New invasive specie of <i>Mycosphaerella dearnessii</i> in the composition of mycobiota of pine needles in the territory of Belarus

Abstract

Different pines species are heavily infected with fungal pathogens all over the world, some of them are alien species for European region. The potential invasion of alien species into forests, forest nurseries, urban greeneries causes great concern among Belarusian phytopathologists. In this regard, in recent years local scientists have been monitoring the phytosanitary state of natural and managed plantations to identify alien species. The aim of this investigation was to monitor the phytosanitary state of conifers in botanical and dendrological gardens, urban plantations and tree nurseries in the Republic of Belarus, and assessment of the incidence of alien pathogens of pines. There were used light microscopy and molecular genetic techniques. As a result of our research the brown spot needle blight fungus, Mycosphaerella dearnessii was for the first time noted in the region of the Republic of Belarus in a consignment of imported plants of pines Pinus mugo, Pinus nigra, Pinus ponderosa. The disease was revealed both on young and adult plants in botanical gardens and nurseries. In the forests, urban greeneries Mycosphaerella dearnessii is currently not identified. The fungus affects not only the old, but also young needles, strongly inhibiting the growth of trees. Based on the investigation results we suppose that this disease can be dangerous for pinetums in our country.

Diversity, migration routes, and worldwide population genetic structure of Lecanosticta acicola, the causal agent of brown spot needle blight

“…Europe (EPPO, 2018;Georgieva, 2020;Golovchenko et al, 2020;Stamenova et al, 2018) and the pathogen has reached the British Isles (Mullett et al, 2018). L. acicola has also expanded its range in Asia and is now present in Turkey, western Asia (Oskay et al, 2020).…”

“…In numerous countries, the first records of L. acicola originate from non-native host species in city greeneries, botanical gardens, and arboreta (for example, see Cleary et al, 2019;Golovchenko et al, 2020;Mullett et al, 2018;Oskay et al, 2020). However, recently there have been a growing number of records of L. acicola from native Pinus sylvestris stands across Europe (Adamson et al, 2018a;Cech & Krehan, 2008;EPPO, 2012EPPO, , 2015Georgieva, 2020).…”

The Increasing Threat to European Forests from the Invasive Foliar Pine Pathogen, Lecanosticta Acicola

“…Such phytosanitary inspections of imported planting stock resulted in the first findings of L. acicola in the Czechia and Belarus (Golovchenko et al, 2020). In other parts of Europe, early reports were on exotic species established in Botanic Gardens (Estonia - Drenkhan and Hanso, 2009;Latvia -EPPO, 2012;Ireland -Mullett et al, 2018) or in street trees and gardens (Austria - Cech, 1997;Brandstetter and Cech, 1999;Italy -La Porta and Capretti 2000;Slovenia -Jurc and Jurc, 2010), but in other countries the first findings occurred in the wider environment following forest surveillance activities for a range of quarantine pathogens (Lithuania - Markovskaja et al, 2011;Bulgaria -Stamenova et al, 2018;Georgieva, 2020).…”