AAFC research update on sudden apple decline and fruit tree decline disorders in Ontario

Citation

Ellouze, W., Griffiths, J. (2021) AAFC research update on sudden apple decline and fruit tree decline disorders in Ontario. Orchard Network Newsletter, February 2021. p. 16-19.

Résumé en langage clair

Rapid decline and death of apple and stone fruit trees was first observed five years ago in Canada. While the economic impact to growers has been considerable; to date the full economic impact has yet to be tabulated. To differentiate between the crops, the disorder was named SAD in apples and FTD in pears and stone fruit.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) provided funding in 2019-2022 to researchers in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. The research teams were to identify biological and environmental stresses that may be associated with the disorder.
In 2018 and 2019 researchers collected samples of dead, diseased and healthy trees from multiple orchards across the province to evaluate the disorders and identify potential pathogens. The research team identified a number of pathogenic fungi in apple and stone fruit trees in Ontario.
Researchers are investigating potential links to Sudden Apple Decline (SAD) and FTD, such as:
- Viruses and nematodes may contribute to tree disorders
- Decline orchards often contain ambrosia beetles and identification to species level is underway
- Reduced water pathways in dead and dying trees due to the weakened water transport capacity in the dwarfing rootstocks, particularly at the graft union.
- To date, no single pathogen has been identified as the direct cause of these disorders.
Current research is investigating the possibility of biotic and abiotic factors working together to contribute to tree decline and death.

Résumé

Rapid decline and death of apple and stone fruit trees was first observed five years ago in Canada. While the economic impact to growers has been considerable; to date the full economic impact has yet to be tabulated. To differentiate between the crops, the disorder was named SAD in apples and FTD in pears and stone fruit.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) provided funding in 2019-2022 to researchers in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. The research teams were to identify biological and environmental stresses that may be associated with the disorder.
In 2018 and 2019 researchers collected samples of dead, diseased and healthy trees from multiple orchards across the province to evaluate the disorders and identify potential pathogens. The research team identified a number of pathogenic fungi in apple and stone fruit trees in Ontario.
Researchers are investigating potential links to Sudden Apple Decline (SAD) and FTD, such as:
- Viruses and nematodes may contribute to tree disorders
- Decline orchards often contain ambrosia beetles and identification to species level is underway
- Reduced water pathways in dead and dying trees due to the weakened water transport capacity in the dwarfing rootstocks, particularly at the graft union.
- To date, no single pathogen has been identified as the direct cause of these disorders.
Current research is investigating the possibility of biotic and abiotic factors working together to contribute to tree decline and death.

Date de publication

2021-02-01