Pears can be classified as fruit crops that are found in almost every garden plot. But the positive emotions associated with growing this crop and collecting tasty fruits can be overshadowed by numerous diseases . They can not only deteriorate the decorative appearance of the plant, but also lead to a significant reduction in yield and even the death of the tree. In this article we will look at why pear diseases occur and methods of treating various diseases.
Pear diseases are numerous and can affect different parts of the plant. Many of them can affect not only pears, but also other pome-bearing crops, such as apple, quince, medlar, and hawthorn. What to do in case of tree disease and how to treat it? With regular inspection of trees, it is easy to notice signs of the disease, even in the early stages . Therefore, even a novice gardener needs to know the main diseases of pears.
The most common symptoms that appear are:
Pear proliferation is a viral disease, also called sprouting. Prematurely developed shoots depart from the plant at an acute angle . Numerous thin lateral shoots appear on the plants, dormant buds awaken, and strong branching of lateral fattening shoots leads to the formation of witches' brooms.
The leaves of diseased shoots, as a rule, have large, well-developed stipules with a serrated edge. Flowers on infected plants do not fall off, and reblooming may occur in late summer. The fruits are deformed, and the stalks become greatly elongated.
It is impossible to cure the disease, therefore, when it comes to industrial plantings, it is better to create a new one with previously tested healthy planting material . In individual gardening, you can observe the condition of the tree. Often the disease can go into a latent form and practically not manifest itself, but the plant will develop and bear fruit normally.
Pear scab is one of the most common diseases. With severe damage, not only the quality and quantity of fruits decreases, but also the trees dry out and freeze . The rapid development of the disease occurs if frequent precipitation and high temperatures contribute to the constant hydration of the plant.
Damage to pear fruits and leaves by scab
Scab is a fungal disease. The first sign is the appearance of round yellowish spots on all above-ground organs of the plant: branches, fruits, pedicels, leaves and petioles. Gradually, the spots become necrotic and acquire a black color with a dark olive tinge. On the petioles and shoots in the affected areas, tubercles form, which later transform into ulcers, cracks and dents. Dark spots with a light rim form on the fruits. The pulp underneath becomes woody, cracks appear, the fruits become deformed, and their quality and quantity noticeably decrease.
The fight against the disease must be carried out comprehensively . In autumn, affected leaves must be raked and burned, and the soil under the trees must be dug up. Thickened crowns should be thinned out, removing dry and damaged branches. Damaged young shoots must be removed immediately. During leaf fall, it is recommended to treat with ammonium sulfate (10–20%), silitol (0.1%) or urea (8%).
In the spring, it is necessary to spray three times with protective fungicides : Bordeaux mixture (1%), copper oxychloride. The trees should be sprayed the first time before the buds open, the second time after flowering, and after another 2 weeks the treatment should be carried out a third time.
It affects pear and apple trees, and less commonly other pomaceous trees. Sometimes found on stone fruit crops.
Signs of the disease can be detected no earlier than the middle of the growing season , when the fruits begin to fill. Small brown spots appear on the surface of the fruit, which quickly increase in size and can cover the entire fruit within a week. Yellow-white or ash-gray pads appear on the surface, arranged in concentric circles. The pulp becomes loose and tasteless.
Pear fruit rot or maniliosis
Fruit rot can also affect skeletal branches. In this case, dark depressed spots appear, which can sometimes envelop the branch in the form of a ring, leading to drying out of the upper part.
Often the fruits remain on the plants and serve as a source of infection for the next year. Crops can suffer from this disease even during storage. In this case, the fruits become black with brown flesh.
Particular attention must be paid to the destruction of insect pests, since it is the damaged fruits that are affected by rot in the first place.
To combat fruit rot, the same measures are effective as to combat scab. In spring and autumn, it is recommended to spray with Bordeaux mixture, and during the growing season to use fungicides (Fitosporin, Topsin, Folicur). However, the treatment must be carried out at least a month before harvest, or according to the lines specified in the instructions for the drug.
Sooty fungus most often appears after the petals fall or during fruit filling. Dark spots and plaque appear on branches, fruits and leaves that do not have clearly defined edges . The appearance and taste of the fruits are reduced. Damage to shoots and leaves leads to growth retardation, reduced frost resistance and the formation of fruit buds.
