Flyspeck

Disease

Flyspeck

Schizothyrium pomi (Mont.:Fr.) Arx

Distribution: Sooty blotch and flyspeck occur almost everywhere apples are grown and often occur together; more severe in humid and warmer climates.

Photos

Sooty blotch and flyspeck appear together and affect only the fruit epidermal layer.

Sooty blotch and flyspeck appear together and affect only the fruit epidermal layer. William Turechek, USDA-ARS
A

Sooty blotch and flyspeck are found together on the same fruit and affect only the epidermal layer of the fruit (A). Flyspeck colonies appear as distinct groupings of shiny, black fungal bodies on the surface of the fruit (B). The number of colonies or "specks" range from a few to over 50 per grouping.

  • Crops Affected: apples, grapes, pears

    Management

    The primary means of managing sooty blotch and flyspeck is through the scheduled use of fungicides from mid-June through August. However, summer pruning and regular mowing helps to reduce disease pressure by lowering orchard humidity and promoting quicker drying of fruit surfaces. In addition, removal of raspberry and other brambles along the orchard border reduces outside sources or inoculum.

    Similar Species

    Sooty blotch appears as various shades of olive-green on the surface of the fruit. Colonies range in shape from nearly circular colonies with distinct margins to large, amorphous colonies with diffuse margins.

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