The peach, Prunus persica (L.) Batch, originated in china, where records of cultivation date back 3.000 years Peaches probably were brought to Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, USA and Italy.

1-Physiological Diseases

A-Gummosis:

Symptoms:

Severely symptomatic trees were more than 7 years old. The trunk and scaffold branches appeared with dark-colored gum.

-Affected trees appear with yellow leaves, shoot dieback and dry branches.

Cause:

-high level of water table

-poor draining

Control:

-Improving drain system

-Irrigate peach trees as needed and do not allow them to become water -stressed.

B- Peach yellow spot

Symptoms:

-Affected trees appeared with yellow leaves.

-Be the time, yellow color was over all vegetative growth
Cause:

Iron and manganese deficiency

Control:

Foliar spray 2-3 times during growth season
          Use:            Fetrilon combi2 (200-300g/fed.)

2 – Fungal Diseases

a – Damping – off

the Causal organisms

there are more pathogenic fungi can cause damping – off in peach nursery
Phthium debaryanum    Phytophora spp
Symptoms:
- losses of many transplants in the nursery
- post – emergence – transplants if infected will be die
Control :
Avoidances excessive irrigation water

b – Root rots
The Causal organisms:           Phizoctonia solani                             Armillaria mellea
Fusarium spp                          Phthium ultimum
Symptoms:

-Foliage often remains green until midsummer when the whole tree collapses with leaves attached sudden collapse of tree in midsummer rather then a gradual yellowing of leaves followed by defoliation is indicative of armillary root rot.

-Leaves on effected trees usually become sparse, small and chlorate. As the disease progresses, shoot and scaffold dieback may occur.

-The hairy root becomes decay with black color.

Control:  If the casual organism is   Rhizoctonia solani

          Use             MONCUT   1kg/Feddan

C- Dieback

 The Causal organism:            Botryodiploia theobromae

 Symptoms:

-The first visible symptom is a branch canker, most commonly centered on a pruning wound made several years previously. Extending upward from the canker, a zone of discolored sapwood may be found, usually terminating in a light brown and some what diffuse margin.

          -leaves on the portion of the branch beyond an established canker may wilt suddenly signaling death of that part of the branch.

-on branches killed by the pathogen, leaves fail to abscise and often remain attached through the following winter.

Control:

Trees should be pruned soon after harvest then use

          COBOX               250 g / 100 L .W

D-Powdery mildew

On peach trees considered on of the most important diseases. In
orchards, the largest economic

losses usually result from fruit infections, but foliar mildew is most damaging in nursery plantings.

The Causal organism:

                    sphaertheca pannosa var. perica.

Symptoms:
         - Early symptoms on foliage include a fine, netlike growth. As infection progress, large numbers of conidia produced on the leaf surface result in a white, mealy appearance.

-The leaves eventually roll up word, pucker, blister and abscise. Infected shoots are commonly stunted and may be covered with a whit, felt like growth

          -Fruit are susceptible from the early stages of growth until pit-hardening. White, circular spots, the first symptoms of fruit infection, may enlarge, coalesce, and cover the entire fruit.

Control:
To control powdery mildew on peach trees follow the next steps:

a- shortly after bud break

          Use KUMULUS-S 80%WG  200-300G/100L.W

b-Beginning disease symptoms on young leaves

          Use BELLIS 38%WG  30G/100L.W

after 15 days

          Use AMISTAR 25%SC           40cm/100L.W

after 15 days

          Use KUMULUS-S 80%WG  200-300G/100L.W

E- Scab
The Causal organism Cladosporum carpophilum or caldosporium carpophylium

Scab is an important disease of peach and nectarine in the hot, humid peach- producing areas.

Symptoms:

          -Symptoms appear when the fruit are about half grow. Small, greenish to olivaceous, circular spots appear on exposed fruit surface, most frequently near the stem end.

          -The spots enlarge and become olivaceous to black and cracking occurs as the fruit enlarges.

          -Twig infection occurs on tender, green twigs of new growth.

Control:
          Use    KUMULUS-S 200-300G/100L.W

 
F- Shot hole

shot hole diseases can be sever on apricot peach and nectarine but is of on consequence on plum.

The Causal organism:   Stigmina carpophila

Symptoms:

          -The fungus infects and kills dormant buds.
-leaf lesions abscise in a dry environment, thus the name "shot hole"

          -Fruit lesions begin as small purplish areas that expand to brownish spots. The spots develop mostly on the upper side and eventually become corky and rough.

