Which pests and diseases ruin a fruit for consumption, and which just do cosmetic damage? I’m just growing for my own consumption and don’t care how it looks.
I’m in zone 6 KY, hot and humid summers, mostly interested in apples and berries.
Thanks!
There are many others but PC, OFM, coddling moths, apple maggots, and brown rot can ruin fruits. Flyspeck and sooty blotchy are cosmetic too but most other diseases can really do a lot of damage.
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I consider PC on apples cosmetic as the scar/lump on the skin is mighty ugly on a finished apple but the flesh is just fine if you peel the skin off the fruit.
Totally different story if PC hits plums and peaches.
Not sure about KY but in my opinion, apple’ serious pests are borer, coddling moth and apple maggot fly. Diseases are fire blight, scab and apple cedar rust.
Berries, what kind? Most damaging is SWD.
So far: Alpine strawberries, aronia, blueberries, red and black currants, gooseberries, elderberry, goji, goumi, highbush cranberry, and serviceberry. Only the alpines are currently bearing. Almost forgot, raspberries and blackberries too.
With that list of fruits, I would be most worried about SWD.
I don’t know much about growing berries but spotted wing drosophila (SWD) causes the most damage and is difficult to protect against.