Further spread of Lonsdalea populi in Europe: first records in Portugal and Serbia
Lonsdalea populi was first described in 2013 in Hungary from oozing bark cankers on Populus x euramericana trees. This bacterium was also identified in China on poplar trees (Populus x euramericana) in the provinces of Henan and Shandong (EPPO RS 2015/057) and in Northern Spain on poplar hybrids (Populus × interamericana, and Populus × euramericana) during summer 2002, 2014, and 2015 (EPPO RS 2016/182).
The NPPO of Portugal informed the Secretariat of the first finding of Lonsdalea populi on its territory. In October 2019, symptoms of the disease were observed in 65 trees of Populus sp. within a forest stand in Lisboa e Vale do Tejo Region. Eradication measures were applied. These included the insecticide treatment of the trees to prevent spread of inoculum by insects, and uprooting and incineration of the infected trees. Further surveys will be carried out in this area.
The pest status of Lonsdalea populi in Portugal is officially declared as: Present, at low prevalence, under eradication.
The pathogen was also recently reported from Serbia. In September 2019, cankers were observed on stems and branches of Populus × euramericana clone ‘I-214’ trees in a two-year-old poplar plantation in the province of Vojvodina. This is the most widely grown poplar clone in the country. The authors consider that this is the first report of Lonsdalea populi in Southeastern Europe.
The situation of Lonsdalea populi in Serbia can be described as: Present, restricted distribution.
Sources
NPPO of Portugal (2019-12).
Zlatković M, Tenorio-Baigorria I, Lakatos T, Tóth T, Koltay A, Pap P, Marković M, Orlović S (2020) Bacterial canker on Populus ×euramericana caused by Lonsdalea populi in Serbia. Forests 11, 1080. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11101080