Preventive treatments after pruning fruit trees

After the post-harvest and the leaf fall of the fruit trees, a period begins from which we can carry out the pruning our fruit trees.

By pruning We will regulate fruiting and vegetative growth of the tree and therefore we are going to help to obtain quality fruitThat is, with pruning we are going to control the tree's load in terms of buds, or what is the same, the potential number of fruits that could set in the next life cycle. For example, poor pruning would result in a large number of small fruits that the tree would be unable to ripen properly; conversely, severe or excessive pruning would result in poor production.

In general, the best time to prune fruit trees is winter, although with certain exceptions:

• If the climate of the area where our plantation is located is characterized by severe frosts and very low temperatures, it would be advisable avoid the coldest days and delay pruning as long as possible, even until the last days of winter.
• In warm areas with mild winters, we could prune earlier in the winter season.

There are different pruning tools, which in any case, must be adapted to the diameter of the branch to be cut, allowing a clean, tear-free cutAfter use, they should be cleaned and disinfected. It is even advisable to disinfect them periodically during the pruning process to prevent the spread of wood diseases from one plant to another.

There are several wood diseases that affect fruit trees. Due to the organs they infect, these types of diseases have specific development, spread, and control characteristics that are distinct from foliar diseases, fruit diseases, or neck and root diseases.

Wood diseases are the result of attacks by a group of fungi present in the environment that, taking advantage of entry holes such as wounds or pruning cuts, colonize the wood, causing diverse symptoms such as discoloration and necrosis of vascular tissue, leaf spots or chlorosis with characteristic patterns, delayed sprouting and bud death, flower abortions, decreased productivity and even the death of the tree.

Unlike other fungal diseases, such as foliar diseases, wood diseases do not show visual symptoms on the plant during the early stages of infection, allowing the disease to progress as there are no obvious signs that alert the farmer to apply cultural measures or chemical treatments for its control.

Currently there are no curative products for wood diseases., so the most effective means of combating it is prevention. Within the preventive measures recommended are:

• Disinfect the tools pruning periodically, as we mentioned above.
• When any type of necrosis or rot is detected during pruning, it should be keep cutting until you find healthy tissue.
• Removal and burning of pruning remains for reduce the inoculum.
• Avoid excessively cold days, since the wood becomes brittle, making pruning cuts unclean.
• Do not prune on rainy or foggy days., since the spread of this type of fungus and its development on the cuts would be accentuated. It is even recommended not to prune in the days following a period of rainfall.
• Avoid also the first hours of the day, since possible dew or humidity on the trees can be harmful.
• The cutting surfaces more than 5 centimeters must be sealed and/or treated with some healing/fungicide product.

In reference to this last preventive measure, the Cultifort Technical Department recommends CULTISAN CuThis is a formulation based on copper chelated with EDTA and chitosan.

Chitosan is a natural aminopolysaccharide polymer derived from chitin and a precursor of chitinases and glucanases. These proteins, known as "pathogenesis-related proteins" (PR proteins), are produced by plants after being attacked by a pathogen. They are synthesized after activation of the Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR) mechanism, which is one of the plant's self-defense mechanisms. These PR proteins have antimicrobial capacity, attacking the cell walls of bacteria and fungi.

Treatments with CULTISAN Cu They provide two fronts of action:

• External: Chitosan creates a protective film on pruning cuts that prevents colonization by external pathogens.
• Inside: el copper It is an element with fungicidal and bactericidal capacity, involved in the self-defense of plants and necessary for many of their functions.

In this way, the tree is protected by the double action of CULTISAN Cu, efficiently preventing the attack of fungi and bacteria, avoiding the problem before it appears.

CULTISAN Cu It is a biodegradable, non-toxic, bioactive product, with no safety period and certified for use as an input in Organic Agriculture.

If you'd like to learn more about this and other alternatives to the most controversial agricultural inputs, click here: Learn more about eliminating controversial inputs in agriculture