Jim Travis, Professor of Plant Pathology Jo Rytter, Research Support Assistant

Fire Blight of Pear

Fire blight has been the most devastating disease of commercial pear production in the eastern United States. This disease will continue to threaten the industry because highly susceptible rootstocks and cultivars are continuously being planted and the recent development of streptomycin-resistant strains of the pathogen found in the east. Symptoms and Disease Development The development of fire blight on pear is nearly the same as that on apples, but pears are more susceptible. This is because pears have more flowers per spur than apples. Pear flowers are more susceptible because they tend to remain open for a longer period of time. Disease Management Plant blight-resistant pear cultivars. Bartlett, Bosc, D'Anjou, and Clapp's Favorite are highly susceptible to fire blight. Magness, Moonglow, Maxine, and Seckel are highly resistant. All varieties of Asian pears are moderately to highly susceptible to fire blight with the exception of Seuri, Shinko, and Singo. Additional blight-tolerant cultivars released from the Harrow Station in Canada are Harrow Sweet and Harrow Delight. For more information on fire blight, see the fire blight of apple and pear fact sheet.