ISHS Acta Horticulturae 590: IX International Workshop on Fire Blight
EFFECTS OF WEATHER CONDITIONS IN DEVELOPMENT OF "TRAUMA" BLIGHT IN APPLE SHOOTS |
| Authors: | D.I. Breth, H.S. Aldwinckle, W. Turechek |
| Keywords: | Erwinia amylovora, Malus, shoot blight |
| Abstract:
“Trauma” blight is a phase of fire blight that affects fruit, leaves, and shoots following some type of physical injury to the plant. It is most often associated with wounds caused by hail. Less obvious causes of trauma blight suspected are wind, rain, and insect feeding. The goal of this research was to determine correlations among weather parameters and new trauma infections in shoots. Weather monitors were installed in two sites in western New York state in 1998-2001 to record temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, leaf wetness, wind speed and direction. New fire blight infections in shoots were counted and marked two to three times per week. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients to characterize any correlation among variables. A negative correlation between the date and new infections was significant for 2000-01 data, indicating greater susceptibility of shoots to infection early in the season. Other weaker correlations were detected between new infections and relative humidity, and hours of leaf wetness. No positive correlation was detected between new infections and wind speed, in some cases a negative correlation was noted. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
