Leaf Curl
Taphrina deformans
36 host plants
Last updated
Peach or nectarine leaves curl and pucker in spring, caused by Taphrina deformans during cool, wet budbreak. A single dormant fungicide application in late fall or late winter before bud swell is highly effective. Choose tolerant cultivars like Krummel or Rosy Dawn; avoid susceptible King types.
Good sanitation is your most effective tool against leaf curl. Remove and dispose of infected plant material, clean up fallen debris, and sterilize your pruning tools between plants. Reduce leaf wetness by watering at soil level and spacing plants for adequate air movement. These practices reduce the pathogen load in your garden over successive seasons.
Quick Reference
Management
Bud swell in late winter; once leaves fully expand, new infections cease. A single well-timed dormant fungicide application (late fall or late winter before bud swell) is highly effective.
Taphrina deformans infects during cool, wet weather in late winter/early spring as buds swell. Single dormant-season infection window (PNW Gardeners Handbook Ch 17).
Cultural Controls
- Plant disease-tolerant or resistant varieties.
- 'Krummel', 'Muir', and 'Redhaven' are reported to be tolerant.
- 'Rosy Dawn' is somewhat resistant.
- 'Frost' is disease-resistant. However, it has no juvenile resistance and must be protected during the first 2 to 3 years.
- Remove infected leaves when they first appear prior to sporulation of the fungus.
- Destroy infected material.
Peach cultivar 'Frost' is disease-resistant and recommended for planting in western Washington where spring leaf curl infection pressure is moderate to high.