The main causes of sooty fungus damage to pears are:
To combat the fungus, it is necessary to reduce the population of sucking insect pests (aphids, copperheads). To protect plants, you can spray with copper-containing fungicides. But most often, special treatment against sooty fungus is not required if treatments for other fungal diseases have been carried out.
Powdery mildew of pear is considered one of the most dangerous diseases. The fungus affects leaves, which can curl, shoots and fruits, leading to stunting of growth and development, deformation and gradual falling off . Affected flowers become covered with a powdery coating and crumble, and ovaries do not form. As a result, up to 80% of the crop can fall before fruit formation.
Powdery mildew on pear leaves
Favorable conditions for the spread of the fungus are considered to be high air humidity at moderately high temperatures, but spore germination and infection can occur in almost any conditions.
The fungus overwinters well on damaged shoots and does not freeze even in the harshest winters, so in spring and autumn it is necessary to cut out damaged branches and burn them, and treat the trees with colloidal sulfur. To limit the development of the disease during the growing season of plants, it is necessary to spray with systemic fungicides .
Signs of rust usually appear on all green, frequent plants immediately after flowering. A characteristic sign of the disease are round, large yellow spots, sometimes with a purple rim, yellow-green on the underside of the leaf blade . Over time, black dots appear on the surface, the spots swell and burst. Affected plants have reduced immunity and winter hardiness.
Most often, the disease appears in the fall, in wet weather, in regions where the host plant grows wild or in home gardens. At the first sign of rust, it is recommended to treat with a systemic fungicide.
In spring, trees must be sprayed twice with Bordeaux mixture (1%): during bud break and after flowering. In autumn, affected leaves and fruits should be destroyed, and shoots with signs of damage should be removed. It is recommended to treat trees with a urea solution (7%) after the leaves fall. You can also use fungicides: Bayleton, Skor, Topsin M, Fundazol, Delan, Tarcel.
In regions with a high probability of rust, it is better to grow varieties that are relatively resistant to the disease: Skorospelka, Duchess Letniy, Ilyinka, Letniy Williams, etc.
The disease affects the bark of skeletal branches and trunk. Numerous small depressed necrotic spots appear on the bark near the lenticels . On thin branches, lentils begin to grow, and on thick branches, abundant gum production appears. The resulting wounds gradually increase in size, and the surrounding bark becomes brown. Reddish spots may appear on leaves and fruits. Several types of fungi can cause similar symptoms, and the disease affects not only pome crops, but also stone fruits. If the infection is severe, the tree dies.
To do this, it is better to remove diseased plants, and at the initial stage of infection, cut off all damaged branches to healthy wood. The wounds on the trunk must be cleaned down to healthy wood, treated with a solution of copper sulfate and covered with clay with the addition of mullein .
Cytosporosis is considered a disease of old weakened gardens, which are in poor physiological condition and constantly freeze. Numerous black tubercles appear on annual shoots and the branches die . Cankers appear on thick branches and continually grow until they completely cover the entire branch. The bark turns red-brown and dries out. Gum formation may occur.
Cytosporosis on pear bark
Chemicals are not used to combat the disease . To avoid cytosporosis, it is necessary to remove affected branches and trees, which are the main source of infection. When creating gardens, it is necessary to give preference to zoned varieties that will not freeze, and also to maintain a high agricultural background.
Fire blight is considered one of the most dangerous diseases that affects more than 100 plant species. In infected plants, flowers turn brown and fall off, branch tips turn black, and leaves and shoots become covered with watery black spots . The tree quickly takes on the appearance of being scorched by fire.
Bacterial burn of pear
The bacteria that cause the disease can spread very quickly through the tree's roots, causing tissue death. The rapid course of the disease cannot be overcome. You can only prevent infection of other plants, so the diseased tree must be removed and burned, and the roots uprooted. How to deal with this disease?
If the disease was noticed at an early stage, it is necessary to cut out the affected branches, and treat the cut site and tools with a solution of iron (0.7%) or copper (1%) sulfate. Spraying plants with antibiotics will be effective:
You can also treat the plants with Bordeaux mixture and spray them with copper-containing preparations 7–8 times per season.
