Apple scab- a common disease of apples and pears

(error-variety is Lord Lambourne) Sorry about this sick video, please skip if you prefer. This is a video about a nasty disease which is sadly all too common. Scab is a fungal disease which affects every part of the tree, it turns the leaves dirty brown so the tree is sapped of energy, and also causes dark spots on the apples which cause deformity. Customers can be very picky-they woudl prefer it if you did not spray, but will usually reject an apple with scab spots on it. The organic people ahve done a lot of effective propaganda, with much talk about hormone disrupters and carcinogens, but the rules for pesticide applicateion and storage are very strict and as most of the spraying is done early in the season there are effectively no residues in the apples at harvest.

Pesticide use in food production is like vaccination and contraception- they are interference with nature we'd prefer not to have to bother with, but the reality is, we wouldn't like the result if they were withdrawn. Because the wind (and our small-scale inefficiencies) meant we couldn't apply pesticide when we needed to this spring, we have a couple of outbreaks (scab and sawfly) and I estimate the crop is already down by 30%. This may not be as bad as it sounds, since I haven't done all the fruit thinning yet, but its not good.

We need new apple varieties which have natural resistance to scab and other diseases. I would welcome GM gene transfer from resistant apples if normal plant breeding isn;t effective enought. By the way, the issue of pest and disease resistance is is a reason to keep ALL old heirloom/heritage apples alive, for their genetic potential. Some of the older varieties are naturally hardier-they were developed before pesticides came into common use (in the late 19th century). We cannot afford to lose their unique genes.

In the meantime anyone planting apples trees needs to be aware of scab, and avoid planting varieties which are know to be badly affected. Ones I know to avoid are Spartan, Fiesta (Red Pippin) Cox's Orange Pippin-there are others. Adam's Pearmain and most Russet apples have some natural resistance. Sturmer Pippn gets scab very badly in our microclimate-this apple was selected in East Anglia on the English east coast where they have lower rainfall. Old local varieties often do better because the old-timers selected them because they did better.

Good orchard hygeine helps, ideally sweep up and remove fallen leaves in the autumn (scab spores from affected leaves overwinter in the soil). Open pruned trees allow light and air through which helps, but in the end you can only get complete protection by spraying fungicide. Sorry, but there is no organic solution, and its not just 'Spots on my apples' as Joni Mitchell sang, you can lose the entire crop and have stunted growth. Its worse in areas of high rainfall.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• apple
• scab
• orchard
• pest
• pesticide
• disease
• fruitwise

[BritLadyatHome]

I have 3 applers - one average & 2 infants - 1 cooker, 1 eating, I dont know the varieties. Ive lived here for 3 yrs, the last 2 the larger tree has been scab infested with a couple of signs the 1st year. Ive chopped everything back I can think of but with no success. The smaller eater had scab this year too. :( Are some trees just sick? Suffer and never quite recover? Im about to I take a saw to it! Its not the best taster but Im still deciding what the best thing to do is. Any advice? xx

[stephenhayesuk]

@BritLadyatHome Some varieties are much more scab prone than others, microclimate also has a role to play-the wetter, the worse. However, it is always possible to control scab with fungicide. As long as you follow the rules, this is safe. Don't axe your trees without at least trying fungcide, it is very likely they can recover. The most important sprays are in the early season.

[WavegirlThinks]

Thank you for mentioning that 'organic' farmers still use damaging pesticides.

Also, I am researching Venturia inaequalis (the fungus that causes apple scab) and I can assure you we are doing our best to breed the most durable resistant varieties. GM would really speed things up, but getting them through trials is too expensive (and we couldnt grow them here anyway).

Hell, we already have a GM red fleshed apple, but will have to spend 10yrs+ breeding it because of NZ laws.

[stephenhayesuk]

@WavegirlThinks Many thanks. I love NZ but I guess you are as overregulated and suffer from irrational and self seeking single issue pressure groups just as we do in UK.

The irony is that as our society boasts of being rational and rejecting superstition, we shriek 'no GM until proven 100.00% safe, and no proof as we'll sabotage the trials'. They also delude themselves that we can control pests and diseases by companion planting and homeopathy. Another triumph of reason by the Green movement

[ballhitch2]

have braeburn and fiesta in garden. braeburn has what looks black spot. fruit is not affected but alot of leaves turning yellow. i've been removing the dead leaves and spraying with 'rose clear' from garden centre. is there anything else i can do. fiesta has a touch of it but seems ressistant. also they're in large pots(moved house) when is a good time to plant in ground.

thanks, your vids are an inspiration

[stephenhayesuk]

PLEASE NOTE all the apple growing advice on my Youtubes and web site is IN GOOD FAITH but I cannot accept responsibility for what friends round the world do with it.

I am a self taught amateur.

Please check as many sources as you can before going ahead with projects.

PS ballhitch, I discourage trying to raise your own new varieties of apple and pear from seed. The chances are strongly against you, and there are hundreds of proven good old varieties, best grow them instead.

[fantabulousK]

Is it okay to eat an apple when it HAS "apple scab"? Or will you get sick in some way like when you eat a fruit with rot?

[cottoncandypoms]

Please look into colloidal silver for killing this fungus. It is natural and kills all fungus. Also great natural aid for our personal health. Thank you for your video's , learning much and enjoying your teaching.

[79Testo]

Wettable Sulphur sprays or Copper to deal with this, what do you think?

[ballhitch2]

you misunderstand i'm gonna use the root stock of the seedlings to grow the donor scion on to maturity.

[stephenhayesuk]

try Irich Peach (I am going to post a video on this in a few days) a good early season apple from Ireland

I always advise against raigiin fruit trees from seed. It is a big gamble, and although all our varieties came that way originally, its a long chance. I thnk it is better not to try to raise new varieties, but make use of the many excellent varieties we already have, many of which are threatened with extinction. re-inventing the wheel, as it were. But if you want to try, graft to a dwarf.