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Peach leaf curl--a springtime disease of peach treesAre the leaves of your peach trees suddenly puckering or blistering? If so, you have peach leaf curl; the bad news is, at this point, there is not much that can be done. The disease, though not a problem every spring, can be severe during cool, wet springs that follow mild winters. Peach leaf curl is caused by a fungus called Taphrina deformans. The spores of this fungus are relatively resistant to adverse weather conditions and can remain lodged on the surface of twigs for two years or more. Developing leaves become severely distorted (thickened and puckered) and have a reddish or purple cast. Later, as spores form on the leaf surface, the leaves become powdery gray in color. Shortly after this, the leaves turn yellow or brown and drop. The only way to control peach leaf curl is to apply a fungicide during the dormant period. For control of peach leaf curl, spray the trees with Bordeaux or fungicides containing the active ingredient chlorothalonil before buds swell in the spring. There is not much you can do to control it after the symptoms have appeared. Applications can also be made at leaf drop in the fall. If the infection of leaf curl is severe enough, it can weaken the tree. Although you may not be able to control the disease, there are some steps the owner of a peach tree can take. First, thinning fruits to reduce the demand on the remaining leaves may be required. Watering the tree when it turns dry and applying nitrogen fertilizer to severely infected trees will also help improve their vigor. Peach leaf curl is another one of those diseases that, by the time you know you have it, it's too late to do anything about. For more information, please contact Jennifer Schutter, University of Missouri Extension Horticulture Specialist in Kirksville, Mo. Phone 660-665-9866 or e-mail to schutterjl@missouri.edu. Date: 9/15/08
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