Neonectria rot - cultural control

• Remove Neonectria cankers from orchards during winter pruning. Smaller cankers can be pruned out completely.
• Larger cankers on the trunk or scaffold branches can be pared back to healthy tissue and treated with a suitable wound protectant paint immediately after.
• Cut out shoot dieback due to canker in the spring.
• Avoid pruning in wet conditions.
• Unmacerated or unpulverised cankered prunings left in the tree row can continue to produce spores (ascospores) for at least 1-2 years and therefore are a canker risk.
• Remove prunings from the orchard and burn. Alternatively throw in alleyway and macerate up to encourage breakdown.
• Remove mummified fruit from trees and from under trees and either remove from orchard or throw into alleyway to be macerated.
• Prune trees to open and encourage air circulation to improve tree drying out and reduce surface moisture and conditions favourable for canker.
• Avoid use of high nitrogen, especially farmyard manure as that will encourage canker.