Fireblight in apple. New products could be registered in the United States this season to manage fireblight in apples and pears. One is Blossom Protect whose active ingredient is the yeast Aureobasidium pullulans. It was developed by a company called Bio-Ferm, based in Austria, and is already registered in Italy and Belgium. Tim Smith, Washington State University extension specialist, and Dr. Ken Johnson, pathologist at Oregon State University, have been testing the product for some time. Smith said they’ve been impressed by its efficacy, but it has only been tested in controlled conditions in a limited number of orchards. They’ll […]