Dr. Phyto

almond

Prunus dulcis

Diseases & pests on this plant

• almond red leaf blotchPolystigma amygdalinum

  Bright orange-red blotches (2-3 cm) on upper leaf surface from late spring, leaves turning yellow and falling by July, reduced kernel yield.

• shothole / coryneum blight of stone fruitStigmina carpophila

  Small (2-4mm) reddish-purple leaf spots that drop out leaving clean round shotholes, spots on fruit produce sunken purple lesions with rough corky centers, twig infections cause cankers + gummosis, flower bud blast in spring, fruit becomes unmarketable due to cosmetic damage.

• peach twig borer (almond shoot moth)Anarsia lineatella

  Wilted shoot tips (1–2cm of new growth) hanging limp, small entry hole with gum near the base, larvae visible inside split shoots, holes in the husk of developing kernels.

• almond seed waspEurytoma amygdali

  Almonds remain on the tree past harvest looking mummified, kernel inside is consumed and replaced by a single fat white grub, exit hole on shell after emergence.

• European brown rot / blossom blightMonilinia laxa

  Sudden brown collapse of flower clusters during/just after bloom, dead flower spurs hanging on twigs producing greyish spore masses, twig cankers oozing amber gum below dead blossoms, branch dieback in heavy infections, summer fruit rot identical to M. fructicola.

• bacterial spot of stone fruitXanthomonas arboricola pv. pruniEU-notifiable quarantine organism

  Angular water-soaked spots on leaves with yellow halos, dark sunken pits + cracks on fruit (looks like shothole), twig cankers oozing amber bacterial slime in spring, premature leaf drop + defoliation, fruit becomes unmarketable due to cosmetic damage and acts as inoculum reservoir.

• almond leaf scorchXylella fastidiosa subsp. multiplexEU-notifiable quarantine organism

  Marginal leaf scorch progressing inward, premature leaf drop on individual branches, reduced nut size and oil content, gradual canopy decline over 3–5 years.