. Among temperate fruits, the peach requires the lowest chilling temperature. Peach belongs to the family of Rosaceae.

In this blog post, we outlined the most important diseases of peach crops which affect peach fruit yield.

1. Peach leaf curl disease

Causal organism: Fungus; Taphrina deformans.

Symptoms

The disease first shows in the early spring, as the leaves begin to open.
The leaf blade thickens, and the midrib becomes yellow and curls.
On the upper surface of the lamina, a light grey bloom of the fungus quickly covers the crimson velvety surface.
Both the leaves and the petiole may curl.
Affected leaves perish and drop prematurely.

Management:

The disease is controlled by a dormant spray of Bordeaux mixture (1%) with an adhesive and a winter spray of Bordeaux mixture (1%) before bud burst.

2. Peach Rust disease

Causal organism: Fungus; Puccinia pruni-spinosae.

Symptoms

Pale yellow spots emerge on both surfaces of the leaves.
Later on, these spots turn bright yellow.
On the undersides of the leaves, there are numerous brown dusty pustules.
Pustules cover the undersurface of the leaves.

Management:

Sulphur dusting or spraying with zineb (0.2%) has been found to be effective.

3. Peach Blight

Causal organism: Fungus; Stigmina carpophila.

Symptoms

Twigs, blooms, leaves, fruits, and unopened buds are all targets for the infection.
The fruit develops small, round, deep purple spots.
The spots grow harsh and elevated.
On the leaves, dark brown, scattered lesions enlarge swiftly.

Management:

Spray capton (0.2%) or captafol ( 0.2%).

4. Peach Scab

Causal organism: Fungus; Venturia carpophila.

Symptoms

The disease affects fruit, twigs, and leaves.
Individual spots merge to form a uniform, dark olivaceous, velvety blotch in severe infection.
A thick or corky layer of cells forms beneath the scabbed region’s surface.
The fruit develops an odd form and cracks.

Management:

A chemical spray schedule, such as:
a) silver tip to green tip- Mancozeb @ 4g/litre water, should be followed for effective management.
b) Carbendazin at 1g/litre water during the pink blossom stage.
C) Fruit stage (pea nut stage) – capton at 3g/litre water.
d) Hexaconozole at 1.5g/litre water 40 days before harvest.