planted as soon as possible. Potted trees have
more flexibility in planting timing.
Fumigation should be considered in areas with
high population of plant parasitic nematodes
(Ring, Lesion, or Rootknot) or a history of Prunus
species (peach, plum, almond, cherry, etc). A
matrix to assist with the decision is provided in
the table. Although not a true replant scenario,
almonds following grapes often struggle with
high counts of Ring and Rootknot nematode
and fumigation with Telone-II should be
considered. In other soil types, replanting Prunus
species after other Prunus species creates not
only nematode problems, but also issues with
Prunus Replant Disease. In these situations,
a nematode analysis can help determine if
chloropicrin, mixture of chloropicrin and Telone-
II or Telone-II should be used.
The Final Thought
There seem to be many complaints regarding
NOW damage this past year. Winter
sanitation is the first and primary means of
reducing NOW populations. I often hear
how expensive it is to winter sanitize, but
rarely do people consider the cost of not
sanitizing: every 1 percent NOW damage
for a 2,500 lb./acre crop is $62/acre in lost
production, excluding the loss of processing
bonuses. Plan to remove mummies to less
than two per tree this winter.
David Doll, UCCE
Nut Crop Pomology
Farm Advisor,
Merced County
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