is this fire blight

[peterb]

hi everyone
i was given these pyracantha , but they have reddish blotches which is making me worried that it is fire blight could someone please advise me as to whether this is the case
regards
peterb

[Jester]

Hi Pete, I always thought Fire Blight did'nt exist in Australia but have a look at the Wikipedia article below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_blight

[shibui]

Don't ask a mob of amateurs to diagnose a notifiable disease from poor quality photos on the internet. If in any doubt get some samples to your closest department of ag or botanic gardens (sealed in plastic bag) for a proper diagnosis.
Chances are it is not but better to be safe.

[peterb]

hi shibui
a bit of patience with us newbies would be appreciated , not one bonsai book i have ever read has mentioned it as a notifiable disease, going by wikilink i was provided i don't think it is but yep tomorrow i will take a sample to the local botanical garden and have that verified will post an answer to what it is. at present have isolated it from my other trees.
regards
peterb

[Rory]

Don't ask a mob of amateurs to diagnose a notifiable disease from poor quality photos on the internet. If in any doubt get some samples to your closest department of ag or botanic gardens (sealed in plastic bag) for a proper diagnosis.
Chances are it is not but better to be safe.

Well, shibui does have a point. Wikipedia'ing something for an Australian outbreak isn't going to explain how serious it would be to Australia.
So an immediate google search in Australia for it reads:

Fire blight is a bacterial disease for which there is no single effective treatment.
Hosts of fire blight include apple, pear, loquat, quince, cotoneaster, hawthorn. photinia, pyracantha and some other ornamental plants.
Fire blight seriously effects fruit production worldwide and is present in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East and New Zealand.
Plants and parts of plants (excluding fruit) of the specified Fire Blight hosts are prohibited from within a 20 km radius of the outbreak site.

If you suspect you have found symptoms of fire blight, call the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on Freecall 1800 084 881.

So based on the above:
It certainly sounds serious, so in effect, what shibui was saying, whether you take it as just strong wording or another way, is.... get some proper advice, because the ramifications of something like that to our industry can be very serious.

[peterb]

hi bonsaibuddyman
agreed but if someone doesn't even know if it's in the country or not or even what it is and if you read the articles in the bonsai books they don't exactly make it sound more serious than black spot on your roses then how should we know of its seriousness . however as i said on learning of its implications i would most certainly check it up . went to the botanical garden today and asked them but the horticulturist wasn't in the chap that i did see assured me it wasn't fire blight but said i would need to come back to see the horticulturist to find out what it was
regards
peterb

[Rory]

hi bonsaibuddyman
agreed but if someone doesn't even know if it's in the country or not or even what it is and if you read the articles in the bonsai books they don't exactly make it sound more serious than black spot on your roses then how should we know of its seriousness . however as i said on learning of its implications i would most certainly check it up . went to the botanical garden today and asked them but the horticulturist wasn't in the chap that i did see assured me it wasn't fire blight but said i would need to come back to see the horticulturist to find out what it was
regards
peterb

all good.

[Joel]

hi bonsaibuddyman
agreed but if someone doesn't even know if it's in the country or not or even what it is and if you read the articles in the bonsai books they don't exactly make it sound more serious than black spot on your roses then how should we know of its seriousness . however as i said on learning of its implications i would most certainly check it up . went to the botanical garden today and asked them but the horticulturist wasn't in the chap that i did see assured me it wasn't fire blight but said i would need to come back to see the horticulturist to find out what it was
regards
peterb

Ok. Obviously you aren't aware of how serious this is. That's fine! But Shibui and many others on here are.

This is very serious.

Fire Blight, when it comes to Australia, will cause irreversible damage to agriculture - specifically our apple growing industry. It will cost likely hundreds of millions each year to manage. There will be massive investigations going on to figure out where it came in and who is responsible. If you don't believe me, look up Myrtle Rust - a fungal pathogen recently introduced to Australia.

It likely isn't fire blight, but don't take the risk. Isolate the plant. Put it inside 2 zip lock bags. Spray the outside with 70% methylated spirits. Realise there is a good chance you will never get it back. Call the number. Do not ask a horticulturist. A horticulturist from Australia has never seen fire blight. You need to find a qualified plant pathologist. Again, the number will help you out.

Now, I don't have any Pyracantha. If I did, I would offer you a replacement. If indeed your plant gets destroyed, let me know and I'll see what I can do. Just promise me you will do the right thing here. We can't afford to have this pathogen in Australia.

Joel

[peterb]

hi joel
all good mate have read up much about myrtle rust and am very concerned , diseases concerne me heaps and when shibui pointed it out i acted very promptly i just got my back up with his harshness but all good shibui i apologise for getting my back up.
regards
peterb