Update on the situation of Lecanosticta acicola in Bulgaria
In Bulgaria, Lecanosticta acicola (EPPO A2 List) was reported for the first time in 2017 in a 50-year-old plantation of Pinus sylvestris near the village of Svetulka (Ardino municipality, Kardzhali district). This plantation is part of a State forest and is located in the Rhodope mountains. In 2018, all infected pine trees were cut down and removed from the site and the outbreak was thought to be eradicated. However, during spring 2018 symptoms were observed again in the same area and in November 2019 a survey was carried out in the Kardzhali district. As a result, L. acicola was detected on Pinus sylvestris and Pinus nigra in several locations, mainly along the Arda river valley and at a distance of approximately 25 km from the initial outbreak site.
The situation of Lecanosticta acicola in Bulgaria can be described as follows: Present, only in some areas (Kardzhali district).
Sources
Georgieva M (2020) Spread of the invasive pathogen Lecanosticta acicola on species of Pinus in Bulgaria. Silva Balcanica 21(1), 83–89. https://doi.org/10.3897/silvabalcanica.21.e54610