The first signs of the disease appear with the blossoming of young leaves . Dark areas appear at the ends of the leaf blades, gradually spreading to the entire blade and petiole, which subsequently begin to dry out and may turn black. The disease affects the vascular system, which is easily visible on a cross section of a branch in the form of black dots or circles.
Pear branch affected by bacteriosis
The degree of damage may vary, but trees of all ages are susceptible to the disease. To combat bacteriosis, it is necessary to prune , capturing 30-40 cm of healthy wood, treat the sections with copper sulfate (3%), and also spray with Bordeaux mixture.
The causative agent of the disease is a virus that is transmitted from tree to tree mechanically, during pruning or grafting. The branches of affected plants are flattened, and dead areas appear inside . Furrows, necrotic lines and spots are clearly visible. The leaves are chlorotic, acquire autumn color early and fall off.
A disease of abandoned and aging gardens. Small spots of light brown color appear on the leaves, gradually turning gray, but with a dark rim. Such leaves dry out and fall off earlier than usual, and the viability and productivity of trees decreases. Plants weakened by septoria do not withstand low temperatures well and often freeze slightly .
Pear leaves are affected by septoria or white spot
As a rule, special treatments for septoria are not carried out , since the preventive measures used for scab also effectively prevent white spotting.
Avoiding diseases is not easy, especially in summer cottages, where the pathogen can appear due to careless neighbors or abandoned wild gardens. However, most pear diseases can be prevented.
It is necessary to realize that prevention includes a set of agrotechnical measures that are recommended to be carried out regularly. It is worth highlighting the following preventive measures:
Growing a pear and getting a decent harvest requires attention and certain knowledge. It is necessary not only to properly care for the tree, but also to learn to see the first signs of damage, distinguish diseases characteristic of a given crop, and take the necessary measures in a timely manner . And in order to avoid encountering or minimize the number of diseases, it is always useful to pay attention to simple prevention techniques.
When caring for a pear, you need to be quite careful about its growing conditions. It is necessary to provide the tree with adequate watering, remove weeds in a timely manner, loosen the soil and carry out treatment against diseases. But often, due to a violation of the technology for caring for fruit trees, it begins to be affected by various diseases, but we will find out which ones further.
This is a fungal disease that is the worst enemy of many trees, including pear.
To begin processing wood at the initial stage of damage, you need to pay attention to the presence of the following symptoms:
To prevent scab, you can treat the fruit tree with 1% Bordeaux mixture. This needs to be done 3 times: with the formation of green mass, after the formation of pink buds and after flowering.
You may also be interested in knowing what early varieties of Columnar pear exist.
In addition, prevention involves careful and regular ventilation. For these purposes, it is necessary to thin the crown. Loosen the soil around the trunk and remove the carrion in a timely manner.
on video - treatment of scab on a pear:
With the onset of autumn, fallen leaves need to be burned. If the tree is severely damaged, then it can be saved with the help of drugs such as Dnok or Nitrafen. Treatment with Skor gives amazing results. These medications must be used strictly according to the instructions.
A fungus can influence the development of the disease. The disease manifests itself in the form of brown spots on fruit. Next, growths form in which fungal spores mature. They are spread by wind and insects, as a result of which fruit rot can affect more than one tree. If you look at the affected fruit, you will notice that its pulp acquires a loose consistency and loses its taste.
Some fruits fall off, and the rest dry up right on the branches. This becomes the main reason for the development of the pathological process next year. Massive damage can be observed at the end of July. Then the crop ripens, and the weather outside is humid and hot.
An excellent preventive measure would be timely pruning of trees, installation of fences that would block air flows, as well as regular collection and destruction of affected fruits.
With the onset of spring, as well as in autumn, it is necessary to treat the wood with 1% Bordeaux mixture or the preparation Hom. In early spring it is worth spraying the pear with lime milk. To do this, take 10 liters of water and 1 kg of lime.
In the video - the fight against fruit rot:
Excellent results can be achieved by treatment with the simultaneous use of the following drugs:
The resulting bio-cocktail is used for foliar feeding, which must be applied throughout the season. This allows you to make the tree’s immunity stronger, and also create decent protection against pathogens.
