Woodleaf Farm Disease Management System Figures

This article is part of the Woodleaf Farm Organic Systems Description.

• Figure 1: Evaluation of materials sprayed for brown rot management (O'Henry peaches, 1993) 
• Figure 2: Evaluation of materials sprayed for brown rot management (Royal Glo peaches, 1994)

Figure 1. Materials applied to control brown rot: percent marketable fruit at harvest (O'Henry peaches, 1993): Ten materials were tested. Each material was applied three times per week at bloom and four times per week prior to harvest with an air blast sprayer (except for copper, sulfur, and yeast). Copper hydroxide was applied once just prior to bloom (15 lb/acre). Sulfur was applied three times during bloom and three times in June following three rainfall events (15 lb/acre). The copper and sulfur schedule was Woodleaf’s standard spray program in the 1990s. Yeast was sprayed three times during bloom. Applications were made on 15 contiguous (non-randomized) trees per treatment for a total of 150 trees. All fruit from each treatment was harvested and evaluated as a composite rather than by individual trees. For these reasons, statistical analysis was not possible.

*Materials: applied in 250 gals/acre water with a Rears air-blast sprayer. Material rates are given per acre. Each material is added to the tank of 250 gallons of water and sprayed on 1 acre.

• Kelp and basalt rock dust: 3 lbs Algrow dry kelp (cold processed) and 30 lbs basalt rock dust (from local quarry, ground and added to 50 gallons of water to make a slurry).
• Kelp: 3 lbs/acre Algrow dry kelp (cold processed).
• Blend and yeast: blend = 2 pounds Algrow dry kelp, 30 gallons basalt rock dust (30 Lbs. of Basalt rock dust, from a local quarry , ground and added to 50 gallons of water to make a slurry), 20 gallons yard waste compost tea, 2 pounds powdered sugar, 1/2 gallon white wine vinegar and 1/2 gallon hydrogen peroxide per acre (35 % farm grade from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply, Grass Valley, CA) and yeast (a natural pink mucoid yeast, Aureobasidium pullulans, found on the leaves and fruit of Woodleaf peach trees, cultivated by Mid-State Labs, Visalia, CA) applied at 10 gals/acre, once a week for three weeks during bloom (Table 4).
• Compost tea and yeast: 10 gallons of finished yard waste compost stirred into a 55 gallon drum of water for five minutes, left to settle for 15 minutes; and the yeast (described above) applied at 10 gallons per acre, once a week for three weeks during bloom (Table 4).
• Hydrogen peroxide and yeast: Hydrogen peroxide (35 % farm grade as described above applied at 3 gallons per acre) and yeast (as described above), applied at 10 gallons per acre, once a week for three weeks during bloom.
• Copper and sulfur: Kocide DF (copper hydroxide) applied once pre-bloom at 16 pounds per acre; Wilbur-Ellis spray sulfur applied 3 times during bloom and 3 times after rain in June.
• Hydrogen peroxide: 35% farm grade (as described above) applied at 3 gallons per acre.
• Compost tea: 10 gallons of finished yard waste compost stirred in a 55 gallon drum of water for five minutes and left to settle for 15 minutes (Table 4).
• Blend: 2 pounds Algrow dry kelp, 30 gallons basalt rock dust in 50 gallons of water, 20 gallons tea made from yard waste compost, 2 pounds powdered sugar, 1/2 gallon white wine vinegar and 1/2 gallon hydrogen peroxide per acre (35% farm grade).

Some of these materials are no longer available. For a list of foliar spray materials Woodleaf now uses see Table 3.

Figure 2. Materials applied to control brown rot: percent marketable fruit at harvest  (Royal Glo peaches, 1994): Three random experimental trees each were treated with one of three materials, a mix of the three materials, or sulfur (Woodleaf’s standard practice) using the hand gun on an air-blast sprayer. An unsprayed buffer tree was left between each sprayed tree. Test trees were sprayed four times during bloom and four times at weekly intervals before harvest. Due to the small sample size and variation among replicates, there was no statistical difference in brown rot incidence among treatments.

*Materials (in order of most marketable fruit produced) applied using a hand gun in 250 gal/acre water with a Rears air-blast sprayer:

• Basalt rock dust: 4 lbs. per acre from a local quarry.
• Kelp: 3 Lbs. /acre of Algrow dry kelp, a cold processed product.
• Yeast: (Aureobasidium Pullulans 107concentration) 1.5 gallons/ tree. The Aureobasidium pullulans yeast was found on the leaves of Woodleaf peach trees and cultured by Chuck Sellers, microbiologist at California State University, Chico.
• Mix: rock dust, yeast and kelp at the above rates.
• Sulfur: Wilbur - Ellis Spray sulfur at 15 lbs. per acre.

Some of these materials are no longer available. For a list of foliar spray materials Woodleaf now uses see Table 3.

These figures are part of the Woodleaf Farm Organic Systems Description

Table of Contents:

• System Overview
  • Figure 1, Figure 2
• Soil Management System Description
  • Soil Figures
  • Soil Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, Table 4
• Insect Pest Management System Description
  • Insect Figures
  • Insect Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, Table 4
• Disease Management System Description
  • Disease Figures
  • Disease Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, Table 4