Cherry spur blight

Cherry spur blight refers to a group of fungal pathologies that cause the necrosis and death of fruit spurs on cherry and sweet cherry trees. This condition is particularly damaging because it directly targets the fruiting wood, leading to substantial yield losses and structural damage to the tree's architecture.

The primary causal agents include various fungi such as Phoma, Cytospora, and species of Monilinia. These pathogens exploit wounds, pruning cuts, or winter-damaged bark to enter the tree's vascular system, eventually causing the collapse of the spur tissue.

Symptoms typically appear in early spring, manifesting as withered or dead spurs that fail to bloom or produce fruit. Affected spurs may show dark, sunken lesions on the bark, and under high humidity, small fungal fruiting bodies may erupt through the epidermis, indicating active spore production.

The disease thrives in wet, cool conditions, particularly during the flowering season. Rainfall is the main driver of spore dispersal, splashing fungal spores from infected lesions onto healthy spurs and adjacent twigs, which facilitates the rapid spread of the disease throughout the orchard canopy.

Effective management strategies require an integrated approach. Essential practices include the precise removal and destruction of all symptomatic wood to reduce the local inoculum. Furthermore, applying protective fungicide sprays during the dormant season and early bloom stages, combined with maintaining optimal tree vigor, are the most effective ways to prevent and control this infection.