Pear tree canker

Over the past few decades, the autumn season has become noticeably warmer and wetter. As a result, the risk of fruit tree canker infections increases during the leaf-fall period. Not only many apple varieties, but also pears are susceptible to infection.

At the same time, the range of available control measures is shrinking, which increases the need to develop new products and improved spraying techniques. These topics are key priorities within the research at FRC-Randwijk. In addition, work is being done to stimulate and concentrate leaf fall, so that fungicides can be applied in a more targeted and effective manner.

Since the winter of 2024/25, research has also been conducted into the influence of pruning methods on the Conference pear variety’s susceptibility to fruit tree canker. This includes examining the effects of systematically removing all one-year-old shoots during winter pruning compared to traditional clipping pruning with upward-growing fruiting branches. The long-term effect of consistently or inconsistently removing affected parts is also being investigated, as is the impact on the proportion of dead or poorly developed flower buds in the spring.

The initial results are promising. Research at FRC-Randwijk has shown that using copper chelate to concentrate leaf fall in apple and pear trees is effective: in the autumn of 2025, the duration of leaf fall was reduced from an average of 33 to 17 days. In addition, the first trial year showed that pruning methods and sanitation can lead to a reduction in fruit tree canker infections of up to 50%. But which approach proves most effective in practice in the longer term, and what is the impact on production? These trials will continue over the coming years to provide a clear answer to these questions.