Control strategies for bacterial canker of sweet cherry (Prunus avium (L.) L.), a review

Abstract

Bacterial canker is a serious disease of sweet cherries (Prunus avium (L.) L.), affecting young and adult orchards worldwide. In Chile, the disease is mainly caused by the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae (Pss), which enters cherry tissues through abscission zones of leaves, lenticels, and flowers, wounds from pruning or frost injuries. The infection produces necrotic spots and perforation of the leaves, flower blights, spots and deformation in fruits, canker formation with abundant gummy exudation, as well as necrosis of buds, shoots and twigs. Canker disease management involves preventive strategies, including the application of chemical products like Cu and antibiotics, the use of biological control agents with antagonistic activity or ability to induce resistance genes, the selection of tolerant cultivar and rootstock combinations, as well as the use of pest control practices to reduce damage. The objective of this review was to compile and discuss existing information regarding different strategies for the control of bacterial canker of sweet cherry caused by Pss. This work provides an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the different disease management strategies available worldwide, with special attention to the current scenario of the disease in Chile, where cherry production has notoriously increased in the last decade.