FIRE BLIGHT IN SWITZERLAND SITUATION, MONITORING AND RISKS

The first outbreak of fire blight in Switzerland was recorded in July 1989 in the Northeast of the country close to the German border. So far the disease was mainly found on ornamental bushes and ground covering plants of the genus Cotoneaster in home gardens and public parks. Only in one case, in 1991, the disease was found on a single tree in a pear orchard. A warning system for risk assessment was developed which included a monitoring program to find latent Erwinia amylovora as epiphytic. By this supervising program the disease could be limited to the initial region.