Seasonal Susceptibility of Sweet Cherry Pruning Wounds to , , and .

Fungal canker pathogens commonly infect trees at pruning wounds leading to branch dieback and loss of productivity in sweet cherry orchards. However, the seasonal susceptibility of sweet cherry pruning wounds to , , and is not well understood. This study compared the susceptibility of sweet cherry pruning wounds made during the dormant season (January) and the postharvest season (late May to June) to infection by main canker pathogens in California. Field trials were conducted in three cherry orchards and trees were pruned at the different periods over 2 years. Fresh pruning wounds were inoculated with spores of each pathogen, and pathogen recovery was assessed through microbiological isolations at 3 to 4 months after inoculations. Pruning wounds made in late May and June resulted in significantly higher infection by . compared to pruning wounds made in January. Pruning wounds made during both seasons were generally equally susceptible to . and . infections. However, there was one orchard where dormant pruning wounds were more susceptible to infection by . and there was one particularly cold winter where did not infect pruning wounds. Overall, our findings suggest that . infections of cherry pruning wounds are more likely to occur during periods of warm temperatures such as late spring and early summer. However, infections by . and . can occur year-round if inoculum is present and if winter temperatures are not abnormally low for California. Finally, our results suggest that the emergence of . as a major canker pathogen of sweet cherry in California may be the result of a shift from dormant to after-harvest pruning of sweet cherry trees.