Fruit Bites June 9-11 Fruit Russet

BL: Welcome back to another “Fruit Bites” brought to you by Valent U.S.A. With us as always is Valent’s Allison Walston. And this week Allison, let’s talk about fruit russet.

AW: Russet occurs when the fruit skin cells are damaged 30 to 40 days after petal fall. Several things can cause this and each leave their own “style”.

BL: Now, can we determine what caused the russet by the damage left behind?

AW: brown stem bowls mean either wet weather or rust mites.

Netting, which looks like bad lace on the fruit, can occur from early powdery mildew. Rings or leaf outlines appear if there are poor drying conditions after a spray application when water droplets pool at the bottom or under a leaf. Tan-ish sunken areas can be caused by frost.

BL: Are all apples & pears prone to russet?

AW: yellow or green fruit are more prone compared to red fruit. Anjou pears are probably the worst. In the next episode, I’ll discuss some options for prevention.

BL: Well, thanks Allison. Join us again next time for Fruit Bites, brought to you by Valent. Until then, I’m Bob Larson.