Log susceptibility of Iberian tree species to Phytophthora ramorum

Abstract

Phytophthora ramorum is a plant pathogen introduced into Europe and North America. It can infect any host species belonging to different botanical families within the seed plants. Such infective capacity indicates that it can overcome basic plant defence responses that have been phylogenetically conserved in plants (Heath 1991). In addition, P. ramorum is capable of infecting woody plants that are not predisposed (i.e. physiologically healthy) and can colonize a diversity of ecological niches such as leaves, stems, trunks and maybe roots and fruits. All these traits make P. ramorum potentially invasive to many ecosystems worldwide. Despite this, what renders a plant species susceptible to P. ramorum is not well understood, but it is becoming evident that trees of certain plant families, such as the Fagaceae (Fagus, Castanopsis, Castanea, Quercus, and so forth), are much more predisposed to developing trunk cankers caused by this pathogen than any other tree species.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the sudden oak death third science symposium

Citation

Moralejo, Eduardo; Descals, Enrique; García-Muñoz, José Andrés. 2008. Log susceptibility of Iberian tree species to Phytophthora ramorum. In: Frankel, Susan J.; Kliejunas, John T.; Palmieri, Katharine M., tech. coords. 2008. Proceedings of the sudden oak death third science symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-214. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. pp. 163-165