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A Review of Sooty Blotch and Flyspeck Disease in German Organic Apple Production

Die Regenflecken- und Fliegenschmutz-Krankheit in der deutschen Bio-Apfelproduktion

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Abstract

Sooty blotch and flyspeck (SBFS) fungi colonise the surface of a range of fruits, especially apple, without penetrating the cuticle. Economic damage results from the exclusion of severely affected fruit batches from being marketed as table apples. A study of SBFS was conducted in 2007–2012 in the two largest German apple production areas, i.e. the Lake Constance and Lower Elbe regions. The absence of this disease complex from orchards under integrated pest management in both regions in all years was explained by the collateral effects of scab and storage-rot sprays with captan and quinone-outside inhibitors (QoI) such as trifloxystrobin. However, SBFS was economically relevant in organically managed orchards, being generally more severe in Southern Germany than in the North. In both regions, Peltaster cerophilus was the most frequently isolated SBFS fungus and was chiefly responsible for crop losses. Cyphellophora sessilis, Microcyclosporella mali and Schizothyrium pomi also contributed to SBFS in some organic orchards, whereas a diversity of additional species was confined to untreated orchards. Evidence was obtained that P. cerophilus overwinters within orchards, fruit mummies being one of presumably several colonised plant organs. Infections of young apple fruits were initiated at any time following the end of flowering, and P. cerophilus was capable of causing several infection cycles per season by means of conidial inoculum. The colonisation of sheets of waxed paper by P. cerophilus indicated that this species does not require fruit leachates for growth. No further expansion of colonies was observed during cold storage; instead, P. cerophilus was gradually displaced by other fungi. Differences in the susceptibility of apple varieties to P. cerophilus were due to fruit ripening, late-maturing cultivars being most heavily colonised, and to surface properties, varieties with a waxy bloom being conspicuously less strongly colonised than others. This fungus was unable to colonise russeted fruit areas. Repeated spray treatments with lime-sulphur and potassium bicarbonate throughout the season were effective and necessary to control SBFS in organic production. This strategy threatens the fungicide-saving potential offered by scab-resistant apple varieties. Cultural measures against SBFS include summer pruning as well as the manual removal of fruit mummies in winter.

Zusammenfassung

Pilzliche Erreger der Regenflecken- und Fliegenschmutzkrankheit (RFFS) besiedeln die Oberfläche verschiedener Früchte, insbesondere Apfel, ohne dabei die Kutikula zu durchdringen. Wirtschaftlicher Schaden entsteht, wenn befallene Chargen von Früchten nicht mehr als Tafeläpfel vermarktet werden können. In den beiden größten deutschen Apfelanbaugebieten (Bodensee und Niederelbe) wurde in den Jahren 2007–2012 eine Studie zu RFFS durchgeführt. Das Nichtauftreten der Krankheit in integriert bewirtschafteten Apfelanlagen ist mit einer Nebenwirkung von Schorf- und Lagerfäulebehandlungen mit Captan und Strobilurinen (QoI) wie Trifloxystrobin erklärbar. Die RFFS-Krankheit trat jedoch in wirtschaftlich relevantem Ausmaß in ökologisch bewirtschafteten Anlagen auf, wobei der Befall in Süddeutschland generell höher war als im Norden. In beiden Regionen war Peltaster cerophilus der am häufigsten nachgewiesene Erreger und hauptverantwortlich für Ertragsausfälle. Cyphellophora sessilis, Microcyclosporella mali und Schizothyrium pomi waren in einzelnen Öko-Anlagen ebenfalls mit dieser Krankheit assoziiert, während weitere Arten nur in unbehandelten Anlagen zu finden waren. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass P. cerophilus innerhalb der Apfelanlagen unter anderem an Fruchtmumien überwintert. Der Befall junger Früchte erfolgte zu jedem Zeitpunkt ab dem Ende der Blüte, wobei durch Konidienbildung mehrere Infektionszyklen pro Saison möglich waren. Die Besiedlung von Wachspapier durch P. cerophilus zeigte, dass zum Wachstum keine Fruchtausscheidungen benötigt werden. Im Kühllager wurde kein weiteres Wachstum der Regenflecken beobachtet, sondern P. cerophilus wurde langsam durch andere Pilze verdrängt. Unterschiede in der Empfindlichkeit verschiedener Apfelsorten gegenüber P. cerophilus ergaben sich durch den Zeitpunkt ihrer Fruchtreife, wobei später reifende Sorten stärker besiedelt waren, sowie durch Oberflächeneigenschaften, wobei Sorten mit bedufteter Oberfläche auffällig weniger stark befallen waren. Diese Pilzart war zudem nicht in der Lage, berostete Fruchtoberflächen zu besiedeln. Wiederholte Behandlungen mit Schwefelkalk und Kaliumbicarbonat über die gesamte Saison hinweg waren effektiv und nötig, um die RFFS-Krankheit in der ökologischen Produktion zu bekämpfen. Diese Strategie gefährdet das Einsparpotential an Fungiziden, welches durch schorfresistente Apfelsorten ermöglicht wird. Kulturtechnische Maßnahmen gegen die RFFS-Krankheit beinhalten den Sommerschnitt sowie die Entfernung der Fruchtmumien im Winter.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Peter Maxin, Margarita Beer, Susan Brauer and Stefanie Kutz (Esteburg-Obstbauzentrum Jork) for technical assistance. Long-term financial support by the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Bundesprogramm Ökologischer Landbau, grant numbers 06OE323 and 2810OE004) is gratefully acknowledged and has been essential for conducting the work described here.

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  1. Esteburg-Obstbauzentrum Jork, Moorende 53, 21635, Jork, Germany

    Roland W. S. Weber

  2. Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Kirstinebjergvej 10, 5792, Årslev, Denmark

    Roland W. S. Weber

  3. Kompetenzzentrum Obstbau Bodensee, Schuhmacherhof 6, 88213, Ravensburg, Germany

    Sybille Späth, Sascha Buchleither & Ulrich Mayr

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  1. Roland W. S. Weber
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Correspondence to Roland W. S. Weber.

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Weber, R., Späth, S., Buchleither, S. et al. A Review of Sooty Blotch and Flyspeck Disease in German Organic Apple Production. Erwerbs-Obstbau 58, 63–79 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10341-016-0266-x

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