Control:

          Use    AMISTAR                   40cm/100L.W.

          Or     COBOX                       250G/100L.W.

G- Peach leaf curl

The Causal organism: taphrina deformans

Symptoms:

          -The fungus attacks leaves, branches and fruit
-Yellow to reddish areas appear on young developing leaves in the spring. These areas progressively thicken and pucker, causing the leaf to curl. Infected leaves abscise prematurely or sometimes remain attached.
Control:

          Use    KOBOX               250G/100L.W

          Or     KOMOLUS-S     200-300G/100L

 Peach Fruit Rots

1-Brown Rot

The Causal organism:   Monilinia fructicola.

Symptoms:

          -wounds caused by scab disease, insects and mechanical injury are good entrance to the pathogen.
-In spring, the primary features of brown rot are blossom blight, twig blight and green fruit rot-The first symptoms of blossom blight is necrosis of the anthers, which proceeds to the floral tub, ovary and peduncle.

          -Infection may extend into and then girdle the twig.

          -As infection flowers wilt and turn brown, they often become affixed to the twig in a gummy mass.

Control:

          Use             BELLIS     30G/100L.W

2- Rhizopus Rot

The Causal organism:   Rhizopus  stolonifer

Rhizopus rot is a major post harvest disease on a ripe fruit throughout the stone fruit production areas of the world.

Symptoms:

          Rhizopus rot on packaged fruit is characterized by a mass of white mycelium. Black spots usually occur in abundance near the edge of the container. The infected tissue is soft and watery.

Control
Special care must be taken to prevent mechanical injury to fruit during harvest, packing and transit

Insect and pests on peach

1-Scale Insects

a- Insulaspis pallidula

          Host range: Peach, Pear, Apple and grape

b- Parlatoria oleae                  (plum peach scale)

           Host range: Plum, Olive, Pear, Apple, peach and Apricot

c-Pseudolacaspis pentagona    (white peach scale)

          Host range: Peach,
d- Parasaissetia oleae    (olive peach scale)

          Host range: Peach, Apricot, plum and olive.
Symptoms:

-Decrease the vigor of peach trees, kill limbs and ultimately kill the trees.

          -Plum peach scale, cause red spots on leaves and fruits especially on peach. The infected fruits become unmarketable.

          -The white scales covered all the branches of peach tree when the causal is white peach scale.

Generally:

          -Scales are unusual insects in appearance; the adults are small and immobile, with no visible legs. Scales vary in appearance depending on age, sex and species. The adult females typically produce a waxy covering that protects them from many insecticides.

          -Scales attack shoots in March – April and the sever infection from June - August  

Control:

          Use:  ACTELLIC                   150cm/100L.W

2- Aphids:

a- Myzus Persicae                    (Green peach aphid)

          Host range: Peach, Apricot, Plum and Citrus

b- Pterochloroides persicae      (bark aphid)

          Host range: Peach, Apricot, Plum

c- Hyalopterus pruni (mealy plum aphid)

          Host range: Peach, Apricot, Plum and Apple

Symptoms

          - Curl the new growth of infection trees

          - The first flush of leaves may be so curled and distorted that they die or provide little food energy to the tree, reducing fruit production

          - Sooty mould usually formed on leaves and fruits.

Control:

          During periods when the trees are dormant

Use:

          APHOX     50g/100L.W

OR    NUDRIN    75g/100L.w

3-Peach Tree Borer

a- Chlorophours varius (bark borer of grape and peach)

          Host range: stone fruit crops and grape

b- Ptosima undecimmaculata (plum bark borer)

          Host range: stone fruit crops and grape

Symptoms:

          -The larvae tunnel into the base of trees, often just below the soil surface, and damage large areas of bark and cambium tissue so that trees are weakened and some times killed
-Peach tree borer can attack even vigorously growing trees

-Large droplets of ooze, mixed with chewed wood fragments, form at wound sites and are distinctive for peach tree borer injury

Generally

          Egg – laying activity may begin by mid April – May and the sever injury from July to September

Control:

         
Use    NOMOLT           50cm/100 L.W              

4- Scarabs on peach trees

a- Pachnoda fasciata     (peach scarabs)

b-Tropinata spualida scop. (Rose Scarabs)

Host range: stone fruit and ornamental plants

Symptoms:

          -The insect feed on peach fruit shortly before matures, and then the fruit become unmarketable.

