Disease · Pear, apple and quince
Fire blight: scorched shoots, act fast
Erwinia amylovora
Shoots that curl like a shepherd’s crook and blossom that looks burnt. We fly the orchard and mark the trees with symptoms, so you can check them and act quickly.
We have not flown this problem ourselves yet. We work it out with you, on your field.
The problem
A bacterium with no cure
Blossom, shoots, leaves and fruit wilt and turn black as if they had been burnt. The tip of the shoot curls into a shepherd’s crook and sometimes a sticky ooze appears. It is favoured by a warm, damp spring, by hail, which opens wounds, and by excess vigour.
No chemical treatment cures it: affected trees are pulled out or cut back below the lesion. In pear, some varieties are particularly susceptible.
How it works
A flight so no tree is missed
1
We fly from spring to early autumn
When the burnt shoots stand out in the canopy.
2
We send you the map
Trees with symptoms, with their position. Symptoms on the side or under the canopy are missed from above: it does not replace checking on foot.
3
You act
You remove or cut back what is affected and, if your local plant health service asks for reports, you notify it.
Where it shows up
Where it shows up
- Pear
- Apple
- Quince
It also affects ornamentals such as firethorn (Pyracantha) or cotoneaster, which can keep it going near the orchard.
What farmers ask us
Fire blight: your field questions
I see burnt shoots, what do I do?
Tell your local plant health service as soon as possible if reports are required where you farm: spotting outbreaks early is the only way to slow it. Then pull out and destroy, or cut well below the damaged area, disinfecting the tool.
Is there anything that cures it?
There is no effective chemical method. What is affected is pulled out or cut off, and then destroyed.
What are my obligations where I farm?
They depend on your area and change over time. Ask your local plant health service: your duties, and any support, depend on it.
Know someone this would help?
Send them this page. If they have fire blight in their fields, you save them some searching.