Agrovista agronomist Fokion Chatziavgerinos highlights the importance of late-season management in orchards and vineyards.
Harvest starts early for apple varieties like Discovery, Windsor and Bramley for the fresh market. Orchards that have already been picked will benefit from foliar feed applications.
However, most dessert varieties remain on the tree. We recommend applying a fungicide for storage rots, where necessary. In many cases, the second codling moth generation has ended. Where risk of damage remains, control measures should be considered, bearing in mind the harvest interval of the products available – Tracer seven days and Carpovirusine Evo2 one day.
Harvesting is also underway in pear orchards. Although larval emergence of codling moth has been low beforehand, we recommend growers continue monitoring the Agrovista Fruit Insight model for any likely second-generation activity, alongside regular checking for fruit damage.
Where pest pressure is high, growers should consider products with short harvest intervals such as those mentioned above for apples. For storage rot protection, pre-harvest applications are recommended, whilst regular monitoring of pear sucker is important to avoid any late build-up, although the risk remains low at this stage.
After harvest, applying a protectant fungicide to apple and pear orchards that were affected by scab during the growing season can help reduce inoculum build-up and disease pressure in the following year.
Orchards with high levels of canker infection must be treated with post-harvest fungicide treatments. Agrovista’s Fruit Insight Neonectria canker model can be used to time the applications effectively. When risk levels are high, an application of tebuconazole is recommended. Captan can be used as a protective option in lower-risk periods, while phosphonates and biofungicides will also give some level of control.
In orchards where codling moth populations were high and crop damage was significant, Koppert’s Capirel nematodes reduce larval carryover by 60–80%, lowering pressure on the next season’s crop.
Cherry and plum harvests are complete. Post-harvest foliar feeding is necessary to help replenish tree reserves. If aphid and mite levels are high, treatment with aphicide and acaricides at this stage will reduce carryover. Although plum rust risk remained low through the year due to the dry conditions, copper phosphite may offer some benefit.
Vines:
Véraison, the onset of grape ripening, is a critical and vulnerable stage. The risk of downy mildew is currently high, and immediate protection is essential.
Botrytis can also be a major fungal threat in UK vineyards, particularly under cool, humid conditions. The disease begins with airborne spores infecting flowers, young berries, or damaged fruit, often remaining latent until véraison or later.
At this stage, symptoms emerge rapidly, especially on fruit damaged by birds, wasps or any natural openings. Dense canopies and wet weather accelerate spread. Integrated management, including airflow improvement, careful fungicide timing and crop hygiene is crucial.
Application of robust control during cap-fall stage and before bunch closure is also key to limiting infection. Your Agrovista agronomist can advise you on product choice. Additionally, véraison is a high-risk period for Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), so growers need to monitor the traps and commence SWD applications.
A copper application is advised immediately after harvest to target downy mildew sporangiospores on remaining foliage. Timing is critical while conditions are still mild and before thick-walled overwintering oospores develop.
From a nutritional perspective, implementing a balanced post-harvest fertilisation programme alongside adequate irrigation and soil health management helps restore plant reserves, supports root activity and promotes strong bud development for the next season.
Karen Morgan, soft fruit agronomist
The weather this season to date had again altered the challenges growers and agronomists are facing. Regular and thorough crop walking has paid dividends in terms of pest and disease control.
Growers are encouraged to also be very mindful of the effect of high temperatures in the storage and distribution of predatory mites. The benefits of the Koppert Natutec for timely applications when temperatures are lower have been particularly noticeable.
In summary
• Powdery mildew continues to be a source of frustration in many strawberry crops; low levels have also been observed in raspberries this year.
• Thrips numbers have been reduced and Orius is now well established on most farms where they have been introduced
• Two-Spotted Mite is now largely under control, despite the high temperatures
• Spotted Wing Drosophila now becomes the focus as numbers increase – control measures have had to be implemented on some sites.
• Capsid nymphs that cause misshapen fruit are also now easier to find in strawberry crops and may need controlling in the coming weeks.
It is imperative to continue crop walking to navigate the latter half of the season, employing a combination of conventional, biological and environmental measures.
Fokion Chatziavgerinos joined Agrovista’s highly regarded team of fruit specialists in 2021, advising on tree fruit and vines across England and Wales. Key interests include integrated pest management, plant pathology, fruit tree nutrition and fruit crop physiology.