Evaluation of Fungicides and Application Strategies for the Management of the Red Leaf Blotch Disease of Almond

Abstract

Red leaf blotch (RLB) of almond, caused by Polystigma amygdalinum, is an important foliar disease of this nut tree in the Mediterranean basin and especially in Spain. In recent years, the control of this disease has become a key factor in the management of Spanish almond orchards. The management of RLB is not easy due to intrinsic factors of the disease (e.g., long infection and latency periods) and the low number of registered fungicides in this country. From 2015 to 2019, different field trials were conducted in the Lleida region, NE Spain, to evaluate the efficacy of several fungicide products and of application strategies to control this disease. Systemic fungicides, which included fluopyram, trifloxystrobin, and mixtures of fluopyram + trifloxystrobin and pyraclostrobin + boscalid, performed better than contact and penetrant products and showed up to 90% control against RLB. However, the efficacy of the tested fungicides varied depending on the year. In terms of application strategies, when fungicide applications were conducted following specific meteorological conditions (after 15 days from >15 mm rainfalls with ≈10–15 °C as the minimum average temperature), their efficacy was comparable to that of calendar-based treatments (every 14, 21, or 31 days from petal fall) but with fewer applications (depending on the year, 2–4 applications as compared with 5–9 for calendar treatments).