Pear scab: Research into leaf digestion

In recent years, the problems surrounding pear scab have increased, both in organic and conventional cultivation. Last season, there was a lot of rain, which resulted in an exceptionally high incidence of scab. Especially in years like this one, with consecutive heavy rainfall in the spring, it is very challenging to control the disease properly.

FRC Randwijk is conducting intensive research into the biology of pear scab and the control of pear scab with sprays, spraying techniques and sanitary measures. In this context, a leaf digestion test has been carried out. The leaves on the ground under pear trees form a source of ascospores that can cause infections in the spring. Mechanical removal of the leaves can be labour-intensive and often a proportion of the leaves will remain despite the measures taken.

Promoting leaf digestion by spraying the soil could be a relevant contribution to the control of scab. The study showed that urea-based products were the best at accelerating leaf digestion in this trial. However, we want to find an alternative to urea in order to limit the use of nitrogen to feeding the trees.