Anyone have experience of Fireblight?

[FB.]

I have not really had much dealings with this disease, but I am wondering whether a problem is brewing.




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Last year, a Rowan tree on a nearby field suddenly went brown and droopy, but the leaves remained on the tree.
Also, even now, some of the leaf stems remain on the tree as little spiky bits. But the autumn gales blew the leaves off the tree.
The tree next to it is an ornamental cherry still in full leaf to show that it wasn't autumn.
I took the picture because the rowan has never done that before and I was curious.
During my recent winter pruning of my apple trees, I have noticed a few strange canker-like patches on stems of some of my apple trees - but these are not like your usual apple canker.

So.....did this rowan tree die of Fireblight? - and could I now have a fireblight problem brewing among my fruit trees?
Any comments appreciated.
Thanks.

Pic here:

[Flummery]

I've seen fireblight (not in my oen garden I'm pleased to say) and it attacked just one area of a tree. It looked very odd because one lot of leaves were brown and crisped up but the rest looked as normal. To me, this doesn't look like it. Not that I'm an expert, or that I can see the rowan leaves that well. It looks more like the way leaves get when the plant has had a very severe chill.

I hope it isn't anyway!

[FB.]

Thanks.
We're not prone to FB here, so I would be surprised if it was - but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
The pics were taken during late summer, so it's definitely not a chill.
I have closer pics of the leaves. Best I can do - I merely took the pics out of curiosity at the time.

[Flummery]

Mmmm, going a bit crispy - but I still wouldn't have looked at it and thought, "Fireblight!" I hope it isn't, but I'm darned if I know what it is!

[sarraceniac]

My own guess (and that is all it is - but there are clues) is that it is a fungal infection, but whether a form of rust or canker is impossible to say on current information.

Are there any signs of canker like growths on the Rowan FB? The main problem is that most fungal diseases of the Rowan also like the apple. As a precaution I would spray the apples (and the Rowan if you can get to it) with an anti fungal like Bordeaux mixture. Then give the apples a good shot of a general fertiliser. If you haven't given them their Phosphate shots for this year then do so now. Fascinating I must admit but it could be nasty. On the plus side, it doesn't look like fireblight. Keep us informed please.

[FB.]

The rowan isn't my tree, but there are/were no obvious signs of disease (being a fruit grower, my eyes can reasonably easily detect diseases). This tree simply seemed to suffer a sudden death over a 2-3 week period last summer. Whether the tree will come back to life in a few months time, I don't know.
I doubt that it's a rust fungus - there are no spots or lumpy bits on them. Whatever happened to the tree was sudden and catastrophic. Normally, a fungus infection would gradually build up and I would have thought that I'd've seen it brewing in the weeks leading up to the sudden death.

[Jeanied]

Hi FB - I have seen a problem with die- back with my sister's sorbus tree which I think is fireblight - it involved splitting of the bark as well, and some exudate - I didn't get a chance to prune it back on my last visit but I think the test is to look at what the wood is like on pruning. (I did have this in mind when I posted a different thread about disinfecting my pruners.)

[alessandrino]

I have the same problem as FB with a rowan in my garden. I sprouted leaves and flowers as usual, the berries ripened and no, suddenly, the leaves have gone brown and crispy, just like FB's pictures. I can't put it down to the drought as a tree across the road growing out of the pavement (so much more likely to be short of water) looks fine.
Did you ever find out what happened to the tree, FB? Did it die in the end, or recover?
I live in South Birmingham, incidentally.
A plum tree in the garden has also lost most of its leaves after fruiting really well.
I think I'd better look up fireblight.

[Neil818]

I have two Rowans with exactly the same problem and they are completely the same as in the pictures supplied. Both were vigorous up to a few weeks ago and gradually the leaves turned brown and wilting, and are now crisping. It is spreading now to a third three, and several other Rowans on site have black spots on the leaves (which might be a different problem). At first I thought that my neighbours spraying of poison might have blown on to the leaves, however this problem seems to be spreading from tree to tree. My fruit trees are fine. I would really like to get to the bottom of this and find a solution. The berries and wood seem to be healthy - curiously!