Epidemiological Studies of Brown Rot in Spanish Cherry Orchards in the Jerte Valley

Departamento de ​Protección Vegetal (INIA)

Cherry brown rot caused by Monilinialaxa was observed and estimated in organic cherry orchard located in the Jerte Valley between 2013 and 2018 (Cáceres, Spain). Climatic variables were collected from this orchard and also from a nearby weather station. The primary inoculum of the pathogen recorded in March was detected in overwintered mummified fruits, ground mummies, and necrotic twigs and was a function of the average temperature of the previous three months (December, January, and February). The first symptoms of brown rot could be observed on flowers until fruit set in April. The months of March and April were identified as the critical period for cherry brown-rot development. A significant positive correlation was identified between brown rot observed at harvest and the mean number of consecutive days in each fortnight of March and April when the percent relative humidity was above 80%. Brown-rot incidence observed over the 6 years ranged from 0 to 38%. More than 11 days with relative humidity >80% in each fortnight of critical period would mean 100% of cherry brown rot at harvest. A forecasting model could be used to predict brown rot infection in Jerte Valley cherries.

This work was supported by national project CC13-047 from INIA and CICYTEX, AGL2017- 84389-C2-2-R from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MCIU, Spain), and by supra-autonomic operational group FITOSCEREZO funded by Horizon 2020 in the framework of the national program for the Rural Development 2014–2020 by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food with the Agricultural European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI).

Peer reviewed

12 Págs. (This article belongs to the Special Issue Control of Fungal Diseases in Crops)