This article will help you understand what forest beauty pear seedlings look like and what are the features of its cultivation.
But what is the height of the Cathedral pear, and what fruits does it bear, is indicated here.
What a Moscow pear of the Bere variety looks like, and what results can be expected from one tree, is outlined here: http://gidfermer.com/sadovodstvo/frukty/sort-grushi-bere.html
What is the height of the Severyanka pear, and what fruits does it bear, is outlined here.
If you notice that the leaves on the tree have begun to turn black, then be sure that this is a symptom of sooty fungus. Somewhere in mid-July, a black coating forms on the leaves and fruits, which is very similar to soot. Most often, the disease affects weak crops that receive insufficient amounts of minerals.
Sooty fungus on pear
Fungi feed on the sugary secretions of insects, including aphids. They damage leaves, fruits, and also reduce the tree’s immunity. The spores overwinter without problems, concentrating under the bark and in dried leaves.
For prevention, you can use the insecticide Calypso. It will provide excellent protection against the accumulation of harmful insects. You can also use Fitoverm, the action of which is aimed at suppressing the growth and reproduction of the fungus.
The process of spreading pathology is associated with the parasitic fungus Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is very easy to detect based on the symptoms. In early spring, as soon as the shoots have blossomed, you can find a powdery white coating on them. Over time, he becomes red. The affected leaves and inflorescences begin to dry out and fall off. Most often, young shoots are affected. They dry out and become a place for fungal spores to accumulate.
Powdery mildew on pear
Treatment comes down to the timely removal of reflected shoots and their destruction. From time to time it is worth treating the pear with such agents as Sulfite and Fundazol. You can also adopt folk methods of struggle. To do this, you need to take 10 liters of water, add 50 g of soda, 10 g of liquid soap. A 1% solution of potassium permanganate can cope with powdery mildew. But how to treat powdery mildew on currants and gooseberries is indicated here.
This pathological process, if left untreated, can lead to the complete death of the fruit tree. Fungi of the Pucciniaceae family can influence its development. The disease can be recognized by the presence of spots on leaves and fruits. At first they are light in color, but then it becomes red.
Leaf diseases are often the reason why pear trees die. Rust of pome crops is caused by a fungus of the family. Fruits affected by rust must be completely removed and destroyed. They cannot be eaten. But why grapes turn yellow, leaves become covered with rust, and what can be done about this problem is indicated here.
To combat the disease, it is necessary to carry out all therapeutic measures in early spring. To spray the plant, use a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture. With the onset of autumn, it is necessary to remove and burn fallen leaves.
On the video - how to deal with rust on a pear:
As soon as the first frost has passed, it is necessary to treat the tree trunks with a solution of Urea. 10 liters of liquid will require 0.7 kg of composition. A positive result is achieved when using the systemic fungicide Bayleton. Over the entire season, treatment should last 5 times.
Symptoms of this pathological process appear over several years. It damages trunks and skeletal branches, as a result of which small cracks form on them. Over time, they grow, the bark breaks and the cambium is exposed.
Black cancer on a pear
Brown spots form along the edges of the cracks. They are very similar to wet wounds, but they are only open wounds into which pathogens or fungal spores can easily penetrate.
To combat the disease, you should cut off the affected bark with a sharp knife, grabbing a little of the healthy bark. Use copper sulfate to treat the wound. It is fashionable to cover the wound with clay mixed with mullein. Fallen leaves must be destroyed in the fall.
This disease is of fungal origin. It is popularly called “stem rot.” The bark is damaged, causing it to turn red-brown and begin to dry out. Sun burns and frost damage can affect the development of the pathological process.
For treatment, it is necessary to cut off the affected bark and cover the wound with clay. We still have to regularly remove dry and disease-affected branches and whitewash the trunks for the winter.
This disease is considered one of the most dangerous for pears. You can recognize it by its black leaves. Treatment here is complex. The bacteria Erwinia amylovora can influence the development of the disease. But they can be spread by some insects or precipitation in the form of rain. In order to detect the pathological process in time, it is necessary to examine the tree when it is blooming.
