Green Crinkle Disease
12 host plants
Last updated
This profile contains verified disease data from extension databases. Regional field notes and expert review are in progress.
Your Golden Delicious apple develops deep fruit depressions and pitting on one or two limbs, with discolored vascular strands beneath. Viral agents including apple stem pitting virus cause this serious issue. Use only virus-tested planting material and remove infected trees. The disease doesn't spread readily within orchards.
Use only virus-tested (and found to be free of all known viruses) planting and propagation material. Remove and destroy infected trees.
Quick Reference
Management
Fruit symptoms appear during growing season from fruit set through maturity (June-September in PNW), with symptom severity increasing as fruit matures. Early-season infections produce more severe cracking and deformation at harvest. Symptoms localized to one or two limbs suggest spatial restriction of virus or vector activity within canopy. Once infected, trees remain infected for life with recurring annual fruit symptoms on affected limbs. Young trees infected at planting show symptoms by first productive season. Source: PNW Plant Disease Management Handbook
Symptom expression is cultivar-dependent; occurs on sensitive apple cultivars only. Fruit develops deep depressions, distortions, and cracks as fruit matures. Severe symptoms may appear on one or two limbs of infected tree, suggesting localized systemic infection or vector-mediated spotty transmission. Environmental stress may influence symptom severity. No leaf symptoms associated with disease, distinguishing it from other apple viruses. Vascular discoloration extends from fruit pits to vascular bundles, distinct from insect injury. Source: PNW Plant Disease Management Handbook
Cultural Controls
- Use only virus-tested (and found to be free of all known viruses) planting and propagation material.
- Remove and destroy infected trees.
- Reference Hadidi, A., Barba, M., Candresse, T., and Jelkmann, W. 2011.
- Virus and Virus-like Diseases of Pome and Stone Fruits.
- St.
- Paul, MN: APS Press.