Gloeosporium and Colletotrichum - chemical control

Pre-harvest sprays

  • Orchards with a history of Gloeosporium or Colletotrichum rot should be sprayed pre-harvest with sprays of captan or Switch (cyprodinil + fludioxonil) or Bellis (pyraclostrobin + boscalid) in July and August.
  • Captan or Switch (cyprodinil + fludioxonil) or Bellis (pyraclostrobin + boscalid) applied in early spring and summer may also reduce Gloeosporium and Colletotrichum rot.

Avoiding fungicide resistance

  • Resistance of Gloeosporium and Colletotrichum isolates to benzimidazole fungicides is common in the rest of Europe.
  • In the UK the incidence of resistance has increased in the last five years such that about 30-40% of isolates are resistant.
  • Therefore pre-harvest sprays should be based on sprays of two different products rather than two sprays of the same product.