Update on the situation of Neonectria neomacrospora in the United Kingdom
In the United Kindgom, Neonectria neomacrospora (EPPO Alert List) has been sporadically reported in the 1950s-60s and in the 1990s. In those periods, the pathogen was known as Nectria cucurbitula or Nectria macrospora. Since the 1950s, N. neomacrospora has been recorded on Abies cephalonica in Argyll (Scotland) and A. concolor in Gloucestershire (England) associated with severe twig canker and dieback. This fungus was also recorded on A. procera in Wales in the 1990s where it caused extensive cankers and dieback. In 2015, N. neomacrospora re-emerged and was isolated from A. kawakamii in an arboretum and A. alba in a garden. Subsequently, the fungus was found in England and Wales in forest plantations (A. procera), gardens and arboreta on a wide range of Abies species: A. alba, A. amabilis, A. balsamea, A. durangensis, A. fraseri, A. grandis, A. kawakamii, A. lasiocarpa, A. magnifica, A. procera, A. pinsapo, A. sibirica, A. vejarii. For the moment, no findings have been made in Christmas tree plantations in the United Kingdom.
Sources
INTERNET
Forest Research.
- Neonectria canker of Abies. Pathology Advisory Note 16. https://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/Path_Note_16_Neonectria.pdf/