Fire blight is a devastating disease of apple, pear and
quince caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Erwinia
amylovora. This damaging disease can be prevented with
the antibiotic streptomycin, but, as of 2016, streptomycin
is no longer permitted for fire blight control in Switzerland.
We conducted two experiments in 2015 on alternative
methods to control fire blight on pathogen-inoculated,
potted two-year old ‘Gala Galaxy’ apple trees in a field site
enclosed with mesh. The incidence of fire blight was determined
by counting the number of strikes per tree divided
by the total number of blossom clusters. Population sizes
of E. amylovora were estimated throughout bloom by realtime
PCR. A streptomycin application followed by LMA
(potassium-aluminum sulfate) treatment showed highest
efficacy values and lowest pathogen population sizes on
blossoms compared to other tested materials. As streptomycin
is not allowed anymore, more research is needed to
develop effective alternative plant protection strategies for
a sustainable fire blight management in Switzerland.