Kentucky apple growers are faced with numerous plant disease issues throughout growing seasons. These diseases limit grower profits by reducing yield and increasing input costs. Diseases of Greatest Concern to Growers While diseases of concern may vary from orchard to…

During the past 10 years, orchard practices in Kentucky have changed dramatically. Many of these practices contributed to conditions conducive for diseases and pests. Growers began to shift from traditional plant spacing to high density plantings, increasing tree stress and…

Autumn has arrived in Kentucky, and it is time to focus on fruit, orchard, and vineyard sanitation. Good sanitation practices can help reduce disease-causing pathogens.  Good sanitation practices can help reduce disease-causing pathogens.  These organisms can survive for months or…

The time for apple harvest in Kentucky has arrived, bringing with it the possibility of less than perfect looking apples. Sooty blotch and/or flyspeck are one of many causes for blemished, ugly apples. The two fungal diseases occur together as…

While fruit rots have a variety of causes, the most common fungal fruit rot of apple in Kentucky is bitter rot. The disease results in rotten, inedible fruit. Fungicides are available for management; however, sanitation is critical for disease prevention.…

Since the arrival of spotted wing drosophila (SWD), many producers have begun using insecticides on small fruit crops where they have never needed to spray before. SWD has been a game changer for some small fruit crops. Working with county…

While fruit rots have a variety of causes, the most common fungal fruit rot of apple in Kentucky is bitter rot. The disease results in rotten, inedible fruit. Fungicides are available for management; however, sanitation is critical for disease prevention.…