Bacterial blight on a pear
The inflorescences rapidly wither and become brown in color. The leaves begin to curl and turn black, but remain on the branches. The bark and shoots slowly die off.
This disease is characterized by rapid spread. Often a bacterial burn leads to the death of the entire tree. If the plant was cured, it will bear fruit again no earlier than after 2 years. As soon as the disease is discovered, it is necessary to immediately cut off the affected shoot, while capturing 20 cm of healthy shoots. Burn all cut elements. Garden tools used for processing wood should be disinfected upon completion of work. Here's why the edges of pear leaves turn black, and what can be done about this problem. outlined in the article at the link.
In the video, treatment of a bacterial burn:
Other cut areas can be treated with antibiotics. There are 2 tablets per 1 liter of water. The resulting solution can still be used to treat the entire tree. As soon as the growing season begins, the tree can be sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. Such events are held about 10 times per season. You may also be interested in learning about how pears are treated for diseases in the spring.
It is necessary to combat diseases that affect pears immediately after the first symptoms are detected. If you react quickly and use effective treatments, then it is quite possible to save the tree itself and the harvest.
Pears, along with apples, are one of the most healthy fruits growing in our latitudes. Pear juice is very refreshing and tasty, especially useful for those who suffer from high acidity. It quenches thirst and is a mild diuretic as well as a laxative.
The pear is a very popular fruit tree. The botanical name of the pear is Pyrus Communis. Its peculiarity is that it contains less acid than any other fruit. Pears are healthy yellow and brown colored fruits. Sometimes pears are red and green. Pears are slightly heavier in density than apples, but they are also juicier. Like an apple, a pear has several seeds. It has been used as food since time immemorial. The pear is native to Europe and Western Asia. It was very common in Ancient Greece and Rome. Homer mentioned the pear tree in the list of fruit trees in the garden of the rulers of the country. This fruit is currently grown in all temperate regions of the world, and is especially widely grown in Europe, Canada, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. There are more than six thousand varieties of this fruit.
The pear is highly valued for its sugar content. Carbohydrates in pear reach 11.9%. Unripe, hard fruit contains more acid than ripe fruit and is less sweet. Its acidity decreases and its sugar content increases as it ripens. The acidity of pears comes from citric and malic acids.
Pear juice is refreshing and tasty, good for those who suffer from acidity, as well as for those who cannot drink acidic fruit juice. This is a very good drink to quench your thirst. It is useful for fever. Pear juice is also a mild diuretic.
Constipation Pear is more reliable as a laxative than apple and is an effective remedy for constipation. A medium-sized pear, consumed after breakfast or lunch, effectively helps cleanse the body. The fruit can serve as a laxative. To do this, drink 250-350 ml of fresh pear juice three to four times a day. Due to its natural sweetness, pear is easily digested and used by the body and hence you will not feel weak due to constant cleaning when using it.
Diarrhea and dysentery Pear is a rich source of pectin, malic and citric acid. The presence of these substances makes the fruit an effective treatment for diarrhea and dysentery.
Rheumatism and Gout Fermented pear juice is similar to cider and is known as perry. This drink is useful in the treatment of rheumatism and gout.
If the pears were purchased unripe, they should be stored at room temperature until they soften with heat and light. They should then be refrigerated until ready to use. They should never be refrigerated before they are ripe because they then tend to rot and will never become truly flavorful.
Gout (“disease of kings”) is often associated with the formation of a lump on the big toe. However, the disease is not limited to just the joint, gradually affecting the articular structures of the body and internal organs.
Understanding the process of the onset of the disease and the factors that provoke it gives a chance to correct erroneous metabolic processes, minimize quite painful exacerbations and, finally, avoid disability - so what is it?
Gout is a pathology (failure, disorder) of metabolic processes associated with excessive formation or insufficient removal of uric acid from the body. There are 4 stages of gout formation:
Gout is a purely age-related disease. Almost all older people over 65 years old show signs of this disease. And in children and young people, gouty changes are recorded in exceptional cases.
Men suffer from gout more often; the disease usually takes them by surprise after the age of 40. This fact is due to the physiologically high content of uric acid in male blood. The risk of developing pathology in women increases significantly with the onset of menopause (over 50 years). The causes of this “royal” disease will help you better understand what gout is.
