A. R. Biggs, West Virginia University, University Experiment Farm. P. O. Box 609, Kearneysville, WV 25430.

ABSTRACT (Copyright © American Phytopathological Society)

Biggs, A. R. 1989. Effect of pruning technique on Leucostoma infection and callus formation over wounds in peach trees. Plant Disease 73:771-773.

Peach trees were pruned annually for 3 yr to leave branch stubs, flush cuts, or the branch collar. The consequences of the pruning techniques were assessed each year by measuring incidence of visible necrosis and infection by Leucostoma spp., gum formation, and wound closure on tissue pruned the previous year. Trees pruned to leave the branch collar showed less gumming at wounds than flush cuts and yielded fewer isolates of Leucostoma spp. than both flush and stub cuts than of collar cuts. Stub cuts developed no visible wound callus on the cut surface.