Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
and pomme fruits are more practical if dwarf varieties are
selected.
Scab is a fungal disease of apples and pears. The spores
mature over a four- to six-week period of wet weather in the
spring that corresponds with the wet weather required for the
release of the spores. The spores take up residence on the
leaves of the tree where they grow and produce more spores,
starting a cycle of reinfection that infects the fruit as well,
causing ugly, misshapen fruit. If all debris (apples/pears and
leaves) is removed before the spores can be released, and a
good antifungal agent (such as fixed copper or Bordeaux mix)
is applied every 10 to 14 days starting in early spring and
extending through early summer, scab infection can be
controlled. A better solution, because antifungal agents can
injure the tree, is to plant apple varieties that are naturally
resistant to scab, such as Liberty. Carefully research the
varieties you plan to grow.
There are a number of other apple or pear diseases, such as
fire blight, that require comprehensive management programs
to produce good fruit. Antibiotics are combined with pruning
of diseased tissue for treatment of fire blight once it becomes
established.
The most prevalent pest of pomme fruits is the apple maggot,
a little white worm. Luckily, the apple maggot is one of the
few insects that can discern—and are attracted to—the color
red. They can be effectively controlled by hanging
red-painted balls coated with a sticky coating (such as
Tangletrap). The balls should be hung just after flowering and
remain through harvest, being renewed periodically to keep
them sticky. Several are required for each tree.
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