Pear rust is a disease that is not welcome in any home garden. The Chinese juniper can be a possible host plant for the fungal pathogen, which it uses year after year for overwintering. A fungus that comes and goes – are worries justified?
What to do if the Chinese juniper has pear rust?
For the Chinese juniper, pear rust is an unsightly butsafe diseaseIt appears with yellow-brown spore deposits along the shoots. Since it can damage pear trees up to 0.5 km away, you shouldcut back, use afungicideearly orclearing
What causes the disease?
Pear rust is a fungal disease caused by theRust fungus Gymnosporangium sabinae. The fungus is host-changing, i.e. H. It can only survive for a long time on the Chinese juniper (Juniperus chinensis) if it can switch to its second host during the summer, and that is the pear. Since the wind can blow its spores up to 500 m, all pear trees in this area can serve as a second host. They also suffer more from pear rust than the juniper, are weakened and produce less harvest.
Which types of juniper are affected by pear rust?
TheChinese juniper, thePfitzer's juniperand theSade tree are susceptible to pear rust. The common juniper, the creeping juniper and the scale juniper, on the other hand, do not have to harbor the fungus.
How do I recognize pear rust on pear trees?
Pear rust appears early on the pear tree with a striking damage pattern:
- Leaf topsare covered withyellow-orange spots (rust spots)
- onleaf undersidesarewart-like nodules (spore storage)
A severe infestation reduces the harvest quantity and disrupts the development of the fruit. They fall off before they are fully ripe, but remain edible.
What can I do against pear rust on the juniper?
Since pear rust does not really damage the Chinese juniper, it does not need to be fought rigorously. It is sufficient if you cut back severely infected shoots. However, there is no guarantee that all fungal spores have been removed by pruning. If you also want to protect apear treewhile fighting, you should use a fungicidein the early stage. The fungus later penetrated the wood, which you can see from the thickening of the shoots, and survives all sprayings unscathed. Then the only thing that helps is clearing the land to break the cycle of infection.
Tip
Use infected pears promptly after picking/collecting
Pear fruits that fall before they are fully ripe due to the pear grid do not have the shelf life typical of the variety. Therefore, eat or process them promptly so that they do not spoil unused.
