North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Donna &/or Kieran" <holycow@cookeville.com>]

Donna,
There were some scale insects on some of the shoots you sent.  The main 
problem you were seeing is thread blight, caused by the fungus Corticium 
stevensii.  Go online to 
<www.caf.wvu.edu/kearneysville/pdfFiles/threadblight.PDF> for a fact sheet 
about this disease.

David Lockwood
Plant Sciences


So does anyone know anything about this stuff?  There is almost nothing 
online about it and nothing in my old book on plant diseases.  What I am 
wondering is whether lime sulfur this winter will help slow it down.  The 
link above says it occurs when there is poor air circulation (the pines are 
coming down) (and we did have a lot of rain early in the summer).  The 
problem is that it's on a sour cherry, a European plum, a pear and an apple, 
all of them at least 50 ft from the others.  I have no idea which scions 
from where brought it in or if it was here to start with.  It doesn't hurt 
the twigs or fruit, just the leaves.   Thanks.    Donna