Xylosandrus germanus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Occurrence, Fungal Associations, and Management Trials in New York Apple Orchards.

Xylosandrus germanus (Blandford) has caused increasing damage in high-density New York apple orchards since 2013, resulting in tree decline and death. We documented their occurrence and timing in > 50 orchards using ethanol-baited traps from 2014 to 2016. First captures ranged from 48 to 83 degree days (base 10 °C) from 1 January.

Fire Blight Symptomatic Shoots and the Presence of Erwinia amylovora in Asymptomatic Apple Budwood.

Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight, causes considerable economic losses in young apple plantings in New York on a yearly basis. Nurseries make efforts to only use clean budwood for propagation, which is essential, but E. amylovora may be present in trees that appear to have no apparent fire blight symptoms at the time of collection.

Prevalence of Streptomycin-Resistant Erwinia amylovora in New York Apple Orchards.

Resistance to streptomycin in Erwinia amylovora was first observed in the United States in the 1970s but was not found in New York until 2002, when streptomycin-resistant (SmR) E. amylovora was isolated from orchards in Wayne County. From 2011 to 2014, in total, 591 fire blight samples representing shoot blight, blossom blight, and rootstock blight were collected from 80 apple orchards in New York.

Isolation of Streptomycin-Resistant Isolates of Erwinia amylovora in New York.

Streptomycin is currently the only antibiotic registered for the control of fire blight, a devastating disease of apple (Malus), pear (Pyrus), and other rosaceous plants caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora. Resistance of E. amylovora to streptomycin was first identified in California pear orchards in 1971 and is currently endemic in many parts of the United States.