First report of Cryphonectria parasitica in Iran
Diseased chestnut trees (Castanea sativa) were observed during surveys done from 2001 to 2005 in the north of Iran. These surveys were conducted in the main chestnut-growing areas (i.e. forests of Visroud, Imamzadeh Ebrahim, Fuman and Shafaroud, in Gilan province). Affected trees had declining or dead branches and shoots with wilting leaves. Cankers were observed on trunks and branches. In some cases, cankers girdled trunks and branches inducing dieback and eventually death of the plant. The following fungi were isolated from diseased tissues and identified based on their morphological characters: Chalaropsis sp., Colletotrichum sp., Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, and the most commonly and consistently recovered species was Cryphonectria parasitica (EPPO A2 list). This is the first report of chestnut blight in Iran.
The situation of Cryphonectria parasitica in Iran can be described as follows: Present, first reported in 2006, found in the north (Gilan province).
Sources
Kazempour MN, Khodaparast SA, Salehi M, Amanzadeh B, Nejat-Salary A, Shiraz BK (2006) First record of chestnut blight in Iran. Journal of Plant Pathology 88(1), p 121.