This year, the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae causes a sharp reduction of the Belgian pear crop. Generally speaking, infestation takes place during flowering, but this year the bacterium infested the fruits already set.
In orchards up to 7 years old, there are hardly any pears and in older orchards, production is often only half or less than normal.
The most important reason is abundant rain during and after flowering, followed by hail. In addition to a loss of production, the many Pseudomonas infections also caused great loss of quality.
