Knowledgebase

Pear tree #878583

Asked July 24, 2024, 1:28 PM EDT

One of my pear trees fruit is cracked and diseased looking. Not fully developed yet. What is cause and how do I help?

Windsor County Vermont

Expert Response

This is pear scab, a fungal disease that causes cracking and hard, corky areas in the pears. The wet weather promotes this disease. You should rake and destroy affected leaves and fruit. Do not compost them. Clean your shears with 70% or higher percent alcohol between cuts and wash gardening gloves after use. You will want to try to increase air circulation for next season by pruning this winter when the tree is dormant.

Apple and pear scab are caused by different species of the same fungus, and is the same basic disease. Therefore references discussing control are interchangeable. Our plant pathologist, Dr Hazelrigg, advises that copper-containing sprays can be used as an early spray in spring (at bud break, when you first see green tissue through the bud scales) but later organic sprays do not include copper because they can burn leaves.

At this point removing affected fruit and leaves and cleaning up fallen leaves so that the fungus is diminished in the soil is the best thing to do. A previously healthy tree can generally handle this disease.

Here are some references:

https://ag.umass.edu/fruit/fact-sheets/pear-ipm-pear-scab

https://ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/apple-and-pear-scab/pest-notes/#gsc.tab=0

.



Loading ...