Fact sheet: Alternaria control in 2021–22

November 2021 | Stephen Tancred | Future Orchards® fact sheet

This fact sheet provides a concise seasonal guide to Alternaria control in apples. The disease can affect leaves and fruit, and the risk is highest where susceptible varieties, a history of disease and favourable weather combine.

The management strategy starts before spraying. Reducing overwintering inoculum through orchard hygiene lowers disease pressure, while monitoring new leaves helps growers assess how quickly the disease is developing and whether the block requires additional protection.

Where fungicides are needed, timing and product choice need to account for the stage of the season, weather, withholding periods and resistance-management requirements. Late-season protection can be important where fruit infection risk remains high approaching harvest.

The fact sheet is a practical companion to the November 2021 Future Orchards® Alternaria presentation. Current product labels, permits and local advice should take precedence over historical chemical recommendations.

Because this is a seasonal fact sheet, its strongest value is as a checklist linking orchard history, current symptoms, weather and spray timing, rather than as a fixed chemical recipe that should be copied unchanged in later seasons.