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Contents : 28 Guardian Rootstock Guardian new peach rootstock (trademarked and patent pending) is currently available from licensed nurseries for experimental planting. Guardian rootstock has survived better than other commercial peach rootstocks including Lovell on sandy replant sites infested with ring nematodes in the Southeast. Guardian is a vigorous rootstock that is more tolerant of the bacterial canker and/or cold injury that typifies the peach tree short life syndrome. Guardian like Nemaguard will sucker and is resistant to most races of Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica root-knot nematodes. However Guardian is susceptible like other peach rootstocks to oak root rot (Armillaria tabescens) and is still being evaluated for long-term orchard performance. Given these concerns only small grower trials are advised. VERTEBRATE MANAGEMENT Vertebrate pests of orchards include deer rabbits voles cotton rats and fruit feeding birds. In general deer vole and rabbit problems are more severe in apples and pears than in peaches. However all of these pests will damage stone fruit. A more detailed discussion of vertebrate pest management in orchards may be found in Integrated Orchard Management Guide for Commercial Apples in the Southeast (NCSU $1.75 to order call 919-515-3173). WHITE-TAILED DEER (Odocoileus virginianus ) Deer are attracted to nearly all species of fruit trees. Deer most often cause damage on emerging leaves and shoots in spring and summer. Deer pinch their food between their lower incisors and a tough pad in their upper jaw. Feeding-damage leaves ragged tears in the tissue that are very damaging to young growth. During September to November after antler growth is complete bucks may damage trunks and scaffolds by rubbing their antlers to leave their sign. Deer are creatures of habit. They won t return to a forest diet once they feed on more nutritious plants. While damage from deer browsing is most severe on young trees significant economic losses can occur in mature orchards. Deer Management. Consider the severity of deer damage during the previous year and reports of deer density as indicators of potential problems. Compare the cost of control versus the cost of damage. In new plantings browsing damage may set back development and subsequent fruiting of the orchard for several years. Several methods for limiting deer damage might be considered. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Habitat modification. Deer prefer early successional forests in the shrub-tree sapling stage. They are also abundant where field crops orchards and forests are interspersed. Converting forests adjacent to orchards to cropland or pastures may reduce deer damage. Exclusion. Fences are an expensive but effective form of habitat modification. Hunting . Encourage hunting. Non-hunted areas may serve as refuges. Encourage harvest of does. Shooting. Check with wildlife officers regarding permission to shoot deer out-of-season. Lethal controls are often temporary in nature. Repellents. Repellents work best if damage is light and acreages are modest. Repellents will not work satisfactorily in high-pressure situations. Area repellents include tankage (putrefied meat scraps) ammonium soaps bone tar oil blood meal human hair and bar soap. These repellents should be applied close to or on the plants needing protection. In some cases putting them on the side of the orchard from which the deer enter is effective in keeping deer out of the orchard. However it may be necessary to disperse repellents throughout the planting. Contact repellents work by taste and should be applied directly to plants during the dormant season and on dry days when temperatures are above freezing. Expect some feeding damage when taste repellents are used. Repellents in this category include putrescent egg solids thiram and hot pepper sauce. Reapplication is frequently necessary as rainfall will wash the repellents off. When using commercial repellents always follow label directions. Commercial repellents used to repel deer in orchards include: Hinder EPA Registration # 4-15 13.8% ammonium soap (*application to apples under hot humid conditions may result in fruit-finish problems such as spray burn rings) Rockland Deer Guard EPA Registration # 4866-10 37% egg solids Chew-Not EPA Registration # 358-105 20% thiram Bonide Rabbit-Deer Repellent EPA Registration # 4-136 11% thiram 11% acrylic polymers Hot Sauce Animal Repellent EPA Registration # 72-574 2.5% Capsaicin Soap bars also have been used in orchards to repel deer. Drill a 1/4-inch hole through the center of small soap bars. Leave the wrapper on to slow weathering. Hang the bars away from the trunk about 30 inches above ground. Bar soap has no EPA registration. The cost of materials plus labor is substantial. Exclusion Off Limits Crop Protection System has been an effective means for reducing deer damage. The Off Limits System uses an underground fence around the orchard and trai

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