page_title: Peach scab
section_title: Symptoms
hierarchical_section_title: Peach scab / Symptoms
caption_attribution_description: Lesions caused by Cladosporium carpophilum
context_page_description: Peach scab, also known as peach freckles, is a disease of stone fruits caused by the fungi Cladosporium carpophilum. The disease is most prevalent in wet and warm areas especially southern part of the U.S. as the fungi require rain and wind for dispersal. The fungus causes scabbing, lesions, and defoliating on twig, fruit, and leaf resulting in downgrade of peach quality or loss of fruits due to rotting in severe cases.
context_section_description: The disease affect most stone plants including peaches, apricots and plums. The symptoms can generally be found in three major parts of plant: fruits, twigs, and leaves. The symptoms on leaves and twigs are often considered as the least notable. Infected leaves initially show small and green colored lesions on under the leaves. They progress into yellowish brown and eventually appear as dark brown or black spots.
  Twig lesions start to form on green young stems. The lesions are about 3 up to 6.5 mm in diameter size.  They usually first have reddish brown colors then which will turn into darker colors as they enlarge to an oval shape of 3 x 6mm approximately.
  About six weeks after petals are fallen, the first and most notable and serious symptoms appear on fruits. Spots, which generally range from 1 to 2 mm in diameter size, are formed on the end of stem. They gradually change its color into dark green or black and grow about a few millimeters in diameter. As they enlarge, yellow circles will form around the velvety dark green spots. The spots have raised appearance on fruits instead of sunken figures which can be found most prevalently in other fungal infections. In some severe cases, fruits may be stunted or opened and exposed to further infection by airborne microorganisms.
caption: Cladosporium carpophilum lesions formed on peach twig
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