Brown spot on pear tree

[Larry1990]

Hi guys,

I have a Beth pear tree that is five years old. It's never fruited but does flower. According to an app on my phone it has brown spot.

Can anyone give some advice please if I should take the whole branch off or something else?

I use a liquid fertiliser and water it weekly. It has other pollinators nearby which all seem healthy.

Cheers Larry

 

[StephenStephen]

I've never heard of anyone using liquid fertiliser for a tree, especially if it's not fruiting - that could cause softer 'sappy' growth - more susceptible to disease.
It's possible that it's not fruiting because it needs a different variety to pollinate it, so worth checking that.
Is there any healthy growth further up that branch? If not, then remove back to healthy wood just above a node.

 

[pidgeon1]

As Stephen may need another pollinator pear also this may may help.

Fabraea leaf spot, also known as leaf blight and black spot, is caused by the fungus Fabraea maculata. This disease usually appears late in the growing season but can occasionally develop in late May and early June. Fabraea leaf spot attacks leaves, fruit, and twigs of pear. Symptoms first appear as brown to black spots on the leaves. Heavily infected leaves often yellow and drop prematurely. Severe defoliation can substantially reduce tree vigor and yield, especially if trees are defoliated several years in a row. Lesions on fruit appear similar to those on leaves but become slightly sunken as fruit expand. Severely infected fruit may also crack. Once established in a tree or planting, this disease is difficult to control since significant amounts of fungal inoculum overwinter on infected leaves. Spores of the fungus are easily spread by splashing rain and wind in the spring.

Effective control includes a good sanitation program. Since overwintering infected leaves are a major source of spores in the spring, removal of all fallen leaves during the dormant season significantly reduces the chances for new infection. In addition, properly selected and timed fungicide sprays are important for disease control (refer to Spray Guide below).

 

[Larry1990]

I've never heard of anyone using liquid fertiliser for a tree, especially if it's not fruiting - that could cause softer 'sappy' growth - more susceptible to disease.
It's possible that it's not fruiting because it needs a different variety to pollinate it, so worth checking that.
Is there any healthy growth further up that branch? If not, then remove back to healthy wood just above a node.

Hi Stephen, thank you for the suggestions, I will look into the fertiliser a bit more. A green fingered friend suggested it would increase its strength. It was a bit of a sickly tree a couple of years ago with some orange type of fungus but that cleared.

The whole branch looks like toast so I will remove it down to the healthy wood.

I have a conference tree nearby which is doing fine and a pollinator.

 

[Larry1990]

As Stephen may need another pollinator pear also this may may help.

Fabraea leaf spot, also known as leaf blight and black spot, is caused by the fungus Fabraea maculata. This disease usually appears late in the growing season but can occasionally develop in late May and early June. Fabraea leaf spot attacks leaves, fruit, and twigs of pear. Symptoms first appear as brown to black spots on the leaves. Heavily infected leaves often yellow and drop prematurely. Severe defoliation can substantially reduce tree vigor and yield, especially if trees are defoliated several years in a row. Lesions on fruit appear similar to those on leaves but become slightly sunken as fruit expand. Severely infected fruit may also crack. Once established in a tree or planting, this disease is difficult to control since significant amounts of fungal inoculum overwinter on infected leaves. Spores of the fungus are easily spread by splashing rain and wind in the spring.

Effective control includes a good sanitation program. Since overwintering infected leaves are a major source of spores in the spring, removal of all fallen leaves during the dormant season significantly reduces the chances for new infection. In addition, properly selected and timed fungicide sprays are important for disease control (refer to Spray Guide below).

Hi Pigeon,

Thank you for putting a name to it, I will get some spray for it and see how I go on. I will try and get rid of any leaves as soon as they have fallen as well

Cheers

Larry