Stone fruits such as apricot and peaches originated in China and spread through old trade routes 3–4000 years ago.

[2] Trees exposed to cold in autumn and early spring can develop cankers under the bark of the trunk or branches.

[3] Brown rot is caused by a fungus that produces spores, and can be a major problem during particularly wet seasons.

Dead blossoms may stick to spurs and twigs until harvest, providing a source of spores for the fruit rot phase.

[4] Infected fruit eventually turn into shrivelled, black mummies that may drop or remain attached to the tree through the winter.

[3] The apothecia discharge ascospores during the bloom period, but don't contribute to fruit infection later in season.

Viruses, bacteria, and the spores and hyphae of fungi can still enter the plant through injuries or through the natural openings in the epidermis, such as stomata.

Infection also stimulates the cross-linking of molecules in the cell wall and the deposition of lignin, responses that set up a local barricade that slows spread of the pathogen to other parts of the plant.

[5] Orchard sanitation, removing fruit mummies and pruning any cankered or dead twigs will reduce inoculum levels, which will improve the effectiveness of fungicide sprays.