Pear Scab, ITS

**Jungle Jane** · 05-05-2015, 09:24 AM

I found this advice:The scab is a fungus, Venturia pirina, and is made much worse by the sort of warm, wet summers we have had over the past few years and if you have heavy, damp soil. Keep the tree well pruned so it has plenty of air through the branches, remove any cracked or scabby shoots, cutting back to healthy wood, and rake up all fallen leaves and burn them. The good news is that a tree can be affected for years and still produce good fruit.
ASK MONTY: My tree produces an abundance of pears, but every fruit has black and brown spots and the leaves curl up | Daily Mail Online

**FB.** · 05-05-2015, 01:23 PM

Can you put up some pictures?

**fishpond** · 05-05-2015, 02:23 PM

Yes, I will put some up later.
Same Pear tree as I had problems with last year.

**fishpond** · 05-05-2015, 03:44 PM

Its not fun taking phots in a gale, but here goes.

1st --The leaves on the right hand side of the tree are a normal green compared to other pear trees in the garden, the leaves centre and left are a very pale green---same as last year.
2nd --Even though the scab that is showing is not too bad at the moment, it is following last year and most of the leaves will be on the ground by the end of August.
3rd --Noticed some new growth (not a lot), there was none at all last year.
4th--- No blossom at all this year, only one last year which dropped off.
It is concorde on Quince A approx 10 - 15 years old, never had a problem until last year, but unlike the other on of the same age, it has never fruited that well.
More to follow

Attached Files

**fishpond** · 05-05-2015, 03:47 PM

That's the lot at the moment.

Attached Files

**Jungle Jane** · 05-05-2015, 04:10 PM

Could it be given a nitrogen feed to delay leaf fall? The leaves go yellow then fall off. This is why it's not fruiting?

**fishpond** · 05-05-2015, 05:54 PM

I personally think that this is terminal and is throughout the tree not just the leaves.
There are 2 leaves sprouting from the trunk approx 4 " above graft union on the L/H side, these are also pale green/yellow. So I do not want to graft on to the root stock as I think it is all the way through.
I am also concerned that if left for much longer, it may pass (if it hasn't already) to my other Pear trees.
I believe this tree caught this after being weakened by a severe infestation of Pear Tree Leaf Mite.
JJ By feeding the leaves, I think it will just accelerate the problem through any new growth, but I am always open to suggestions.

**Jungle Jane** · 05-05-2015, 08:05 PM

The spots look similar to mite damage, I just read this - "Pearleaf Blister Mite can be a tricky problem as there are no chemicals available to gardeners for its control. The adults overwinter in the leaf buds and lay their eggs here in spring. The leaf blisters are caused by mites feeding on the developing leaves and these blisters are later colonised by mites until just before leaf fall in autumn, when they return to the buds to spend the winter months.
The only real control option that you have is to interrupt that life cycle by picking off any infected leaves as soon as they are seen. Make sure that you destroy them to prevent infection recurring".
I wonder if it's a pest rather than fungal?

**FB.** · 05-05-2015, 08:28 PM

The spots could well be a mild case of scab, but not enough to worry about. I wouldn't condemn a tree with light scab unless the fruit was being spoiled by splitting and rotting in most years.

I find Concorde to be a weak grower and light cropper.

However, I think your pears might be grafted onto Quince A or C rootstock and are growing in good old Hampshire chalk and their Quince rootstock isn't coping with the alkalinity - hence the pale leaves and general unhappiness (Pyrodwarf or Pyrus don't mind chalk/alkaline soil). The correct term is 'lime chlorosis' and refers to an excess of the metal calcium (chalk is calcium carbonate) which is blocking the uptake of other metallic nutrients.

**boundtothesoil** · 05-05-2015, 11:13 PM

Originally posted by FB. View Post

I wouldn't condemn a tree with light scab unless the fruit was being spoiled by splitting and rotting in most years.

I find Concorde to be a weak grower and light cropper.

I totally agree with FB on this.

I don't know if anyone's written the self help guide 'Living with Scab' yet, but they should. Most of my fruit trees have increasingly imperfect leaves as the season progresses. Bites, mottles, blotches, rips, all sorts of localised insect and fungal damage, not to mention transient nutritional and water shortage symptoms accumulate. However, the trees seem to get along pretty well from year to year. Most plants produce more leaf and root surface area than they strictly need to maintain rates of photosynthesis and nutrient/water uptake required for their growth.

**fishpond** · 06-05-2015, 08:17 AM

Many Thanks for your responses.
So, as this tree is 10-12ft high and there is no guarantee that even if it were moved, it wouldn't suffer the same problem.
What would you all do/suggestions?

It is of course possible that the Pear Leaf Blister Mite(last year) and the Scab(last year and this year)
have been brought on by having a weak tree due to lack of nutrient uptake.
Sad as it is, I am still erring on the side of removing it and planting a plum or apple, I cannot see myself foliar feeding this tree for the next 100 years or so.
So your thoughts/suggestions are very welcome.
Having just had another look at this Pear tree, is it even possible to transplant a 12 foot fruit tree successfully?

**fishpond** · 07-05-2015, 08:30 AM

Having done a few soil tests last night, all my Pear trees on QA are living on borrowed time as the soil is loaded with lime, I suppose the chalk and flint give the game away really, but I have just confirmed it. (I did not know there was a problem between Quince and lime)
So I think I will replace this one with a pear on Pyrodwarf in the winter.
Wait until one of the others shows signs and replace with another on Pyrodwarf.
Then hopefully, as they should produce far more Pears than I have ever harvested, I can dispose of the other 2 and plant other fruit.
Does this sound like a plan?

**fishpond** · 12-05-2015, 06:16 PM

Originally posted by fishpond View Post

Its not fun taking phots in a gale, but here goes.

1st --The leaves on the right hand side of the tree are a normal green compared to other pear trees in the garden, the leaves centre and left are a very pale green---same as last year.
2nd --Even though the scab that is showing is not too bad at the moment, it is following last year and most of the leaves will be on the ground by the end of August.
3rd --Noticed some new growth (not a lot), there was none at all last year.
4th--- No blossom at all this year, only one last year which dropped off.
It is concorde on Quince A approx 10 - 15 years old, never had a problem until last year, but unlike the other on of the same age, it has never fruited that well.[ATTACH=CONFIG]55479[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]55480[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]55481[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]55482[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]55483[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]55479[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]55480[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]55481[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]55482[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]55483[/ATTACH]
More to follow

Even with foliar feeding, it is, as expected, getting worse.

It is following the same scab pattern as last year.
If you have any ideas, tell me, otherwise it will have to go.

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