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Fireblight on Pineapple Pear Tree
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caseroj
53 Posts
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1
September 15, 2016 - 6:17 pm

Hi,

 

I have two pineapple pear trees that I think may have fireblight.  I can't be sure because my experience working with this disease is very limited.  I am seeing some new growth shoots die and turn black *but* it is not associated with a flower bloom in that spot.   I have another branch in the tree that has several blooms and they are fine.   They haven't died, are not black, and look to be healthy.  When I first saw these trees in a local nursery all their leaves were dried and withered.  I went back a week later and noticed that the trees started growing new leaves and blooms.  I asked the nursery guy why the old leaves were dead and they mentioned it was due to lack of grey water being sent to them from the local municipality.  Interestingly though no other trees in the nursery were in such worse shape.   So I decided to take a chance and bring the trees home.  During transport in the back of my truck some of the leaves were exposed to wind from the trip and some leaves that were perfectly fine when I purchased them in the nursery had blackening around the edges by the time they arrived at my house.   Now that you know some of the background can you give me some opinions about whether it is fireblight I am dealing with here or something else.  I realize that these pictures are not the best.  I took them these evening using a camera and a flash light after sunset.  If needed I can upload clearer pictures taken during the day tomorrow.

 

Thanks.

 

20160915_202541_2.jpg20160915_202615_2.jpg20160915_202824_2.jpg20160915_202829_2.jpg needed I can upload some new pictures taken in daylight tomorrow.

 

Thanks.

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caseroj
53 Posts
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September 15, 2016 - 8:35 pm

Well after some further research online I decided this was most likely fireblight.   With a very heavy heart I went out into my orchard and uprooted this tree.  It is now in one of the plastic pots.  I have placed it along with the second pineapple pear tree I purchased this week but which had not yet been planted in my garage.  I want to quarantine them and keep them away from the apple, plum, peach and apricot trees in my home orchard.   The tree was only in my orchard for about 5 days and I had planted it away from the other rosewood species.  I hope I was able to act in time to prevent an outbreak of this disease in my orchard.  I would still like some opinions about what you think it was.  I will say that I have decided to keep the Hood pear I purchased from this nursery.  It seems to not be showing any signs of infection. I also purchased a Flordahome pear from them that is unfortunately showing some of the same signs of infection.   I may just return that one as well but I haven't decided yet.  I kind of need it to cross pollinate the hood.  All of this is starting to sour me big time on pear trees.   It is just way to much trouble and headache to have to worry about all the measures I need to take to prevent infection.  Pears seem to be the most susceptible of all to fireblight.  It is a shame really because they are a really beautiful tree.  Very pleasing to look at and provide an excellent crop.

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caseroj
53 Posts
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3
September 16, 2016 - 11:09 am

So I wanted to show you guys some photographs of the damage seen on my Flordahome pear and the Hood pear.  Here it is....

 

Floridahome Pear

 

20160916_093903_1.jpg20160916_093857_1.jpg20160916_093843_1.jpg

 

Does this look like fireblight to any of you?

 

Here is my Hood pear.  I think the Hood pear is just a case of simple pear scab or other type fungus.   I have a copper based fungicide that I can apply to the tree so I am not too worried.  I think I can successfully treat it but please tell me what you think.  I am open to alternative interpretations.

 

20160916_093959_1.jpg20160916_093953_1.jpg20160916_093937_1.jpg

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DanielW
Clark County, WA
519 Posts
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4
September 24, 2016 - 8:30 am

I am not a horticulturist but I will offer what I have.  I spent quite a while looking for disease resistant fruit tree varieties for my home orchard, with mixed success.  Sometimes you have to try multiple types before you get a good one.

 

It's also possible your disease is Pseudomonas syringae.  https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pear.....;ia=images  Jafar is probably better at telling you than I am.  I have a Rescue pear and an Orcas pear that have similar looking diseased leaves, but no die back so I'm leaving them alone.  One year I had some similar looking die back on my Hamese Asian Pear, but none on Bartlett, Anjou, Seckel, Mishirasu, Shinseiki, Hosui.  Only one year of experience with Maxie Asian/American hybrid, but no disease on that one either.

