Lophodermium seditiosum

At Pine Schütte diseased tree

The fungus Lophodermium seditiosum causes one of the most important diseases of the pine trees with pine Schütte.

Features

Macroscopic characteristics

The needles of infested tree state first in the fall of small yellow spots, which are used for forecasting. If more than 5 such infections spots, so they die and fall off by the end of May. Sometimes even more so-called bulk waves can occur. The fruiting bodies, called Hysterothecien are formed on the two-year dead needles on the ground over the summer. They are 1 to 1.5 mm in size, black, domed oval and light, reminiscent of the shape of a boat. They are crossed by a greenish longitudinal gap that opens in damp weather, and then the spores are released from.

Microscopic characteristics

The ascospores are unicellular, filiform and 90-130 microns long. Sometimes before the teleomorph a secondary fruit shape is formed. This results in elongated black pycnidia in which 5 to 8 × 1 micron wide microconidia arise.

Artabgrenzung

Very similar is the pine needle - gap lip Lophodermium pinastri, formerly also considered causative agent of pine Schütte, since they also colonized pine needles, but has now proven that she lives as a saprophyte. It differs from the pine Schütte is that their fruiting bodies have a reddish lip gap and more than 5 epidermal cells above the basal wall. In addition, the dead needles have several black lines of demarcation. It is usually an incidental or consequential fungus of Lophodermium seditiosum.

Ecology and distribution

The fungus primarily affects young pine seedlings and older trees are hardly affected. Fruiting bodies on the fallen needles especially with abundant rainfall between June and September. The fungus infects a number of two - and dreinadeliger pines. About 40 host species have been found. Among them are Scots pine, stone pine, lodgepole pine, mountain pine, maritime pine and Monterey pine. It is widespread in central and northern Europe and may spread from there to North America.

In the pine Schütte prophylactic treatment is recommended. So moist locations should be avoided. Also, there are significant variations in resistance depending on the origin of the young trees. To combat using fungicides such as propiconazole, but that has only made ​​limited success, as well as azoxystrobin and Fluazinam.