Well, I Googled my way here, so maybe y'all can help out. (I'm in Texas if you can't tell...) We've got a Keiffer pear tree that bore excellent fruit last year, and seemed well on it's way this year as well. But, it seems to have caught something of a disease. Our local nursery diagnosed it as a fungus, and said we couldn't do anything about it this year. Not really sure what that meant though... Basically, most of the fresh shoots have turned black at this point. There seems to be localized infections where this happens, and fresh shoots seem most likely to get it. In other spots the older branches will get it as well and the leaves around it turn black too. Any leaves above the infection just start to go limp and eventually turn black as it spreads. At this point we've only got two pears that are left and still healthy, so we aren't trying to keep a harvest. We just want the tree to make it till next year so we can spray a fungicide on it before it buds. Here are some pictures, sorry they're a little blurry - camera phone...
This is not good. In localized areas the tips of the branches are turning black as well as the leaves close by, it may be something to be concerned about. I wouldn't want to say it is Fire Blight, but I would Google what you can on it for Pears and compare. If this seems to resemble Fire Blight I would very carefully remove and destroy and effected tissue immediately. Would look to treat with suggested controls right away. This is not something you want anywhere near your Pear trees. Not too sure how Anthracnose effects pears. I hope your tree is Ok,,Jim.
sterilize your equipment when pruning these diseased branches. It will keep the disease from spreading to healthy shoots.
