Abstract

RAMIREZ-LEGARRETA, Manuel Rafael et al. Irrigation Type, Organic Mulch and Fungicide Sprays over Yield Losses Caused by Moldy Core [Alternaria alternata (Fries) Keissler] in Apple Trees [Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill. var. domestica (Borkh) Mansf.] cv. Red Delicious. Rev. mex. fitopatol [online]. 2009, vol.27, n.2, pp.113-122. ISSN 2007-8080.

The effect derived from irrigation type, organic mulch and fungicide sprays during the 2006 and 2007 cycles over the moldy core damage on the Red Delicious apple cultivar was evaluated in an orchard located in Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, Mexico. The experimental plot consisted in five lines of 21 trees each. The irrigation type for the first 11 trees of each line was modified to subsurface drip irrigation, which was originally performed by microsprinklers, leaving the 10 trees left with the original irrigation type. Organic mulch treatments were located over these last plots, performing Bacillus subtilis, steroidal saponine and kresoxim methyl aspersions to both irrigation types. The results indicated that the irrigation type set the highest differences among treatments with regards to the damage revealed. Neither the presence nor absence of organic mulch reached to modify the damage intensity, and the fungicide aspersions revealed inconsistent effects in both cycles. It is considered that the effect derived from the irrigation type is due to water impact on the soil surface where the fungi inoculum is located.

Keywords : Management; bloom period; yield losses.