Effects of control sprays on russetting of Bartlett pears

Russet (small, corky, brown spots on ¹ the surface of fruit) makes pears less attractive to buyers and so reduces prices paid for fresh fruit even though it does not affect the eating or keeping quality. Several studies have shown that sprays, dew or rain on the surface of young fruit increase russet. For this reason, fireblight control sprays applied to pear trees with young russet-susceptible fruit were evaluated for their effect on fruit russet in 1971 and 1972.