First report of Mycosphaerella pini in Lithuania
In recent years, premature death and defoliation of pine trees have been noticed in some forests of Lithuania. During autumn 2008, samples of infected needles of Pinus spp. were collected from different parts of the country. The presence of Dothistroma septosporum (anamorph of Mycospherella pini – EU Annexes) was observed in diseased needles of Pinus sylvestris. It is noted that in 2002, D. septosporum had been found once in a private garden on a small plantation of Pinus mugo (20-year old trees) but could not be detected afterwards. Results of the present study showed that D. septosporum was widely present in P. sylvestris in eastern, central and southern parts of Lithuania. Inspections found that 20 % to 50 % of the juvenile pine trees (5-20 years old) were infected by D. septosporum. Although the disease is not yet causing significant ecological or economic losses, it was noticed that in some cases, defoliation reached more than 50%. It is hypothetized that D. septosporum is of recent introduction in Lithuania and that its rapid spread may have been favoured by warmer winters.
The situation of Mycosphaerella pini in Lithuania can be described as follows: Present, confirmed in 2008, widely present in pine forests (Pinus sylvestris) in eastern, central and southern parts of Lithuania.
Sources
Markovskaja S, Treigienė A (2009) New data on invasive pathogenic fungus Dothistroma septosporum in Lithuania. Botanica Lithuanica 15(1), 41-45.