Help FB!

[purplekat]

Hi,
Is this fireblight?
[IMG] Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]

It's on a young apple tree I got a few months ago - the leaves haven't even come out on it yet. To prune back would mean taking out a large amount of branch off a small (already stressed as it was planted quite late) tree.
I'm just wondering if I need to contact the company concerned or if it's likely to be my garden that's infected it (never noticed it on any other plant before)

Thanks

[FB.]

It is not obviously fireblight.
Fireblight usually causes stems to bend like a shepherd's crook and the shoots turn black and look like they have been scorched by fire. Frost damage can also cause shoots to blacken.
Fireblight is more of a problem on pears, but can attack apples if conditions are right.
Fireblight likes mild but humid weather. Much of the Northern UK is usually too cool to be favourable, but I have seen some fireblight in my area this spring, due to the unusually mild weather..

It does, however, look quite like canker. You may have no choice than to remove the bit with the shrivelled bark, otherwise it may spread and kill the entire tree.
From what I can see, you can cut off the cankered bit at a level just below the wire and string, so you only need to lose four or five inches of the tip, which should re-grow.

Which variety is it?

[purplekat]

Thanks, it's a Redlove tree - is this likely to be a sign of things to come? I did have a feeling all that breeding would result in it being prone to some problems

Also on a neighbouring branch, the top couple of buds have swollen more than the others and look a bit sticky - is this likely to be canker too?

Edit - I've just been out to prune and noticed the graft is looking a bit dodgy (although nowhere near as bad), hope it's not set in there too. They pruned the trees before they sent them out and it looks as though it may have got in through a couple of the cuts

[FB.]

I've never noticed canker causing swollen or sticky buds, but that's not to say that it isn't canker.
I would assume that it isn't canker, but if you can do a picture.

As for whether it is a sign of things to come?
Modern varieties often don't have much disease resistance. Canker is relatively easy to control with sprays, even in an organic situation, so, it seems as if canker resistance is not a high priority in modern breeding.

The priorities for commercial apples seem to be:
Heavy crops.
Reliable crops.
Crops at a young age.
Not too fast growing.
Fruit all ripen at the same time (saves labour costs)
Fruit of uniform size and shape.
Fruit with "shelf appeal" - usually smooth, shiny, red skin.
Hard flesh, to withstand supermarket handling and long transport.
Suitable for long-term storage in modern refrigeration units.

Nowhere is there a priority for disease resistance, except in a few instances, where attempts have been made to cross apples with disease-resistant crab apples.
Sadly, due to widespread growing of these "Vf resistance" varieties, the disease resistance has already been broken by new strains of disease.
Older varieties tend to have lots of genes working to give resistance, whereas modern varieties have depended on just one gene.
Lots of genes provide numerous layers of defences, while a single strong Vf gene gives only one layer of defence, albeit very strong (until the diseases find a way past that one-trick-pony).

[purplekat]

I'll try and get a picture up tomorrow, camera is playing up at the moment

[FB.]

Edit - I've just been out to prune and noticed the graft is looking a bit dodgy (although nowhere near as bad), hope it's not set in there too. They pruned the trees before they sent them out and it looks as though it may have got in through a couple of the cuts

An infected graft is very bad news. Let's look at the pictures before making a final decision or diagnosis.
If the graft is infected, it was probably an infection acquired at the nursery, so if it was bought during the winter, I would consider asking for a refund if we make a diagnosis of canker in the graft.
Also bear in mind that many grafts can look a bit ugly, especially in the early years, so it may be nothing to worry about. Let's see the pics before hitting the panic button.
Which nursery supplied the tree?

[purplekat]

Hi,
Finally sorted my camera problems.
As you can see I pruned off the strange looking buds - When I first looked at the tree it had been raining and had made the graft look like it was weeping slightly, when I looked the day after and it was dry, it looked ok (think I just panicked).
This tree is slightly under an oak tree so stickyness may just be honeydew dropping on it



On this pic you can see the top few buds look very fat and round compared to the ones further down (which have since opened and it has started to leaf out finally) I pruned a fair bit off as there was another unusual one further down

[FB.]

Well, I'm not completely sure what's wrong with the buds.

But they look rather like blossom buds that faild to open.
This may be due to them being killed by the harsh winter.

But it might be some unusual infection.

In any case: the tree is probably better with them removed.

Out of interest, regarding the pruning cut just above the enlarged buds - was the cut made at that point by the nursery and therefore like that when you received the tree?

[purplekat]

Hi yes, that's where the nursery had cut them so it was like that when I got it - well the buds were a bit smaller as it was a couple of months ago when I got them. This was the last of the three by far to leaf out.
I did wonder if they were flower buds after I'd chopped it, the tree seems healthy enough now though, thanks for your help