Apple trees are some of the most favorite for home orchards and commercial farms; the fruits are delicious, and the tree beauty makes them beautiful in every season, despite these attractive qualities, like any crop, apple trees fall prey to various diseases that can hinder growth and fruit production. Knowing some common apple trees diseases will enable a healthy harvest. Here are just a few of the most common diseases faced by apple trees, along with some tips on how to keep your trees scab-free.

Apple Scab

Venturia inaequalis is the fungus responsible for causing apple scab disease, which is one of the most common diseases for fruit trees. It causes dark scabby lesions on the leaves and fruit of the tree. This may result in early fruit drop, and therefore reduce the overall yield of your tree. Additionally, it weakens your tree, making it susceptible to other diseases.

For the prevention of scab in apples, grow varieties like Liberty, Enterprise, or Freedom apple, which have resistance to scab. Pruning the trees regularly can also help in giving adequate air through the orchard, giving a chance for evaporation of the remaining raindrops before they can reach the leaf and allow the infection. Fungicide application at the beginning of the growing season might be good prevention if your region has known previous outbreaks.

Fire Blight

The bacterial apple tree disease known as fire blight is caused by Erwinia amylovora. Its name is descriptive: the scorched or burnt appearance it causes to infected blossoms, leaves, and branches. It tends to enter the tree via blossoms, and it rapidly runs throughout the plant, killing branches or the entire tree if left untreated.

To control fire blight, use fire-blight-resistant varieties of apple trees, such as Red Delicious or Arkansas Black. Prune diseased twigs to remove infection as near to the area as possible, and make a second cut below the diseased section to avoid fire blight spread. Disinfect pruning shears between cuts to prevent the spread of fire blight to healthy parts of the tree. For control, when applied at bloom, copper-based sprays can also be used.

Powdery Mildew

Another very common disease of apple trees is powdery mildew, which is caused by the fungus Podosphaera leucotricha. This is manifest as a white or pale greyish coating on leaves, buds, and the young fruit. The fungus can stunt the growth of the tree and suppress fruiting. In severe infections, the powdery mildew can curl the leaves and make them drop before the fall, weakening the tree.

Increase spacing and prune the trees to facilitate good air circulation, thus preventing powdery mildew. Avoid conditions where this fungus thrives; its lush growth into moist poorly ventilated areas is quite pronounced. Application of a sulfur-based fungicide at early spring before the onset of symptoms can also control this disease. Growing apple tree varieties that are known to be resistant to powdery mildew, such as GoldRush or Honeycrisp, will greatly reduce the possibility of infection.

Cedar Apple Rust

This fungus, Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae, causes a disease called cedar apple rust. It’s a two-host fungus, meaning it needs two host plants to complete the cycle of its life cycle-in this case, an apple and juniper or cedar. The symptoms start as yellow or orange spots on the apple leaves and evolve into lesions that weaken the tree. Cedar apple rust does not typically kill an apple tree, but it severely impacts the fruit quality and yield of the tree.

Preventing Cedar Apple Rust

Removal of nearby juniper or cedar trees if feasible is a means because they are the host trees for the fungus. Application of fungicides especially during early disease expression may control the extent of spread.

Some apple varieties-including Liberty and Enterprise resistant to cedar apple rust. They may be a good choice for the location especially if it is prone to this disease.

Canker

Cankers refer to dying spots on the bark of an apple tree caused by fungal infections, mainly Nectria galligena and Botryosphaeria spp. The diseases cause sunken areas on the trunk or branches of the tree with discoloration. In the absence of interventions, cankers can girdle around the entire branch, cutting off all the available nutrient flow and killing the tree in those areas.

The prevention of cankers can be done by maintaining a healthy tree with appropriate watering and nutrition and not causing injuries on the bark as wounds are the most common entry for the fungal pathogens. Remove and destroy all infected branches immediately and fungicides prevent the spread of the disease when applied at times when it is wet. Maintaining the tree with good overall health is actually one’s best defense against cankers.

Sooty Blotch and Flyspeck

Sooty blotch and flyspeck are two mycotic diseases in apples, often occurring together on apple fruit. Fruits show dark, smudgy blotches caused by sooty blotch, whereas small black dots are caused by flyspeck. These diseases don’t affect the taste of the apple, though they can render the fruit unattractive in appearance and decrease market value.

Sanitation pruning of trees must be done to allow good air circulation that dries the foliage even further, limits fungal growth, and prevents sooty blotch and flyspeck. Fungicide application should be done in wet and humid climates where these diseases normally develop predominantly. Apples harvested immediately at maturity will also reduce the chance of these fungi becoming established.

Black Rot

Botryosphaeria obtusa is another causative fungus for black rot. The infection of the apple tree happens at the fruit as well as at the wood level. It affects the apples primarily at small, dark spots that develop into lesions causing rotting out of the whole apple. Besides black rot, it causes leaf spots, and cankers on the branches of the apple tree.

To prevent the disease of black rot, trees have to be spaced well and pruned regularly for good air circulation. Fruit, leaves, or branches fallen have to be removed and disposed of as they are infected with the fungus. Fungicides can be applied through sprays, especially when the fruit is in its early development stage. Black rot-resistant varieties of apples should be utilized to be at minimal risk of getting infected by the disease.

Conclusion

With this insight about common diseases that infect strawberry plants, it becomes quite easy to adopt preventive measures and the opportunity to minimize chances of getting infected, thereby succeeding in healthy fruit yield. There are disease-resistant varieties and proper orchid hygiene that can be observed to ensure vigilant monitoring for early onset of such diseases.