Raspberries: Fire blight

Fire blight is a bacterial disease of raspberries and blackberries. Thornless blackberries seem to be particularly susceptible to this disease, caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora.

Primocane tips wilt and curve in a characteristic shepherd’s-crook shape

Raspberry bush with brown, dead primocane. Primocane looks dry and is recurved into a shepherd's hook shape.
Shepherd’s hook caused by fire blight. Photo courtsey of A. Schidler, MSU.

Infected tissues may be covered with bacterial ooze under warm wet weather conditions.

Brown, dried-out fruiting tip on raspberrt. Fully-formed fruits and leaves appear dry, brown, and rigid.
Photo courtesy of A. Schidler, MSU.

 

Raspberry bush with many healthy canes. A single brown primocane is present. Brown cane has dry leaves. The tip of the cane is sharply hooked downwards.
Fire blight on raspberry.

 

Early symptoms of fire blight infection can begin as brown discoloration at leaf bases.

Above view of raspberry cane with brown splotches at leaf base. Brown spots appear moist, opaque, and are extending out from base towards leaf tips. Discoloration extends slightly farther into leaf along veins.
Fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) bacterial infection on ‘Bonye’ raspberry leaf.
Raspberry cane with brown splotches at leaf bases. Cane top is slightly curved downwards, and youngest leaves appear entirely brown.
Fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) bacterial infection on ‘Bonye’ raspberry. Leaf symptoms appear before cane adopts characteristic “shepherd’s hook” curve.

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