What does it look like?
Initial symptoms of European canker are a small and sunken area around a bud, leaf scar, or at the base of a small dead shoot or open wound. Concentric rings of canker begin to form, expanding outward as the affected area enlarges. Over time, the centre of the infection dries out and becomes flaky, indicating disease progression.
Rain splash and wind spread the spores and fruiting bodies of European canker. European canker can also be spread through the movement of affected plants or plant parts.
Why is it a problem?
European canker is a fungal disease that, if left unmanaged, can spread rapidly, often leading to the removal of entire trees or even complete orchard block.
Over time, cankers can girdle the stem, causing dieback of shoots above the affected area. The fungus may also lead to fruit rot, which poses a quarantine risk in certain export market.
Related links
Management Programme
Sustained Control Programme
To provide for ongoing control of the subject, or an organism being spread by the subject, to reduce its impacts on values and spread to other properties.
Rules
Rule 19 Canker
Occupiers of unmanaged pipfruit production sites shall, on receipt of a written direction from an Authorised Person, control European canker by inspecting all pipfruit trees on their land at least four times during the year, applying post-harvest sprays if canker is found and removing and burning all infected pipfruit tree parts showing any presence of European canker.
Taxonomies
TypeDiseases
GroupFungi and rust
HabitatLand
Management ProgrammeSustained Control Programme
RulesRule 19 Canker
