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How to Manage PestsUC Pest Management Guidelines
SYMPTOMSAlternaria late blight occurs as black angular or circular lesions on leaves of both male and female trees. When the pistachio fruit are maturing, black lesions with a red halo appear on hulls. Black spores develop in the center of the leaf lesions when humid conditions prevail in orchards. Rubbing the leaf lesions with a finger will blacken the finger. In contrast, rubbing a finger on a lesion cause by Botryosphaeria dothidea does not blacken fingers because there are no spores produced on the surface of these lesions. However, late in the season both fungi can be present in the same lesion and microscopic identification will be needed. Leaf infections can cause severe premature defoliation and create problems during shaking the trees at harvest. Black lesions are also present on petioles and main veins of leaf blades. On immature fruit the symptoms appear as small black lesions about 1 mm in diameter. On mature fruit, both small (1–2 mm) and large (5 mm) black lesions are present on the epicarp, usually surrounded by a reddish purple margin. Multiple lesions on leaves and fruit cause leaf blight and deterioration of hulls, respectively. Deterioration of hulls results in shell staining. COMMENTS ON THE DISEASEAlternaria is a problem in orchards irrigated by sprinklers or flooding, although it can also be a problem in orchards with low soil infiltration and those irrigated with microsprinklers, particularly in lower areas in these orchards where relative humidity can be high and dew formation frequent during late August and September. The pathogen causes latent infections on leaves and fruit. The disease is more severe on leaves from fruit-bearing shoots than those without fruit. Losses occur mainly because of fruit staining and from early defoliation, which can be severe enough to cause difficulties during harvest. In addition, the fungus can colonize the inner surface of the shell and endocarp, causing moldy nuts. Leaf and fruit lesions are common on both Kerman and Red Aleppo cultivars, as well as on the leaves of Peters and on leaves of 02-16 and 02-18 male selections. MANAGEMENTEarly August to mid-September is the critical period for disease development. Orchards with cover crops have more Alternaria blight than disced orchards. Sunburned fruit become more susceptible to Alternaria blight than nonsunburned fruit. Alternaria blight is difficult to control and requires a combination of management approaches. If the disease is serious, adjust the irrigation schedule so the period from August 1 to 10 is irrigation-free. Subsurface irrigation can reduce this disease significantly. However, disease severity must be weighed against the impact of deficit irrigation on shell splitting. Avoid delaying harvest of mature nuts.
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UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Pistachio |
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