Cedar-Apple Rust
Cedar-Apple Rust  Cedar-apple rust completes its life cycle only where the fungal spores can travel back and forth between cedar and apple trees. Spores from cedar trees send spores to infect apple trees but infections on the apple tree do not spread with the tree; they can only send the disease back to infect the cedar. All of these rust diseases are caused by species in the genus Gymnosporangium. Cedar-apple rust is caused by the fungus known as Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae. Two other common juniper-rosaceous rusts are hawthorn rust and quince rust, although there are many more. The disease cycle of cedar-apple rust is one of the most complex of any plant diseases, and the fungus (Gymnosporangium) that causes cedar-apple rust spends almost two years of its life cycle on the cedar trees
Susceptible Plants- Eastern red cedars, and other species of junipers, apples, and crap apples. .jpeg) Symptoms- On cedars, hard brown swellings form on branch tips. These galls do not seriously damage the plant, but they can mar the plants’ appearance. Warm moist weather in spring causes these galls to swell dramatically and produce gelatinous horns that release rust colored spores. The spores then infect apple trees. The symptoms on apples show up in spring as tiny yellow spots, which expand later and turn orange. These spots form on upper leaf surfaces and on fruit. Brown spots or lesions may appear on the undersides of leaves. These lesions often also have that bright orange coloration which is very distinct. Prevention and Control- Cider apple rust fungi need moisture, so promote drying through pruning for good air circulation around the branches and by selecting an airy planting site. Prune off and destroy galls on cedars before late winter. In addition, there are resistant varieties of juniper, apple, crabapple, and hawthorn available for use in new plantings or when replacing severely diseased specimens. Fungicidal Control- Copper 4E Fungicide
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