Photo: Adem Albayrak / Pexels
Kazakh scientists have developed and tested biological treatments to protect apple trees against fire blight. In the Turkestan Region, efficacy reached 90–92%, while yields increased by more than two tonnes per hectare (tvbrics.com). The development also has implications for preserving Almaty’s Aport apple — a historic variety particularly susceptible to the disease.
What happened
The treatments were developed by specialists at the Zh. Zhiyembayev Kazakh Research Institute of Plant Protection and Quarantine together with the Institute of Microbiology and Virology. They are based on lactic acid bacteria and were tested against fire blight, a dangerous disease caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora.
Trials took place in apple orchards across three regions of Kazakhstan, covering a total area of up to 500 hectares. Results were reported for regions including Turkestan and Almaty.
Researchers assessed the treatments’ effects on the Aport variety after two applications. Measures of fire blight development fell almost eightfold. However, the level of protection varied between the regions where trials took place.
What this means for growers
In the Turkestan Region, trials showed both protection against the disease and increased yields. The gain exceeded two tonnes per hectare of orchard — more than 2 thousand kilograms of apples per hectare.
In the Almaty Region, protection efficacy for Aport reached 84%. This result was achieved on a variety highly susceptible to fire blight. That is why Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture highlights the development’s practical value for preserving it.
The figure of up to 92% refers to trials in the Turkestan Region. The almost eightfold reduction in disease development describes a separate finding — research on Aport after two applications of the treatments. These figures reflect different aspects of how the treatments work and do not imply the same efficacy in every orchard.
How the treatments fit into efforts to revive Aport
The developers see the new treatments as part of a broader system for protecting plants against disease. They do not propose replacing all existing treatments with them. The biological treatments are intended to complement other orchard protection measures.
Work to revive Almaty’s Aport apple continues in Kazakhstan. Protection against fire blight is important for preserving this historic variety because it is highly susceptible to the disease. Trials on Aport showed reduced disease development after two applications of the treatments.
