Als—Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, July 24,1982
Peach canker increases economic damage to fruit
BY GINGER SECRIST MYERS
Staff Correspondent
BIGLERVILLE A shortened
tree life and the loss of one-third to
one-half of the tree’s fruit is a
conservative estimate of the
economic impact caused by
cytospora canker, according to
Kenneth Hickey, professor of Plant
Pathology of the Penn State Fruit
Research Lab, Biglerville.
These losses aren’t limited to
growers, however. Hickey added
that research is finding more
canker starting in nursery stock
that has experienced extreme
winter damage its first year.
Planting this stock costs growers
a full growing season since or
chards must be pulled up and
restarted. It costs nurserymen
sales and growing tune which can
be economically devastating to
their business.
According to Hickey, cytopora
canker or peach canker, affects qii
stonefruits, but has its greatest
impact on peaches. The diseaie
has been identified for at least 20
years, but it was relatively inac
tive in Pennsylvania until about 5
years ago.
Canker is a fungus disease which
invades dead or injured tissue.
Although it is not a rapid killer, it
cuts down the tree’s productivity
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and shortens a possible 15 year
lifespan to three to four years after
invasion of the fungus. Hickey
explained the severe winter injury
caused by cold damage to the bark
of trees over the last three years
has made the peach trees m the
state much more susceptible to the
disease.
Penn State researchers, under
the direction of James Travis,
Penn State Extension, and in
cooperation with Hickey, are now
completing studies for surgically
removing diseased canker tissue
from trees. Hickey noted that the
surgical technique is not new; but
finding the exact fungicides to be
used with the removal is what has
to be perfected.
Hickey added researchers had to
work directly with growers on
determining the economic
feasibility of the technique. Stated
Hickey, "'This is something that
the growers themselves will be
able to perform. Progressive
growers are looking for anything
that will get them out of this. We
questioned whether the growers
would be willing to take the time to
do this, because it is a lot of work.
But, the growers have said that the
price of not doing it is too high.”
Hickey explained the purpose ot
the Fruit Lab’s research was to
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determine if the disease could be
eradicated by surgically removing
the canker, treating the tree with a
fungicidal disinfectant, and
covering it to allow healing. The
fungicide and the wound dressing
used are readily available to
growers.
According to Hickey, the success
of the operation depends on: the
age and vigor of the tree; the time
of year that the surgery is done,
preferably only in the spring and
early summer; and it the tree has
most of the growing season to heal.
Hickey stated that trees operated
on by June have a couple
of weeks.
Hickey stated that the technique
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should not be used on trees that are
less than two years old or more
than twelve years since the
possibility of saving those trees for
any productive tune is minimal.
These infected orchards should be
removed. The target trees are
those reaching peak maturity and
productivity from five to twelve
years of age.
Hickey indicated the seventy of
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winters, the varieties ot peaches
being grown for marketability
rather than for adaptability to the
area, and the way growers no4|
raise peaches have all contributed
to the canker problem. He ex
pressed hopes through demon
strations and educational
programs growers will "get back
on the right track” in preparing
their trees for winter and thereby
avoid increasing canker damage.
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