Copper Vs Urea sprays
Growers should prioritise which treatment is most beneficial to their orchard and act accordingly with their choice of post-harvest treatment. Either :-
- Copper sprays for canker control.
or
- Urea sprays for feeding the buds for next year and reducing scab spore pressure in the early spring.
Growers have to decide the greatest need in their orchard because:-
- Strong doses of urea can be phytotoxic to green wood causing damage, which would allow canker an entry point.
- On the other hand copper sprays minimise this effect, but they can in turn delay the decay of leaf debris and it has been reported to stimulate scab ascopore production thereby increasing the risk of scab infection.