Monday, August 7, 2017

Spraying for weevil, stinkbug, and scab

    We had a good rain shower over the weekend which came at a perfect time to promote nut growth and kernel fill. But 1.5 inches rainfall also provided plenty of moisture to softened the soil and allow pecan weevil to start emerging. So today we fired up the sprayer (photo at right).
   Today's pesticide application was aimed at controlling three key pests; Pecan weevil, stinkbugs, and pecan scab.  We generally spray the grove in early August for stinkbug control but the wet weather dictated that we also control weevil and scab. We used Warrior 2 for insect control and Quilt Xcel for disease control.   
    Applying a fungicide this late in the season has proven beneficial during wet summers to control not only pecan scab but also pecan anthracnose and downy spot. Judging from the forecast we are in for a cool wet August.