What does it look like?
Fireblight is a bacterial disease. World-wide, Fireblight is found throughout North America, Canada, and much of Europe. Isolated outbreaks of fireblight occur throughout New Zealand. Pink Lady™, Gala, Royal Gala, Golden Delicious, and all pears are particularly susceptible.
Other plants that can be affected by Fireblight are quince and ornamental plants of the Roseaceae family including cotoneaster, hawthorn and pyracantha.
Why is it a problem?
If fireblight is unchecked, blossom infection can result in “shepherds crook” of the shoot. Blossoms appear water soaked then turn brown and finally black. Young fruit if infected turn brown, then black, wilt and drop off.
The apple and pear industry has become more susceptible to fire blight in recent years with an increase in susceptible rootstocks, varieties, new plantings and high-density orchard systems. Fireblight is a quarantine concern for countries such as Japan and Australia.
Control methods
Remove dead or dying limbs of the trees and clear away leaf litter which could harbour bacteria.
Related links
Management Programme
Sustained Control Programme
Sustained Control exists to hold well-established pests at an acceptable maximum. However, the costs of management and control grow in-step with the size of the invasive population. Because cost:benefit returns can fall to 1:5 or less, most of this work is focused on specific sites of high ecological value. While the spread of these pests between neighbouring properties remains the predominant risk, in some cases control within properties is still sought and warranted. A sustained control programme will hold populations to maximum acceptable limits over the period of the RPMP.
More informationUnwanted Organism
An unwanted organism is any organism that's capable of causing harm to natural or physical resources (like forests and waterways) or human health. A number of introduced pests in New Zealand are classed as unwanted.
More informationRules
Plan Rule 19
Occupiers of unmanaged pipfruit production sites shall, on receipt of a written direction from an Authorised Person, control;
a) apple black spot on their land from the presence of green tips until fruit maturity/harvest
b) codling moth on their land if five or more codling moths are caught in any one codling moth pheremone trap during any calendar week on their land
c) 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
d) fireblight on their land during the pipfruit bloom period (from pink to petal fall)
e) lightbrown apple moth on their land once thirty lightbrown apple moths are caught in any one lightbrown apple moth pheremone trap on their land from 15th December until fruit harvest
on their land from the presence of green tips until fruit maturity/harvest.
Taxonomies
TypeDiseases
GroupBacteria
HabitatLand
Management ProgrammeSustained Control ProgrammeUnwanted Organism
RulesPlan Rule 19