Here is a table of research results on fireblight resistance in Kentucky.  Not the same climate but I take what I can get.

Pamphlet pdf, Fireblight from Cornell.

UC Davis, pseudomonas syringae on pears.

On fireblight, UWV lists suscecptibility and resistance for some varieties for fireblight.

I know I've flip flopped between fire blight and pseudomonas, because I have a hard time telling the difference.

As for local varieties that have resistance to both diseases, local experience is important.  My Rescue and Orcas pears are not yet to bearing age and might not get there, but I'm leaving them in place for another season.  My Bartlet, Seckel, Anjou, and the listed Asian Pears above have not had significant disease of either type.

 

By the way, it's also possible your trees experienced trauma from their treatment at the nursery, whatever was in the grey water, herbicides, and wind on the truck ride.  If so, it's possible they will just make a fresh start next year with no damage.

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John S
PDX OR
2800 Posts
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5
October 9, 2016 - 11:20 am

Hi Juan,

I have the same effect on the leaves of some of my pear trees. I would like to know what it is. I thought it could have been a factor of lack of water too, though, but I don't know.

John S
PDX OR

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caseroj
53 Posts
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6
October 9, 2016 - 5:21 pm

John,

 

I eventually returned the two pineapple pear trees and with their store credit purchased a beautiful and healthy Tangelo tree.   The other two pears (Hood and Flordahome) I kept and planted in my home orchard and they seem to be doing well.  I have been treating them with copper based fungicide and it seems to be doing a decent job of keeping the disease at bay.   I don't know if the pineapple pears had fireblight or not but I decided not to take the chance.  I found conflicting information from the University of Florida IFAS website about that cultivar.  One paper published by a researcher said the pineapple pear was fireblight resistant another more recent online document also published by UF/IFAS said the cultivar was highly susceptible to fireblight.  So believing prudence to be the best course of action I took them back.  I will let you know if the copper fungicide is able to eventually cure the tree of the disease.

 

Juan

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John S
PDX OR
2800 Posts
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7
November 16, 2016 - 9:38 pm

Hi Juan,

Thanks for the pictures. It sounds like you made a good adjustment. I know fireblight is a much bigger problem in areas that have a lot of heat and not as much cold. I live in the WIllamette Valley in Oregon and we get only moderate heat during the day in the summer, with very little rain for 4-6 months or so.  Also our winters aren't sharply cold, but they are cool for a long time, so maybe fireblight doesn't like those conditions. We don't get fireblight as a serious problem up here. Maybe that's why we grow so many pears.

John S
PDX OR

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caseroj
53 Posts
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8
December 12, 2016 - 4:59 pm

Hi John,

 

Yes I am aware that the pacific northwest is an excellent pomme fruit growing region.  I visited Washington State and the Olympic peninsula in Oct 2013 so I know first hand how different the climate is from the East Central Florida Coast where I live.  All my pears have been doing reasonably well.   I stopped using copper fungicide a few months ago as we have entered our dry season where I live.   The only source of rain we see is the occasional cold front moving in from the north.  The boundary region where the cold air meets the humid air from the south causes brief winter showers in this area.   For this reason I have started the copper fungicide spray program again.  I won't be using it as much as I do during the summers but just enough to keep the infection at bay.   I don't think I am dealing with fireblight.   I had a USDA gardening expert take a look at some photos of my damaged plants and she said it does not look like fireblight either.   So I think I am dealing with some sort of fungus and I have to say the copper fungicide (LiquiCop from Monterey) works very well against it.   

Juan

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John S
PDX OR
2800 Posts
(Offline)
9
December 14, 2016 - 7:07 pm

That's useful information, Juan.

Thanks for letting others know about how that fungicide can be successful with that problem.

JohnS 
PDX OR

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