The presence of gout in a person is an indicator of an irrational life (low physical activity, poor diet). That is why gout has been called “the disease of kings” since ancient times because of their idle lifestyle.
The concentration of uric acid in the blood increases for the following reasons:
However, not only external factors can provoke the formation of urate deposits. Gout often develops against the background of:
photo of an exacerbation of gout, the process of manifestation of the first symptoms
The signs of gout cannot be confused with another disease, its manifestations are so specific. The first symptoms appear in the area of the joint of the big toes (one or both). It is this joint of the thumb that gout chooses as its first target.
Gouty arthritis does not produce symptoms until a provocative moment: tight shoes, a feast with overeating and drinking alcohol.
A typical pattern of symptoms for a gout attack:
Suddenly at night there is pain in the joint. This is one of the most severe pain sensations a person will ever experience. Even strong and resilient people note its unbearable intensity, which practically immobilizes the entire foot. The situation is aggravated by the absolute ineffectiveness of painkillers.
Signs of gout, photo of inflammation
The affected joint swells, diffuse hyperemia appears. Body temperature often rises to high numbers (39-40? C).
An attack of gout lasts up to 4 days, and then disappears on its own even without taking medications. Self-removal of painful symptoms is based on the inclusion of phagocytes in the fight against inflammation. Temporary relief, sometimes lasting several years, does not mean recovery.
Pathological changes affect the phalangeal joints of the fingers, larger ankles and wrist joints, and often the knee. The increase in size of the joint and limited mobility do not disappear with the disappearance of the gout attack.
progression of the disease - joint deformation
Progressive gouty pathology is characterized by the following symptoms:
Painless bumps under the skin are a collection of urates. Typical localization: behind the ears, elbows, skin over the affected joint. Tophi are prone to spontaneous opening, and a white curdled mass is released from the wound. A similar picture is observed 5-6 years after the first attack of gout.
The accumulation of urate deposits in the joint leads to its permanent deformation (subluxation) and significant limitation of mobility in it. With a prolonged course of the disease, the patient cannot move without a cane.
The kidneys, as a “cleaning station” of the blood, accumulate urates without ensuring their full removal from the body in the urine. This process gradually forms sand/kidney stones.
If you suspect gout, you should contact a rheumatologist. The diagnosis is made taking into account:
The first step in treating gout is pain relief. Patients suffering from gout should know a list of measures that can reduce pain during an exacerbation:
When seeking medical help and persistent pain, intra-articular administration of steroid drugs and intravenous injection of Colchicine are possible.
Only a qualified doctor can tell you how to treat gout and achieve stable remission, based on the diagnostic results of a particular case. We consider general measures of therapy.
To prevent relapses and development of the disease, the following drugs are prescribed (treatment courses):
With high blood levels of uric acid and low excretory capacity of the kidneys (urinary excretion less than 3.56 mmol/day), the combined use of uricosuretics and uricodepressants is advisable. Doses and duration of taking drugs for the treatment of gout are determined individually. Treatment courses are long (up to 1 year) with a break of 2 months.
Physiotherapy procedures have a beneficial effect on the affected joint: ultraviolet irradiation (during exacerbation), medicinal phonophoresis, paraffin treatment and ultrasound exposure (during remission).
Surgical treatment (arthroplasty, prosthetics) is indicated for significant joint deformation and a significant degree of immobility. Often surgical procedures are performed under local anesthesia using arthroscopy (endoscopic treatment method).
When treating gout at home, it is possible to use the following, the most effective recipes for gout: tincture of lilac or spruce cones, bay leaf decoction.
Without nutritional correction, the effectiveness of drug therapy is significantly reduced. To normalize metabolic processes and prevent the development of exacerbations, be sure to adhere to the following diet:
The diet for gout prohibits the consumption of foods:
Drinking warm mineral water or a glass of water with lemon juice will speed up your metabolism. Also, metabolic processes are normalized with a weekly fasting day.
Only a healthy lifestyle (physical activity, giving up bad habits, proper nutrition) will help you avoid the appearance of gout. This “hackneyed” and often not taken seriously phrase protects the body from many diseases, including gout.
