VIEW ARTICLE

The Effect of Rainfall, Drainage, Tree Spacing, and Fungicide Application on the Incidence of Citrus Brown Rot. L. W. Timmer, Associate Professor, Texas A&I University Citrus Center, Weslaco 78596; J. E. Fucik, Associate Professor, Texas A&I University Citrus Center, Weslaco 78596. Phytopathology 65:241-242. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-65-241.

We studied the effect of rainfall, land leveling, and tree spacing on the incidence of brown rot in an orange orchard for four seasons. The percentage of fruit loss was 0-23%, and was directly related to the amount of rainfall in September and October. Tree spacing did not affect brown rot incidence. Poor drainage caused by the land leveling prior to planting resulted in a higher brown rot incidence in one year. Another year, a single application of tribasic copper sulfate in early September reduced brown rot from 10.9 to 4.8%. Phytophthora parasitica was the only pathogen species isolated from brown rot-affected fruit.