          -some species completely destroy the flowers of peach tree and lead to tree without fruits.

5- Peach Twig Borer

The Causal organism:   (Anarsia lineatella          )         

Symptoms:

          -Larvae tunnel into terminal growth and later into fruit.

          -The peach twig borer spends the winter as a small caterpillar on the tree bark. They become active in early spring and tunnel into buds and young terminal growth. Initially, most feeding is done on twigs, with larvae tending to move to the fruit as the pits start to harden.

          -Infected fruits appear with pink spots.

control

           NOMOLT           50cm/100 L.W

6- Med fly

The Causal organism:   ceratitis capitata

          The fruit fly of peach and all stone fruit is a serious pest in all stone fruit orchards.

Symptoms:

          -Damage is caused by the maggot-stage larvae that tunnel the fruit with brown color with gummy liquid on the fruit surface.

          -In sever infection, the fruit drop

control:

          Use the following solution

Disease caused by plant-parasitic Nematodes

1 -Root-Knot Nematodes        (slow decline)

The Causal organism:             Meloidogyne ssp.

Symptoms:

          -Root-knot nematodes are highly specialized plant parasites

          -Disease symptoms begin with gall formation resulting from hypertrophy. The nematodes feed at sites known as syncytia, which are metabolically very active

          -As infection progresses, the size of the galls and degree of root deformation increase.

          -Sever infection, lead to reduced root and shoot growth, small shoot and root biomass, leaf chlorosis, low fruit yield, poor fruit quality and sometimes tree death.

2- Root-Lesion nematodes.

The Causal organism:   pratylenchus ssp.

Symptoms:

-These nematodes generally feed in the root cortex. Nematode invasion of young roots induces reddish brown, elongated lesions.

          -Root lesions darken with age; necrosis often spreads to affect the entire root, growth ceases, and the root dies.

-Heavy infection often results in small root systems and stunted trees

Bacterial Diseases of peach

1-Crown gall

The Causal organism:   Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Symptoms:

-Galls develop on roots, crown, and occasionally aerial parts of peach tree. The galls vary in size.

          -The galls are compassed of disorganized vascular and parenchyma tissues and appear first as rapidly growing, white, fleshy swellings that usually become tan to brownish during the dormant season

          -Galls on young plants can reduce root development and plant vigor.

Control:

          Sanitation and cultural practices are important for reducing the amount of disease. These include using certified disease-free plants and planting in well-drained fields.

2- Bacterial canker:

The disease is also known as gummosis, blossom blast, dieback and twig blight.

The Causal organism:             pseudomonas syringae  pv. syringae.

 Symptoms:

          -cankers develop on twigs at the base of flower and leaf buds, in pruning wounds, and the infected, sunken areas are usually formed in late winter or early spring.

          -Gum often exudes from cankers, especially early in the growing season.

          -Terminal shoots or twigs of cankered trees may dieback. If girdled by a canker, the diseased late branch or trunk dies within weeks.

Control:

-Using certified disease-free propagative material.

-Planting disease-free plants and planting in well-drained soil

Virus Diseases of Peach

1-Asteroid spot virus    (ASV)

Peach Mosaic

          Host range: Peach-Cherry

Symptoms:

          -In early spring, a small star spot appears on the exposed leaves. The star spots are hyaline, gray and vary in its size. Infected leaves turns yellow, however the star spots still yellow green.

          -Bud break is retarded on infected trees and affected leaves almost drop.

          -Fruit of infected trees symptom less but unmarketable.

          -The casual agent is easily graft-transmitted

Incubation period: from 4weeks to 2year.

Control:

          -Removal of diseased trees.

2- Peach Blotch:

          Host range: only Peach

Symptoms:

          -By end of August, small pale-green spots begin on the terminal leaves

          -No considerable losses occurs because the symptoms begin with the end of the season

Control:

          Resistant transplants is minimize the risks

3- Plum pox virus         SHARKA

          This virus causes serious losses in plum, peach nectarine and apricot

Symptoms:

          - Symptoms appear in the first leaves to expand and consist of chlorite vein banding, with twisting and distortion of the lamina.

          - Symptoms in peach fruit consist of pale or dark rings, lines and spots. These symptoms may disappear at ripening.

Control:

          -Removal of infected trees

          -Rigorous spraying for aphids may delay the spread of virus

          -Use tolerant cultivars