First report of Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi in Slovenia
In October 2016, the presence of Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi was confirmed in Slovenia. The fungus was detected in an orchard (1.3 ha) on 12 year old sweet chestnut trees (Castanea crenata x C. sativa cv. ‘Precoce Migoul’) in the Eastern part of the country. During a survey, other infected trees displaying cankers and fruit rot were observed in the vicinity of the outbreak site. Further investigations detected another infected orchard in the Western part of Slovenia. A national express Pest Risk Analysis concluded that the disease may be spread by movements of infected plants, by insects (including Dryocosmus kuriphilus), and by natural dispersal of ascospores. An official delimiting survey is planned for 2017.
The pest status of Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi in Slovenia is officially declared as: Present, only in some areas.
Sources
IPPC website. Official Pest Reports – Slovenia (SVN-07/5 of 2017-01-31) First finding of Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi. https://www.ippc.int/en/countries/slovenia/pestreports/2017/01/first-finding-of-gnomoniopsis-smithogilvyi/