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 Plant Diseases in Arkansas
Cedar Apple Rust
(2 Minute:
21 seconds)
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Audio/Video Script:
One of the most spectacular diseases to occur this spring is cedar apple
rust.
This particular disease requires both the eastern red cedar and an apple tree to
survive the year. So it cycles back and forth between the apple or crab apple
and the eastern red cedar during the year.
Doesn’t cause any really significant damage to eastern red cedar, so we’re most
concerned about controlling this particular disease on the apple tree.
Now it will also affect the crab apple, the flowering crab apple, which is a
common ornamental in many landscapes throughout the state. But the primary
effect on the apple tree in Arkansas is going to be the leaves are going to drop
off early. In other words, we are going to have premature defoliation of plant,
and that’s going to be coupled with poor quality fruit.
The stage of the fungus on eastern red cedar produces the jelly like galls,
these are swellings, they’re very orange color, very easy to spot on an infected
cedar tree.
On the apple tree the symptoms that we look for are going to be primarily leaf
spots. They’re very dramatic, often times the spots will have a yellow halo and
the spots tend to have a raised portion to the spot. Virtually the same symptoms
are going to exist on the crab apple as well.
It is possible to control the disease by applying fungicides, but these
materials need to be applied very early on in the season, as those leaves are
beginning to expand on the apple or the crab apple.
Many people will overlook this disease until they see the spots and by then
often times it too late to really do anything about it from a chemical
standpoint.
Now, what we suggest is those individuals who’ve had a problem with cedar apple
rust, contact their local extension office, let them be aware of the problem,
have the disease verified through the extension office in their county, coupled
with a plant health clinic at Lonoke, which serves as the diagnostic facility
for the entire state. Once the disease is verified, then control recommendations
can be made to the grower which may include appropriate fungicides for
controlling this particular disease.
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