Evaluation of Trunk-Insulating Wraps on Cambium Temperature Fluctuations and Peach Tree Short Life Development. R. R. Sharpe, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 87, Byron, GA 31008. C. C. Reilly, and E. I. Zehr. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 87, Byron, GA 31008; and Department of Plant Pathology and Physiology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29631. Plant Dis. 75:803-806. Accepted for publication 28 January 1991. This article is in the public domain and not copyrightable. It may be freely reprinted with customary crediting of the source, The American Phytopathological Society, 1991. DOI: 10.1094/PD-75-0803.

Four trunk-insulating wraps in four orchards were used to evaluate cambium temperature fluctuations on peach tree short life (PTSL) development. A clear plastic bubble material trapped solar radiation, increased cambium temperatures, and resulted in cambial browning, sour sap odor, and tree death similar to PTSL. Insulation materials that reduced temperature fluctuations did not affect minimum cambium night temperatures but did decrease maximum day temperatures compared with noninsulated checks. Armiflex foam, normally used to insulate water pipes, and Reflectix, polyethylene plastic bubbles with aluminum foil bonded to both sides, were the most effective insulation materials. None of the materials consistently decreased the percentage of PTSL. If cambium temperature fluctuations contribute to PTSL development, more effective insulation materials are required to decrease the incidence of PTSL.