APPLE LENTICEL SPOT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22262, 9 November 1935, Page 10 (Supplement)

APPLE LENTICEL SPOT

PUE TO DRY WEATHER

The spotting of late varieties of apples is not duo to spraying, as is sometimes thought. It is a definitely recognised dry-weather trouble. It is known as lenticel spot or lentioel breakdown. What happens is that during a prolonged dry period in summer, when the supply of moisture is inadequate, the lenticols become slack and open. Then in the autumn, when the rains come and fungi of various species are active in the orchard, some spores find their way into the fruit through defective lenticols. Decay sets in sooner or later and brown parts, which gradually enlarge, appear. This may happen soon after picking, or later in the the store. Some varieties have more open lenticels than others and are therefore more particularly liable to this trouble. The only preventive seems to be irrigation in dry periods, but possibly heavy mulching may improve matters. One grower mentions that he secured sound apples from his private garden where the trees were vigorously watered and occasionally sprayed with clear water, whereas in many cases, fruit from the surrounding orchard showed lenticel spot.