The most distinct symptom of infection in sweet cherry is a dark canker sometimes accompanied by gummosis (reddish-brown exudate). New limbs can die back, affecting buds or newly developed blooms that remain attached to the spur. Infection is more common in young trees, although it can occur in trees at any stage of development if conditions are favorable. Reddish, malodorous lesions in the root cortex are indicative of infection by PSS. Symptoms commonly develop at the base of trees, an area that, in young trees, receives higher exposure to damage by machinery, rodents, frost, and irrigation, providing numerous opportunities for PSS infection to occur. Note that there are other conditions that can lead to gummosis in sweet cherry. Generally, noninfectious gummosis is clear to amber color, thus diagnosis usually requires expert assessment or laboratory testing.