Hymenoscyphus fraxineus found for the first time in Emilia-Romagna region (IT)
In Italy, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus (formerly EPPO Alert List) was first recorded in 2009 in Friuli-Venezia Giulia region (see EPPO RS 2010/018). The NPPO of Italy added that the fungus has also been found in Trentino-Alto Adige and Veneto regions. During routine inspections carried out in nurseries, the presence of H. fraxineus was detected for the first time in Emilia-Romagna region at the end of 2014. The fungus was found on 20 mature Fraxinus excelsior trees (7-8 years old) in a small nursery located on the Appennini Range in Bologna province. H. fraxineus was also detected on 20 young F. excelsior plants growing in a forest stand (infected area of approximately 1 000 m²) located a few kilometres away from this nursery. Later, other nurseries producing forestry plants were inspected and found to be infected in Imola (Bologna province) and Galeata (Forlì-Cesena province). In the first nursery, the 20 infected plants (4 year-old F. excelsior) had been acquired in 2012 from the nursery of Galeata. In the latter, symptoms were found on plants belonging to the same lot sent to Imola, as well as on 2 year-old F. excelsior planted in the field, on 4 year-old F. angustifolia also planted in the field, and on 2 year-old potted plants of F. angustifolia (in total 50 plants). While checking the records of the nursery near Imola, it was found that approximately 800 plants belonging to the infected lot had been sold to several municipalities during the period 2012-2014. In the 3 infected nurseries, all plants belonging to infected lots (in total 13 284 plants) have been destroyed by burning or deep burial. The movement of the remaining Fraxinus lots (other than F. ornus) has been prohibited for one year, in order to verify the health status of these asymptomatic plants. Finally, surveys will be carried out in forest areas within a radius of 30 km around the infected sites.
The pest status of Hymenoscyphus fraxineus in Italy is officially declared as: Present, only in some parts of Italy.
Sources
NPPO of Italy (2015-10).