How to Manage Pests

UC Pest Management Guidelines

SYMPTOMS

Roots infected with Armillaria mellea have white to yellowish fan-shaped mycelial mats between the bark and the wood. Dark brown to black rhizomorphs sometimes can be seen on the root surface. Apple rootstocks have some resistance to Armillaria, but if the level of inoculum is high in the soil and the strain of Armillaria is highly virulent, or the tree is already weakened by some other factor, the fungus can overcome this resistance.

COMMENTS ON THE DISEASE

The fungus survives on dead roots.

MANAGEMENT

There is no truly effective control for Armillaria root rot. The effectiveness of soil fumigation depends greatly on soil type and moisture.

Cultural Control
Exposing an infected crown and upper root area of a tree infected with Armillaria mellea will stop the development of the fungus into the crown area and allow the tree to regrow. In spring, remove soil from around the base of the tree to a depth of 9 to 12 inches. Leave the trunk exposed for the remainder of the growing season. During the spring, summer, and fall, keep the upper roots and crown area as dry as possible.

Treatment Decisions
Before chemical treatment, remove all infected trees, stumps, and as many roots greater than 1 inch in diameter as possible. Healthy-appearing trees adjacent to those showing symptoms are often infected also. Removal of these adjacent trees and inclusion of that ground in the soil fumigation may be advisable. Infected trees, stumps, and roots should be burned at the site or disposed of in areas where flood waters cannot wash them to agricultural lands. Complete eradication is rarely achieved, and retreatment may be necessary in localized areas. If the soil is wet or if it has extensive clay layers to the depths reached by the roots, fumigant treatment may not be successful. The greatest opportunity for eradication occurs on shallow soils less than 5 feet in depth. Treat Armillaria from late summer to early fall.

Dry soil by withholding water during summer and using cover crops such as sudangrass or safflower. The drier the soil the better for deep penetration. Deep-till the area after drying. If the soil is dusty, wait for an early rain before ripping and fumigation. Ripping a dry soil that is silty can result in large clods on the surface. Inject methyl bromide 18 to 30 inches deep with chisels and cover with gas-proof cover. Increasing the dose tends to increase the depth of penetration, but it cannot be relied upon to penetrate wet soils, especially if soils are high in clay. Do not remove the cover for at least 2 weeks and aerate 1 month before planting.

Common name		Amount to Use
(trade name)
When choosing a pesticide, consider information relating to environmental quality.
PREPLANT
A.	METHYL BROMIDE*	Label rates
	COMMENTS: May only be used under a Critical Use Exemption permit. Fumigants such as methyl bromide are a prime source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are a major air quality issue. Fumigate only as a last resort when other management strategies have not been successful or are not available.
	* Permit required from county agricultural commissioner for purchase or use.

PUBLICATION

UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Apple
UC ANR Publication 3432
Diseases
W. D. Gubler, Plant Pathology, UC Davis
Acknowledgment for contributions to the diseases section:
B. L. Teviotdale, Kearney Agricultural Center, Parlier

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