Q: Is Blossom Protect effective against Fire Blight?

A: Yes, in high pressure inoculated trials in New York (AgriTech Geneva), Blossom Protect was able to achieve levels of control equivalent to antibiotic products and has been a consistently effective alternative to antibiotics. We’ve tested the product since 2012 and it has always been one of the most effective products in our inoculated trials in every year.

 

Q: Can you tank mix Blossom Protect with fungicides?

A: For maximum efficacy, you probably shouldn’t. The active ingredient in Blossom Protect is a golden yeast, Aureobasidium pullulans, and could be killed off by the fungicide in your tank. There are some fungicides that have reduced impact on the yeast, but when it comes to fire blight, you want Blossom Protect to have its maximum potential for excluding the fire blight bacterium from the flower stigmas. Moreover, Blossom Protect should be applied according to fire blight model recommendations and will be most effective as a special application just for fire blight. We’ve applied fungicides within a few days of Blossom Protect, with no impact on the effectiveness, but when your orchard investment is on the line, it’s best to give a few days between fungicide and Blossom Protect applications.

 

Q: Can Blossom Protect cause russeting on apples?

A: Aureobasidium pullulans is a known cause of russeting in apples, especially in cultivars susceptible to finish injury. We’ve routinely, isolated A. pullulans from ‘Gala’ and ‘SweeTango’. In studies where scientists have investigated the pathology of A. pullulans, inoculations are made at petal fall or 10-15 mm achieve the highest levels of russeting. Hence, applications should be avoided at petal fall or later on russet prone varieties, especially during slow drying or wet weather. We’ve been testing Blossom Protect for several years on ‘Gala’, and while we’ve not made applications at or after petal fall, we’ve never seen russeting on ‘Gala’ even in wet years. We’ve made a few applications close to petal fall in years where bloom is short, but have not truly applied it at full petal fall or at 10-15 mm. If it’s a drier season and it’s not a russet prone variety, you’re probably safe to apply Blossom Protect at full bloom/20% petal.

 

Q: Can you use Blossom Protect for secondary bloom?

A: Yep! The team at SAN Agrow has mentioned that “due to pears and newer cultivars of apples having extensive secondary bloom, Blossom Protect has been granted a label expansion for secondary bloom applications.  These may be important due to warm, wet conditions present during the summer.  It is strongly recommended to wait 4-6 weeks following primary petal fall before applying to secondary blooms to get fruit past the critical size for russeting.  Models should dictate the timings of these applications.”