2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Apple proliferation is also called paniculate, overgrowth, or witch's broom. It happens that this ailment also affects a pear with quince, but this happens much less often. On the intensively growing shoots of trees affected by proliferation, a mass awakening of dormant buds begins, from which many erect thin lateral shoots grow, characterized by rather short internodes. Proliferation contributes to a sharp reduction in the volume of the crop, and the quality of the fruits obtained deteriorates markedly
A few words about the disease
When affected by proliferation on apple trees in huge quantities, lateral shoots begin to form. They are slender, equipped with short internodes, and their bark is usually colored reddish. Most often, such shoots appear closer to the second half of summer, and they grow from dormant buds. Towards the end of summer, the leaves already have an autumn color. At the same time, the growth of trees is noticeably inhibited.
On numerous lateral shoots, stipules grow much more strongly and are more solid in size compared to ordinary leaves. And the edges of the leaves on diseased trees are equipped with sharp and atypically large denticles. In diseased seedlings, the growth is significantly reduced - almost two times compared with healthy specimens. Abundant root shoots often appear.
Seeds in fruits of trees affected by proliferation often do not ripen, and the fruiting of cultivated crops is greatly slowed down. The flowers turn green and become ugly. And the fruits are characterized by a very pale color, they become smaller and lose their aroma and taste. Sometimes they can acquire a flattened shape, and the stalks are often abnormally long.
Proliferation is caused by a dangerous virus - a mycoplasma organism that develops and lives in the cells of living organisms. There are quite a few ways of its distribution: among the main carriers, one can note a variety of sucking insects, including aphids, as well as harmful and rather gluttonous herbivorous mites. The ill-fated virus can also be transmitted during the grafting of infected cuttings onto healthy trees, with the sap of affected plants, as well as at the stage of pruning crops with the absence of intermediate disinfection of the instrument used. There are also suggestions that the pathogen can be transmitted by seeds.
Most often, proliferation affects such apple varieties as Gaudin Delicious, Jonathan, Boskopskaya Beauty, Boyken, Bancroft, Reneth Landsberg, Cox Orange, Mekintosh, Winter Gold Parmen and a number of others. And the Boskopskaya beauty variety was even recognized as a kind of indicator of the manifestation of the disease.
How to fight
Since proliferation is a viral disease, it is extremely difficult to get rid of it. The main emphasis in the fight against this ailment should be placed on various preventive measures. Planting material, suitable for use, must necessarily be healthy. Observance of quarantine measures should not be neglected. Also, fruit trees should be systematically treated against sucking insects that can cause irreparable harm - this measure is aimed at preventing the spread of an unpleasant disease.
Growing resistant varieties is also a great solution. Among the most resistant varieties, Antonovka ordinary can be distinguished, and varieties such as Calvil snow, Cortland, Spartan, Idared, Starking and Starkrimson are moderately affected.
Apple trees on which proliferation symptoms have been identified must be uprooted and promptly burned.
To control the proliferation of apple trees, control measures applied against the apple mosaic are also suitable. However, their use will be advisable only at the very beginning of the development of a dangerous ailment.
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