Stony Pit
Graft-transmissible virus (causal virus not definitively identified)
4 host plants · Viral
Last updated
You'll see severe fruit pitting, dimpling, and deformation on pears (especially 'Bosc'), with excessive stone-cell development below pits. A graft-transmissible virus causes this under specific climatic conditions. The disease is sporadic in occurrence. Use only certified virus-tested trees and remove infected trees completely. Prevention through disease-free propagation is the only control.
Remove and replace with a tree that has been tested and found free of all known viruses. Establish new plantings only with certified virus-tested trees.
Quick Reference
Management
Specific climatic conditions appear to trigger expression; sporadic appearance suggests temperature/moisture/stress modulate symptoms; trees symptomatic one year may be symptom-free the next
Cultural Controls
- The use of certified virus-tested (and found to be free of all known viruses) planting material is the preferred strategy for protection from this disease. Thermotherapy (24 to 32 days at 38°C) and/or apical meristem culture have been used to eliminate various viruses. References Posnette, A.F. and Cropley, R. 1956. Apple mosaic viruses. Host reaction and strain interference. Journal of Horticultu