Disease Description and Management
See basic cultural guidelines for the control of plant diseases under Pest Management. A list of pesticides available on various fruit crops for the control of diseases can be found in Table 2.4. Pictures of fruit diseases can be found on the Fruit Pathology Fact Sheets.
Stony pit of pear is presumed to be caused by a destructive virus, but the virus has not been isolated. Affected fruit are unsightly and unmarketable. This disease is sometimes referred to as "dimpling" because of the symptoms observed on fruit.
Crown gall occurs on a wide range of herbaceous and woody plant species including pome and stone fruit trees. The disease occurs worldwide and is especially troublesome in nurseries. Losses in orchards are sporadic. The disease is caused by the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens.
Mucor rot is a fungal disease of apples and pears. The disease is a postharvest storage problem. It does not occur as frequently as blue mold, however, losses due to Mucor infection can be serious.
Apple union necrosis and decline is primarily a problem on trees propagated on MM106 rootstock. It is especially serious on red delicious trees, which are on MM106. The disease is caused by the same virus, which is vectored by the dagger nematode causing Prunus stem pitting.
