Advice

Sooty blotch and fly speck of apples

Plants affected

Apples, pears and plums.

Symptoms

Sooty blotch: olive green or brown blotches on the fruit that vary from discrete, almost circular colonies to large patches with diffuse margins, which are sooty in appearance.

Fly speck: small, shiny, circular black dots on the fruit. Pears are not usually affected by fly speck, but on apples and plums both fly speck and sooty blotch may occur on the same fruit.

Cause

Sooty blotch and fly speck are caused by different fungi. Sooty blotch is most prevalent in cold, wet seasons and is worst on shaded parts of the trees. The small, shiny, black dots of fly speck are superficial and easily rubbed off.

Control

There is no control available to cure sooty blotch, but if fungicides are used against scab they should prevent the disease from developing in apples and pears.

Fly speck disease is not serious and warrants no control.