June 2023 - 14

PLANT & SOIL HEALTH
Once fire blight symptoms
appear, the disease quickly
becomes a crisis in apple and pear
orchards. The disease can jump
from flowers to shoots and shoots
can be infected independently.
Photos courtesy of Virginia Tech.
FIGHTING
FIRE BLIGHT
Coast-to-coast high-tech research battles fire blight in apples, pears
BY DOUG OHLEMEIER
ASSISTANT EDITOR
F
ire blight can cripple apple production and
kill young trees. The disease is also difficult
to control.
Researchers at Virginia Tech's Alson H. Smith
Jr. Agricultural and Extension Research Center in
Winchester, Virginia, are studying methods to fight the
contagious fire blight bacterium Erwinia amylovora,
which is often deadly to trees. It affects apples and
other pome fruits, including pears.
" It is really a big problem, this disease, " said Srdjan
Acimovic, assistant professor in Virginia Tech's College
of Agriculture and Life Sciences' School of Plant and
Environmental Sciences. " That's the one problem that
keeps growers awake at night. It's one of the most
severe diseases. It also keeps us awake because we
try to get the funding from the agencies and commodity
groups to work on fire blight. We have many different
ideas we try to test. "
Researching fire blight management methods,
Acimovic's lab evaluates and creates materials,
14 | JUNE 2023
including spray options, that target the bacterium.
USDA grants fund projects designed to develop
effective dormant copper spray treatments in a mix
with bark-penetrating oils for eradication of fire blight
bacterium in fire blight cankers.
The grants also fund research examining sprays with
plant activators that prevent shoot blight and fire blight
cankers, and test new antimicrobial enzymes. Some
of the enzymes fight bacteria in clinical settings and
in food processing facilities, degrading biofilm of the
bacterium to control blossom and shoot blight.
The window of infection is during bloom - flowers
are the pathogen's entry point. Trees are also highly
susceptible to infection during growth of shoots. The
disease can jump from flowers to shoots and shoots
can be infected independently. The disease also overwinters.
Little is known about how fire blight remains
during the winter, Acimovic said.
Once symptoms appear, however, the devastation
becomes a crisis, Acimovic said. Symptoms can include
brown or black leaves and shoots bending downward.
Fruit turns dark and shrivels into mummies. Infected
branches display creamy light-yellow ooze droplets.

June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2023

Editor's Letter
Cover Story: Muscadine time
Apple Outlook: Falling apples
Plant & Soil Health: Fighting fire blight
Food Safety: Food safety culture
Pest Control: Bug barriers
Farm Market & Agritourism: Farm markets can benefit from consumer trends, too
CMI
Ag Labor Review
Classifieds
Advertiser Index
June 2023 - 1
June 2023 - 2
June 2023 - 3
June 2023 - Editor's Letter
June 2023 - 5
June 2023 - Cover Story: Muscadine time
June 2023 - 7
June 2023 - 8
June 2023 - 9
June 2023 - Apple Outlook: Falling apples
June 2023 - 11
June 2023 - 12
June 2023 - 13
June 2023 - Plant & Soil Health: Fighting fire blight
June 2023 - 15
June 2023 - 16
June 2023 - 17
June 2023 - Food Safety: Food safety culture
June 2023 - 19
June 2023 - 20
June 2023 - 21
June 2023 - Pest Control: Bug barriers
June 2023 - 23
June 2023 - 24
June 2023 - 25
June 2023 - Farm Market & Agritourism: Farm markets can benefit from consumer trends, too
June 2023 - 27
June 2023 - CMI
June 2023 - 29
June 2023 - Ag Labor Review
June 2023 - 31
June 2023 - Classifieds
June 2023 - 33
June 2023 - Advertiser Index
June 2023 - 35
June 2023 - 36
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