Can phosphorous acid be used to control Neonectria ditissima in New Zealand grown apples?

Abstract

European canker, Neonectria ditissima, is a worldwide apple tree disease killing shoots, branches and trees, and treatment with phosphorous acid is a possible control option. The effect of six postharvest phosphorous acid (PA) treatments on fruit residues the following season was studied in Tasman on two trial sites growing ‘Scifresh’ or ‘Scilate’ apple trees. Spray treatments consisted of number (0–3) and timing (early, mid and/or late) of PA applications. Additionally, leaf-scar wounds were artificially inoculated with N. ditissima spores at the ‘Scilate’ site on 1 and 8 June 2017 to determine disease control. Symptom expression was checked regularly between October 2017 and February 2018. None of the treatments caused a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of canker development compared with the control. Two or more PA applications resulted in PA residues in fruit, at harvest, the following season. Higher PA residues were found in fruit following early applications than with late applications. More applications of PA resulted in higher residues. This finding has important implications for exporting fruit to markets that have no tolerance for PA residues.