Pesticide spray injury

Pesticide spray injury
Tom Zabadal , MSU Horticulture

Pesticide sprays can cause brown spots on leaf tissues and fruit (see also Copper Injury). Injury may be caused by a known incompatibility between a specific variety and a particular pesticide (e.g., sulfur injury on several grape varieties). An unknown incompatibility may result from the variety being sprayed, the specific mix of pesticides, the equipment being used or the weather conditions during spraying. This injury typically occurs on the youngest leaves at the end of shoots and often goes undetected until several days after the application. By that time, several new leaves may have emerged at the shoot tips so that the injury has a pattern of healthy leaves at the shoot tip with injured leaves farther back on the shoot.


Pesticide spray injury on a young, emerging leaf at the end of a shoot. The injured leaf will continue to develop at an uneven rate, becoming crinkled and misshapen. Photo: T. Zabadal	Some sprays such as sulfur (injury shown above) may cause extensive browning of mature leaves. Photo: T. Zabadal

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Funding for this web site provided by Project GREEEN, American Farmland Trust, EPA Region 5's Strategic Agricultural Initiative program, The National Foundation for IPM Education, the Center for Agricultural Partnerships and the MSU Integrated Pest Management Program
in collaboration with MSU Extension and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.
Updated 12/11/07 Contact: J.N. Landis.