Endemic and Emerging Pathogens Threatening Cork Oak Trees: Management Options for Conserving a Unique Forest Ecosystem.

Cork oak (Quercus suber) forests are economically and culturally intertwined with the inhabitants of the Mediterranean basin and characterize its rural landscape. These forests cover over two million hectares in the western Mediterranean basin and sustain a rich biodiversity of endemisms as well as representing an important source of income derived from cork production. Currently cork oak forests are threatened by several factors including human-mediated disturbances such as poor or inappropriate management practices, adverse environmental conditions (irregular water regime with prolonged drought periods), and attacks of pathogens and pests.

Saprophytic growth of the alder rust fungus Melampsoridium hiratsukanum on artificial media.

The first axenic culture of a free living saprophytic stage of the exotic rust fungus Melampsoridium hiratsukanum is reported. Colonies were obtained from one-celled, dikaryotic urediniospores on eight nutrient media out of twelve. Modified Harvey and Grasham (HG) and Schenk and Hildebrandt (HS) media HG1 and SH1 and their bovine serum albumin (BSA)-enriched derivatives gave abundant mycelial growth, but modified Murashige and Skoog (MS) QMS media and their BSA-enriched modifications performed poorly, colony growth being low on QMS-1 and QMS1+BSA, and nil on QMS-5 and QMS-6, with or without BSA.

Phytophthora Taxon Pgchlamydo is a Cause of Shoot Blight and Root and Collar Rot of Viburnum tinus in Italy.

The quarantine pathogen Phytophthora ramorum has recently been found on dying Viburnum tinus in the nursery area of Pistoia, central Italy (43°56'0″ N, 11°1'0″ E) (3). As part of a surveillance program aimed at detecting P. ramorum in this area, the Phytophthora taxon Pgchlamydo was consistently found associated with symptomatic V.

Foliar Blight and Shoot Dieback Caused by Phytophthora ramorum on Viburnum tinus in the Pistoia Area, Tuscany, Central Italy.

In spring 2013, pot-grown Viburnum tinus plants shipped to an ornamental nursery in Pescia (Pistoia, central Italy, 287 m a.s.l.

First Report of Phytophthora Taxon Walnut in Lombardy, North Italy.

The park Boscoincittà, Milan, North Italy (136 m a.s.l.

First Report of Biscogniauxia mediterranea on English Ash in Italy.

In July 2010, extensive decline of English ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) was observed near Chiusi della Verna, Tuscany, in central Italy (altitude 956 m a.s.

Root Rot and Dieback of Pinus pinea Caused by Phytophthora humicola in Tuscany, Central Italy.

High mortality was noticed in a 10-year-old stand of Pinus pinea in the Alberese area (Grosseto, central Italy, elev. 40 m, 42° 39' 46″ N, 11° 06' 25″ E) in July 2010. Aerial symptoms of trees included chlorosis, crown thinning, stunted growth, bark lesions at the stem base with resinous exudations, and extensive necroses of the underlying xylem tissue.

First Report of Neofusicoccum parvum Associated with Bark Canker and Dieback of Acer pseudoplatanus and Quercus robur in Italy.

Between 2007 and 2011, Acer pseudoplatanus and Quercus robur trees declined in the North Park and the Boscoincittà Park in Milan, Italy (lat. 45° 27' 47″ N, long. 09° 11' 16″ E, elev.