To stabilize the condition and avoid complications, you should strictly follow medical recommendations and strictly adhere to the diet prescribed for gout. Only then will a long fight against the disease bring results.
The goal of all gardeners is a rich harvest of fruit. However, to grow it, you need to constantly take care of fruit trees and prevent and treat diseases. And there are many dangers that lie in wait for trees. Pear can be affected by several ailments. After reading this article, you will learn about the most common pear diseases, methods of their prevention and treatment.
Have you ever noticed dark brown or black lesions on the foliage, branches and trunks of your trees? These are signs of an infectious disease called bacterial burn. It often affects fruit plants. The disease is caused by the bacteria Erwinia amylovora; they are spread by insects, wind, and rain.
Treatment. If the disease is detected at the initial stage, the affected branches should be removed and the cut should be treated with a 1% solution of copper sulfate (100 g per 10 liters of water) or 0.7% solution of ferrous sulfate (70 g per 10 liters of water). Treatment with a 5% Azophos solution, antibiotics: chloramphenicol, rifampicin, streptomycin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid and kanamycin in a dosage of 1-2 tablets/ampoules per 5 liters of water (enough for 8-10 trees) is also effective. It is better to process trees in May-June. When inflorescences appear and during flowering, treatment with 1% Bordeaux mixture can also be effective. If the damage is significant, diseased pears and trees located at a distance of 5 m are recommended to be uprooted and burned.
The first signs of brown spot damage to your trees can be observed in late spring - early summer. The leaves become covered with brown spots. Their number increases rapidly every day, and soon the entire leaf turns brown and then falls off. Pears become infected en masse in July-August. Treatment. When this disease is detected in trees, fallen leaves should be carefully removed. Since this is a fungal disease, treatment must be carried out with antifungal agents - fungicides containing copper. Please note that spraying should be stopped immediately after fruit growth begins.
Pears often develop a disease called scab. The causative agent of scab, the fungus Fusicladium pirinum, affects fruits, leaves, and shoots. The main symptoms of the disease: olive-colored spots with a velvety coating on the underside of the leaf, falling leaves, cracking of fruits and hardening of their pulp. Dark lesions with a light rim and a brown coating become noticeable on the fruits. The pear becomes covered with cracks, the fruit becomes deformed and takes on an irregular, asymmetrical shape. Treatment. If scab affects young shoots, then the only way to combat the sore is to remove them. It is recommended to treat with 1% Bordeaux mixture and copper oxychloride in three stages: the first - during the appearance of buds; the second - immediately after flowering; the third - 15 days after the second.
If brown spots on pear fruits have attracted your attention, then most likely the fungus Monilia fructigena, which causes fruit rot or moniliosis of pears, has entered your garden. The disease develops rapidly - within a week the fetus can become completely brown. Later, white growths can be observed on the fruits. The pulp becomes loose and tasteless. Sick pears fall off, some can dry out and remain on the branches for up to two years. If the disease is not treated in time, it will provoke growths on the pear branches. The spread of rot is observed from mid-July to August, especially during the hot and humid summer. Treatment. Diseased fruits and branches must be destroyed. Cutting branches must be done both in spring and autumn. It is recommended to spray pears with fungicides and strengthen their immunity using root feeding from a bio-cocktail (Aktofit, Ecoberin, Healthy Garden, Baikal).
Mosaic disease is most dangerous for pears. Characteristic symptoms are angular light yellow or pale green spots on young leaves. A tree can be infected with a virus during grafting.
Treatment. Unfortunately, this disease cannot be treated. It is no longer possible to help the seedlings and trees. They need to be burned so that the virus does not spread to trees growing nearby.
Sooty fungus is a type of disease of pear leaves and shoots, in which the foliage is covered with a black, sooty-like coating. Treatment. Spraying trees with a copper-soap solution (5 g of copper sulfate and 150 g of soap per 10 liters of water), a solution of Bordeaux mixture or copper oxychloride. Only one pear variety is completely protected from sooty fungus - Cathedral.
