Phacidiopycnis rot has a watersoaked appearance in its early stage. It can begin at either the stem or calyx of the fruit. Pacific Northwest pear growers didn’t know they had Phacidiopycnis rot in their orchards until Israeli quarantine officials began rejecting infected fruit several years ago. In its early stages, the disease looks similar to gray mold. It turned out that the disease was widespread in orchards throughout Washington and Oregon. Dr. Chang-Lin Xiao, plant pathologist with Washington State University in Wenatchee, estimates that it is found in more than 95 percent of orchards in Washington’s Wenatchee Valley, where […]