A disease like scab can significantly reduce and ruin a crop. The fruits of the affected trees are deformed and covered with ugly spots. We will get acquainted with the signs and causes of the appearance of scab on pears and apple trees, various means of combating it, as well as preventive measures.

Why does scab appear on apple trees and pears

The causative agent of this disease of fruit trees is a fungus, common in the temperate zone. He loves moisture and is most often found in areas with cold rainy spring. Particularly quickly, the disease spreads to orchards with uniform plantings of pears and apples.

Did you know? Excellent neighbors in the apple orchard will be raspberries, cherries, cherries and plums. Pear grows well next to an oak or poplar trees. But elderberry, viburnum, common juniper, lilac, rose, peach and nuts next to these crops should not be planted.

When other trees that are not prone to this disease grow around the apple tree, they serve as a natural barrier to its spread.

By what signs can the appearance of scab be determined

The appearance of this fungal disease is easily determined by dark spots with a velvety coating. At the beginning of the disease, they are not so noticeable and appear a couple of weeks after the kidneys open, initially having an olive color. Then the defeat spreads to young shoots and fruits.

What does the scab on the apple tree look like:

On the surface of apples and pears, dark spots become visible, the flesh under which is spoiled. When the fruit trees are already starting to discard foliage, the fungus spreads well in the leaves and fruits, along the bark. On them, he hibernates in anticipation of the next season.

What does scab on a pear look like:

Features of treating scab on apple and pear

In apple or pear orchards, scab protection is carried out in a complex, using various preparations and techniques. Of course, with severe lesions, chemical agents cannot be dispensed with, but in less complicated cases and as a prophylaxis, it is better to use alternative methods and biological agents that allow you to grow an environmentally friendly product.

Important! The process of spraying with chemicals or folk remedies must be carried out in dry and calm weather.

Folk remedies

To prevent the appearance of scab and at its very first signs, you can use the following harmless means:

1. Saline solution. Dissolve a kilogram pack of regular salt in a 10-liter bucket. Sprinkle the trees in early spring before budding.
2. Horsetail infusion. Fill the third part of the bucket with this grass and fill it with water. Insist 3 days and spray. This treatment is carried out during budding.
3. Mustard solution. Dilute 100 g of mustard powder with a small amount of warm water, and then add to 10 liters. Spray trees and tree trunks immediately after rain.
4. Manganese solution. Dissolve 5 g of potassium permanganate in 10 l of water and do 3 sprayings (every 2 weeks).

Chemicals

Among the chemicals designed to deal with scab, the following should be noted:

1. Bordeaux fluid. It is considered the most trusted tool. In places of occurrence, scabs can carry out up to 7 treatments with it. The first time the treatment is carried out even before the buds open with 4% solution, and with subsequent spraying, 1% solution is used.
2. "Speed". A systemic drug that does not wash off and acts on all parts of the plant. They are sprayed 2 times - before and after flowering. The consumption of the drug is 2 ml / 10 l of water. Each tree takes 2-5 l of solution.
3. "Rayok". They are given up to 4 treatments - before and after flowering, 2 weeks after flowering (2 times). Dilute 1.5–2 ml of the drug in 10 l of water.
4. "Gates." 3 treatments are carried out, dissolving 2 ml of the product in 10 l of water. Interval - 2 weeks.
5. "Chorus." Systemic fungicide, not washable by rain. It is most effective against the background of spring low temperatures. They are sprayed at the beginning and at the end of flowering with an interval of 10 days.
6. Abiga Peak. 50 g of the drug are diluted in 10 l of water. Do 4 sprays.

Important! When spraying trees with chemicals, safety precautions should be observed, protecting the respiratory tract and skin from getting the drug. To do this, use a respirator or gauze bandage, rubber gloves, and also wear long-sleeved clothing. Animals and children are removed from the garden.

Biological products

Now developed and commercially available products, which include bacteria that are natural enemies of the causative agent of scab and other fungi. They are completely harmless to humans, do not affect the environment.

In garden shops, you can purchase such biological fungicides:

1. Fitosporin-M. It contains bacteria Bacillus subtili.
2. Gamair. Contains a hay stick.
3. "Fitolavin." Includes streptocidal antibiotics.

They process fruit trees several times a season.

Disease Prevention Methods

Any disease is always better to prevent, therefore professional gardeners recommend that preventive measures be taken to prevent the appearance of scab:

1. Plant trees in a well-lit area.
2. Whitening the trunk and skeletal branches in spring and autumn.
3. To clean the old bark, which begins to exfoliate and serves as a source of many infections.
4. Trim the crown so that there is no thickening, and the branches do not obscure each other.
5. Remove fallen leaves in the autumn and burn them, because the pathogen overwinters on them.
6. Dig the soil under the trees.
7. Remove not only leaves affected by the disease from the trees, but also shoots, branches.
8. To carry out preventive treatments with Bordeaux mixture, copper sulphate or chemical preparation "Agat-25 K" in early spring during budding.
9. Remove weed grass under the trees and mulch the soil. As a mulch, humus, peat and compost are well suited.
10. Plant trees at a recommended distance from each other.
11. Do not plant potatoes and onion flowers in the aisles of the garden, as they can also be affected by this disease.
12. To carry out timely watering and top dressing.
13. Conduct regular inspection of trees in order to identify the disease in time.

Important! Fallen leaves can not only be burned, but also sprayed with a urea solution (70 g per 10 liters of liquid). The same solution needs to spray the soil near the tree.

Tips from experienced gardeners

Professional gardeners recommend that you do not neglect preventive measures and do the following:

1. Drugs for treatment need to be alternated, since the causative agent of this disease develops resistance to a particular chemical.
2. The intensity of preventive spraying depends on the variety, namely: on its resistance to scab. So, apple and pear with increased resistance are sprayed at a time when scab is very common in neighboring gardens. Medium tolerant varieties are processed once a year. But trees with poor resistance are sprayed several times during the season.
3. In places where scab is a frequent occurrence, it is recommended to negotiate with neighbors and conduct joint treatments.
4. In large horticultural farms, apples and pears, differing in the ripening time of the fruits and resistance to scab, are hatched in separate groups. So it is easier to harvest and carry out preventive treatments.

Video: What is scab and how to deal with it

Experienced gardeners are advised to pay attention to the varieties of apple trees and pears, which are resistant to this disease.

Among the scab-resistant apple varieties are the following:

• Jonathan;
• Welsey;
• Bylina;
• Pippin;
• Aphrodite;
• Slav;
• Sun.

Varieties of pears, which are also resistant to such a disease, are represented by the following list:

• Annushka
• Lada;
• Cosmic
• January
• Northerner.

This is not the whole list of scab resistant varieties. Each region has its own zoned varieties of pears and apple trees, so it is recommended to pay attention to them.

Read also how to make an apple tree and a pear blossom and bear fruit.

Timely measures taken to prevent and control scab will help save the harvest of pears and apples from this fungal disease. For supporters of organic farming, there are biological products and folk remedies, as well as preventive agricultural practices, but there are situations when you can’t do without chemicals.