A characteristic sign of a pear being affected by powdery mildew is a grayish-whitish coating on the foliage and buds, which gradually becomes red. Over time, the leaves fold into a boat. Powdery mildew attacks only young plants, so the onset of the disease occurs during the period from budding to the appearance of the first leaves. The disease is spread by the parasitic fungus Erysiphales. Treatment. For powdery mildew, treatment with antibiotics is effective: terramycin, penicillin and streptomycin in a 1:1 ratio. Also, experienced gardeners recommend treating with a mixture of soda ash (50 g) with liquid soap (10 g) per 10 liters of water or spraying with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate.
Already from the very name of this disease one can understand that its main symptoms are dark orange (rusty) spots on leaves and fruits, which appear in early summer. Later, in August, you can observe cone-shaped (in the form of papillae) growths on the leaves of the pear, affecting their underside. The causative agent of the disease is the parasitic fungus Gymnosporangium sabinae. With severe infection, both leaves, fruits, and shoots become covered with rust. At the same time, the pear’s immunity decreases and its general condition worsens. Sometimes a tree that has suffered a disease stops bearing fruit altogether. Treatment. To treat rust on pear and apple trees, it is necessary to dispose of diseased leaves and fruits. Gardeners claim that to prevent the penetration of this disease into the garden, spraying with a solution of urea, copper sulfate, infusions of ash, marigolds, and horsetail have proven themselves to be effective. Tree treatment should also be recommended to your neighbors. If the disease has already affected your plantings, then there is no more effective way than treating the pears in early spring with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
All pear varieties can get rust.
Root cancer occurs in young plants. It is caused by the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Hard woody growths of various sizes form on the roots and root collar of seedlings. If diseased seedlings are planted, bacteria that cause root canker can live in the soil for several years. Treatment. Before planting seedlings, they must be carefully diagnosed and those infected with root canker removed. Small growths on the lateral roots must be cut off, and the roots must be disinfected for 5 minutes in a 1% solution of copper sulfate.
Black cancer affects the bark of the trunk, skeletal branches and fruits. First, small cracks or wounds form on the bark, which subsequently enlarge, causing ruptures in the bark. Bright brown spots appear around the wounds.
Treatment. To prevent pear cancer, fallen leaves are carefully removed and burned. Infected fruits and areas of bark are removed, fresh wounds are lubricated with copper sulfate, clay with mullein, or special lubricants. Fungicides also inhibit the development of black cancer.
The cause of pear cytosporosis can be frost damage and sunburn. With cytosporosis, the pear bark turns red-brown and dries out. On diseased areas, tubercles form - an accumulation of the causative agent of the disease: the fungus Cytospora leucostoma. Treatment. The recipe for treating pear cytosporosis is identical to the methods for treating black cancer. Owners of Moskvichka and January pear should not be afraid of this disease.
Are there cracks in the bark of your pear tree? There can be many reasons for this - sudden changes in temperature (frost holes, sunburn), planting trees too deep in the soil, unsuccessful pruning, and excessive and untimely application of fertilizers.
The consequences of cracks in trees are slower growth, shrinkage and premature falling of fruits and leaves. However, the cracks in the pear bark themselves are not as dangerous as the complication that arises against their background: infection of the resulting wounds with viruses, bacteria, spores of pathogenic fungi, and the appearance of rot.
Treatment. Cracks cannot be ignored; they must be treated. To begin, strip the damaged bark down to healthy tissue using a wire brush or cut it off with a knife. Then the crack site must be treated with 1% or 3% Bordeaux mixture or any antifungal drug. A 3% solution of iron sulfate is also suitable. Cover the treated crack with clay, mullein or special putties.
As in the case of human diseases, the main point for maintaining normal growth and fruiting of pears is not to fight the consequences, i.e. treatment, but prevention of diseases. The sooner you start prevention, the greater your chances of harvesting a good fruit harvest.
Preventive measures to avoid the main ailments of pears include:
As you can see, a pear can suffer from many unpleasant and dangerous diseases. An important role in the fight against them is assigned to the early detection of symptoms, diagnosis and immediate treatment of diseased plants. And remember: the defeat of trees by any of the ailments is not a death sentence at all. Correct and timely prevention and treatment will help protect your garden and restore fruiting of trees.