Covering red currant during the development of the fruits guarantees high quality fruits and delays picking time. Because of these reasons, the number of fruit growers using cover production system is increasing. Covering red currant affects fungicide action and efficacy. Furthermore the climate conditions are altered in the shrub resulting in a different infection risk/pressure for certain fungal diseases. The effect of the timing of covering on the control of Botrytis cinerea which is the cause of the mayor fruit rot disease of red currants was studied. The results from the trials clearly show the positive effect of covering during bloom on the chemical control of Botrytis on red currant. The chemical control of plants during bloom which were covered from bloom equals that of a full season chemical control of uncovered plants or plants covered after fruit set. The full season chemical control of plants covered from bloom was only statistically better then all other objects tested in one of the two trials. Covering alone without chemical control had only a limited effect.

Rubus sp.; Botrytis; fungicide; sustainable fruit production

Published by University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, CROATIA
Sponsored by Ministry Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia