🌸 Apple: Special Cultural Operations, Disorders, and Protection
Special orchard operations, important pests, diseases, and management practices in apple.
This lesson focuses on the practical side of apple production after basic cultivation is understood. It brings together special cultural operations, major disorders, and plant protection logic for temperate fruit management.
DISORDERS, PESTS AND DISEASES, MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Special cultural operations
The drip or trickle irrigation system has high water use efficiency in apples. It also suits
the tree in hill slopes. Mulching can be done with straw, hay or sawdust and other organic matter.
Weed control can be achieved by application or herbicide such as Pitezin (Atrazine + Simazine +
Propazine) @ 8 – 10 kg/ha, after weed emergence in 1.5 M band along tree rows. Nearer to
rootzone littering of straw is advised to maintain organic matter and earth warm activity. Since
herbicide can result in a significant reduction of earthworm population.
When there is chilling deficiency, the bud break will be poor. For bud break, application
of Sandolin – A (Dinitro Ortho cresol) at 0.5% in 2% mineral oil emulsion during January is
recommended. After bud break, flowring and petal fall. Alar @ 3000 ppm is applies which will
encourage the duration of flowering.
To prevent fruit drop, AVG (Amino ethoxy Vinyl Glycine) 200 pm is sprayed which can
increase the fruit set to 10 fold when applies between pink and petal fall.
Plant protection
Pests
Aphids ( _ Eriosoma lanigerum _ and _ Aphis pomi _ )
Symptoms
They feed on new wood and roots to farm galls. Cold and wet condition favour the
development of this pest.
Management
- Destruction of eggs before hatching should be done by spraying tar oil or DNOC –
petroleum oil, thoroughly wetting the bark of the tree. Spraying of
organophosphorous insecticides (malathion 0.2%, phosphomidon 0.2% or dimethoate
0.2%) at green cluster stage will be effective.
-
Use wooly aphid resistant rootstocks like Northern spy, Robusta - 5
-
Its main natural enemy, are the parastoid, Aphelinus mali is an important control
agent.
Blossom thrips ( _ Thrips flavus _ )
Symptoms
The attacked flowers show withering symptoms, as a result either the fruits do not set or
may fall off in the early stage of development. Heavily infested bloom produces distorted
flowers that open on one side. Excreta are often deposited near the feeding site, which
provides a suitable site for fungal infection.
Management
Chrysopa sp . And lady-bird beetle ( Coccinella septumpunctata ) are the most voracious
predators of thrips.
Pre bloom spray at green tip stage with fenetrothion (-0.05%) reduces the population of
thrips.
Red spider mites (Panoychus ulmi)
symptoms
the mites suck sap from the leaves, which may turn bronze. In severe infestation. the
growth of the plant is markedly reduced.
Management
The component of integrated management of red spider mites is the regulation of
predators Typhlodromus pyri and Amblyseius andersoni
Diseases
- apple scab (Venturia ineequalis)
symptoms
velvety brown to olive green powdery lesions which turn mousy black with age, appear
on the leaves and lead to premature yellowing of leaves, defoliation and fruit drop.
Scab spots n fruit results in misshapen and knotty fruits. Fissures or cracks develop in the
scabbed areas which allow the entry of other pathogens, causing rot of fruit.
Management
Spray schedule
| Spray No. |
Tree stage | Fungicide/ 100lit of water |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Silver tip to green tip | Captafol (300g)/mancozeb (400g/ captan 50 WP (400g) |
| 2. | Pink bud stage | Mancozeb (300g) |
| 3. | Fruit set (pea stage) | Captan 50 WP (300g) |
| 4. | Petal fall | Thiophanate methyl (50g)/ carbendazim (50g) |
| 5. | Fruit set |
Mancozeb (300g) |
| 6. | Repeat fungicide of 5 spray after 14 days |
|
| 7. | Pre harvest (20 – 25 days before) |
Captafol (150g)/ mancozeb (300g) |
Powdery mildew ( _ Podossphaera leucotricha _ )
Symptoms
whitish powdery growth develops on both sides of leaves and twigs. The affected leaves
are desorted in shape and small in size; become hard and brittle. The powdery coating on twigs
finally disappears and a brown. Felt – like covering with black fruiting bodies is seen, in case of
severe infection, leaf fall and premature fruit drop may occur. The young infected fruits show
signs of rusting.
Management
Destruction of over wintering fungus structures reduction of inoculam by pruning shoots.
Spraying triadimephon (0.05%) or pyrazophos (0.021%).
Harvest and yield
Fully mature when start developing colour can be harvested. The normal yield ranges
from 100 – 150 tonnes/ ha in medium density planting.
Summary Cheat Sheet
| Topic | Key exam points |
|---|---|
| Cultural operations | Training, pruning, thinning, and canopy management are decisive for quality yield. |
| Nutrition-water link | Balanced fertigation and irrigation scheduling reduce physiological disorders. |
| Disorder control | Bitter pit, fruit cracking, and sunburn-type issues require preventive management. |
| Pest-disease vigilance | Timed sprays and integrated management schedules are repeatedly tested topics. |
| Harvest logic | Correct maturity indexing improves storage, transport, and market returns. |
References
2 sources • [1] [2]
References
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