Deciduous tree, buds ovoid, leaves serrate or lobed, flowers white to pink, petals usually suborbicular or obovate, stamens 15-50 with yellow anthers, inferior ovary with 3-5 cells. The genus Malus consist of 15 primary species with nine from Asia,two from Europe, andfour from North America. Most of the domesticated apple varieties are from the European apple (Malus pumila Mill). The varieties have been selected for thousands of years and crossed with other species. Apples need to be pruned every year, the spur types are pruned less compared to the standard types.
Bloom to harvest (some 70 days and others as many as 210 days)
3 - 9
Animal Damage
Bacterial Disease
Environmental Damage
Fungal Disease
Insect Damage
Additional pests and problems that may affect this plant:
Insects and Insect relatives:
- Codling moth (Cydia pomonella)
- Lesser Appleworm (Grapholitha prunivora)
- Apple Maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella)
- Plum Curculio (Conotrachelus nenuphar)
- Apple Curculio (Tachypterellus quadrigibbus)
- Rosy Apple Aphid (Dysaphis plantaginea)
- Apple Grain Aphid (Rhopalosiphum fitchii)
- Apple Aphid (Aphis pomi)
- Woolly Apple Aphid (Eriosoma lanigerum)
- San Jose Scale (Quadraspidiotus periciosus)
- European Fruit Lecanum Scale (Parthenolecanium corni)
- Forbes Scale (Quadraspudiotus forbesi)
- Tarnished Plant Bug (Lygus lineolaris)
- White Apple Leafhopper (Typhlocyba pomaria)
- Tufted Apple Bud Moth (Platynota idaeusalis)
- Eyespotted Bud Moth (Spilonota ocellana)
- White Striped Fruitworm (Lithophane antennata)
- Speckled Green Fruitworm (Orthosia hibisci)
- Yellow Striped Fruitworm (Lithophane unimoda)
- Pyramidal Fruitworm (Amphipyra pyramidoides)
- Pistol Casebearer (Colephora malivorella)
- Cigar Casebearer (Colephora serratella)
- Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica)
- Spotted Tentiform Leafminer (Phyllonorycter blancardella)
- Dogwood Borer (Synanthedon scitula)
- Periodical Cicada (Magicicada septendecim)
- European Red Mite (Panonychus ulmi)
- Two Spotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus urticae)
- Brown Mite (Bryobia rubrioculus)
- Apple Rust Mite (Aculus schlechtendali)
Diseases
Foliar and fruit diseases:
- Powdery mildew (Podosphaera leucotricha)
- Japanese pear rust (Gymnosporangium asiaticum)
- Quince rust (Gymnosporangium clavipes)
- European pear rust (Gymnosporangium fuscum)
Fruit diseases:
- Bitter rot (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides)
- Black rot (Botryosphaeria obtusa)
- White rot (Botryosphaeria dothidea)
- Blue mold rot (Penicillium spp.)
- Brown rot (Monilinia fructicola)
- Bull's eye rot (Pezicula malicorticis)
- Fisheye rot (Butlerelfia eustacei)
- Gray mold rot (Botrytis spp.)
- Powdery mildew (Podosphaera leucotricha)
- Rhizopus rot (Rhizopus spp.)
- Side rot (Phialophora malorum)
- Sooty blotch (Pellaster fructicola, Geastrumia polystigmatis, Leprodontium elatius)
- Flyspeck (Zygophiala jamaicensis)
- Core rot and Moldy core (Alternaria spp., Stemphylium spp., etc.)
Virus diseases:
- Apple scar skin and dapple apple
- Apple mosaic
- Apple union necrosis and decline
Nutritional disorders:
- Nitrogen
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Manganese
- Boron
- Zinc
Environmental factors (See pear Genetic and physiological disorders):
- BurrKnot
- Internal bark necrosis
- Necrotic leaf blotch
- Jonathan spot
- Water core of apple
- Bitter pit
- Cork spot
- Drought spot
- Hail injury
- Jonathan spot
Apples have long been budded onto seedling rootstocks. Commercial rootstocks have gained popularity in the 20th century as they possess the following characteristics: tree size control, early flowering, and resistances to crown rot, fire blight, and woolly apple aphid.
Trees grafted on dwarfing rootstocks such as M 7, M 26, and M 9 must be staked for the life of the tree to prevent leaning and potential tree breakage. The stakes of 3-inch diameter wood or 1-inch diameter metal that are 10-ft high with 2-ft driven into the ground about 6 inches from the base of the tree are commonly used.
Rootstocks and percent (%) ree size reductions:
- M.27 - 25%
- Budagovsky 9 - 30%
- M.9 - 35%
- M.26 - 40%
- Mark- 40%
- Ottawa 3 - 40%
- M.7 - 65%
- MM.106 - 75%
- M.2 - 80%
- M.4 - 80%
- MM.111 - 85%
- Merton 793 -95%
- Domestic seedlings - 100% (o tree size reduction)
