![]() Hardiman wrote in a 2007 BioScience article about the plant’s U.S. pear orchards, University of Cincinnati researchers Theresa M. Meyer, an agricultural explorer who brought 2,500 species of plants including his namesake Meyer lemon to the USDA in the early 1900s, called the Callery pear wonderful, noting that it survived drought and poor soil.Īt the time, a bacterial disease called fire blight was devastating U.S. The trunks branch off in deep Vs, so after 15 to 20 years they tend to break in storms.īut Frank N. The stench wafting from the tree’s billows of white blossoms has been compared to perfume gone wrong, rotting fish, chlorine, and a cheese sandwich left in a car for a week. Coyle, an assistant professor in Clemson University’s Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation. Seedlings only a few months old bear spurs that can punch through tractor tires, said David R. “If you mow it, it sprouts and you get a thicket,” he said. ![]() Forest Service’s Southern Research Station in Athens, Georgia. ILRiverHort is a blog that helps people connect to nature and grow.Without regular maintenance, fields near seed-producing trees can be covered with sprouts within a couple of years, said James “J.T.” Vogt, a scientist at the U.S. She continues to share her passion for horticulture related topics as “Retro Rhonda” on social media. She focused on high quality, impactful programs that taught homeowners how to create energy-efficient landscapes using sustainable practices that increase property values and help the environment.Īfter 30 years with University of Illinois Extension, Rhonda retired in 2018. Such practices will promote lush growth, which is more susceptible to infection by the fire blight bacterium.Īs horticulture educator, Rhonda Ferree inspired citizens in local communities to grow their own food and improve their home landscapes. Fertilization and watering are not recommended. Commercial growers apply copper products in the dormant season and streptomycin at 4-5 day intervals throughout bloom. ![]() Unfortunately this means wood should be removed 8-10 inches below the edge of the visible canker.Ĭhemical options are limited, especially for home growers and the timing of sprays are also critical. The bacterium may have extended down the stem ahead of the canker. ![]() If not, prune in an extended dry period and disinfect pruning tools after every cut. Prune out infected wood in the dormant season, if you can wait. There is no effective management option for infected trees. Avoid highly susceptible cultivars such as Aristocrat, Autumn Blaze, and Red Spire. These conditions also encourage rapid disease development.Īn important step to controlling fire blight is the selection of resistant cultivars such as Cleveland Select or Bradford. The bulk of infections occur during flowering when temperatures are warm (optimal 76☏) and conditions are wet. Gusty winds and hail wound the trees creating an entry point for the pathogen. Fire Blight outbreaks sometimes occur following severe storms. Rain or insects may move the bacterium from cankers to open blossoms, vigorous shoot tips, and leaves. Not all cankers survive the winter, but the few that persist produce millions of bacteria capable of causing new infections. The disease can cause numerous cankers on a single tree. The pathogen overwinters in living tissue at the margins of trunk and branch cankers that were formed by infections initiated in previous years. Dark cankers also develop in the wood of infected stems and branches.įire blight is caused by a bacterium ( Erwinia amylovora). The affected foliage on other host species usually turns brown. Symptoms will look similar to frost injury. Affected foliage is usually at the branch tip. On Callery pear, look for water-soaked or wilted new growth that quickly turns black and remains attached to the stem. Other rosaceous hosts include: cotoneaster, hawthorn, quince, firethorn, and mountain-ash. Apples, pears, crabapples, and ornamental pears are the most seriously affected species. "The symptoms were more severe than those observed during the 2013 growing season."įire blight is a bacterial disease that affects rosaceous plants. "Fire Blight symptoms were observed on several Callery Pears this past week," says Travis Cleveland, University of Illinois extension specialist. Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator
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