Articles
FIELD RESULTS FOR THE EFFICACY OF FIRE BLIGHT CONTROL AGENTS IN THE LAST FIFTEEN YEARS IN GERMANY
Article number
1056_13
Pages
101 – 106
Language
English
Abstract
Fire blight caused by Erwinia amylovora is the most serious bacterial disease in apple and pear.
During the last four decades, it has spread throughout Europe.
Under favorable weather conditions E. amylovora multiplies on blossom surfaces and invades the plant tissue by the nectarthodes in the hypanthium routed by chemotaxis.
Each blossom is a potential infection site and therefore efficient control agents are needed to prevent blossom infections.
Streptomycin, although banned in the EU, is sometimes used in emergency situations in a few countries (e.g., Germany and Austria). In USA and Israel, E. amylovora developed resistance against this antibiotic.
Since 1997, field trials were conducted in Germany to find alternative control agents or strategies to replace streptomycin.
About 100 different materials were tested during the last 15 years.
Some of them are now registered for fire blight control in Germany.
From the products available, Blossom Protect, which is composed of two strains of Aureobasidium pullulans and an acidic buffer, showed the highest efficacy, followed by LMA (potassium-aluminum sulfate), calcium-formate, Myco-Sin and Serenade.
Blossom Protect alone or in combinations with other preparates provided a level of control similar to streptomycin in trials in Germany as well as in the USA; it is now is registered in many European countries, Morocco, Turkey, USA and Canada.
During the last four decades, it has spread throughout Europe.
Under favorable weather conditions E. amylovora multiplies on blossom surfaces and invades the plant tissue by the nectarthodes in the hypanthium routed by chemotaxis.
Each blossom is a potential infection site and therefore efficient control agents are needed to prevent blossom infections.
Streptomycin, although banned in the EU, is sometimes used in emergency situations in a few countries (e.g., Germany and Austria). In USA and Israel, E. amylovora developed resistance against this antibiotic.
Since 1997, field trials were conducted in Germany to find alternative control agents or strategies to replace streptomycin.
About 100 different materials were tested during the last 15 years.
Some of them are now registered for fire blight control in Germany.
From the products available, Blossom Protect, which is composed of two strains of Aureobasidium pullulans and an acidic buffer, showed the highest efficacy, followed by LMA (potassium-aluminum sulfate), calcium-formate, Myco-Sin and Serenade.
Blossom Protect alone or in combinations with other preparates provided a level of control similar to streptomycin in trials in Germany as well as in the USA; it is now is registered in many European countries, Morocco, Turkey, USA and Canada.
Publication
Authors
S. Kunz, C. Donat
Keywords
Erwinia amylovora, fire blight, field trials, Blossom Protect, streptomycin
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