Pest Problems
Fungal and bacterial diseases are the most serious problems that affect tree fruit culture in western Washington’s cool maritime climate. Some insects such as apple maggot and codling moth do pose a threat, but the problem is not as severe as in warmer areas where insects can reproduce more rapidly. Much information is available on controlling diseases and insects from bulletins available from the WSU Cooperative Extension Publications Catalog, some of which are listed below.
Washington State University's Tree Fruit Extension Team has a fruit pathology index that includes much valuable information, though some data is more specific to commercial orchards located in central/eastern Washington.
Disease Problems
APPLE: apple scab, powdery mildew, anthracnose, European canker, perennial canker/bullseye rot
PEAR/ASIAN PEAR: pear scab, pseudomonas
STONE FRUIT: peach leaf curl, brown rot, coryneum blight, bacterial canker, cytospora canker
GRAPE: bunch rot, powdery mildew
Samples of diseased plant material (leaves, shoots, fruit etc.) can be sent to your county WSU Extension office along with the C0084 Plant Disease Identification Request Form (also available at county extension offices.)
Pacific Northwest Plant Disease Control Online is a valuable information source from the Oregon State University's botany and plant pathology department, with a search index that connects to many useful links and publications. It covers not only fruit and berries but many other Northwest crops.
The Kearneysville station of West Virginia University has an extensive illustrated key for help in identifying common diseases of tree fruit.
Insects & Vertebrate Pests
GENERAL: aphid, leaf roller, leaf miner, tent caterpillar, fall webworm, rodents, deer
APPLE: apple maggot, codling moth
PEAR/ASIAN PEAR: pear slug
Insect specimens can be sent for identification to your county WSU Extension office along with the C0495 Insect Diagnosis Request Form (also available at county extension offices.) The Kearneysville station of West Virginia University has an extensive illustrated key for help in identifying insect pests of tree fruit.
Penn State University's Fact Sheet Index provides access to a wide spectrum of useful information on diseases, pests, tree fruit culture, and other related topics.
There are several sources of information for those who want to try Integrated Pest Management techniques in managing their orchard. They include WSU's Hortsense, fact sheets on disease control for the home gardener, WSU's Cooperative Extension IPM Program and the UCDavis IPM Project.
Tree Fruits: Organic Production Overview is a bulletin prepared by the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service as a guide to commercial organic production of temperate zone tree fruits.