Sudden Euc Death

[Cassian]

Cassian,

1. Were both types of resupinate FB's anamorphs or teleomorphs and did you check them microscopically ?

 

2. As K. deusta slowly "works his way" inside out and it take years before it becomes parasitic and FB's show up on the outside, and because of the symptoms you describe, I would sooner expect Cryphonectria species to be closer related to parasitic Nectria species, such as N. coccinea, N. fuckeliana and N. ditissima, which in the first phase of infection cause bark cankers and dying of living tissues after which the bark comes off.

 

3. Does it only affect gum trees associated with endomycorrhizae, or are Eucalypt species associated with ectomycorrhizae also infected ?

 

Based on my visual observations/records I suggest both types of FB are present. Am due to check samples microscopically next week. Truth is we Arbs in Oz have yet to be exposed to the level of fungi assessment detail in Europe. See Pics in next post.

 

We will obtain this detail, our challenge is gaining support/funding. Though based on my field assessments today and observation of disease symptoms on trees up to 200m into forest (very scary observation considering the extensive microbiological diversity that must be surrounding them) I suspect big brother support will come. Most of the sick trees surveyed so far are in denuded environments - road side, HV corridors & agricultural land. I maintain this beast is to become an epidemic, with the extensive gum tree cover and the many locations I have recorded the disease government support will be a necessity. The good news is thanks to the Utility we have support to get to a third report, which I hope to have drafted by next week. I would like to post the reports I have developed so far, any idea how?

I am working on an action plan and will share as it develops.

[Cassian]

Bugger, replied to your first 3 questions Fungus and can't see where they were posted.

 

In answer to Decay type - Pockets and galleries of white rot is a consistent, the fractured stems appear highly embrittled an indicator of soft rot, yes? Failed stems look much like K. deutsa. The wood is brittle and shiny. No signs of brown rot associated with any of the failures studied so far.

 

Having great difficulty to attach pics - Decay sample and FB's.

[David Humphries]

Having great difficulty to attach pics - .

 

Hello Cassian,

 

have you tried re-sizing the images to 800 x 600 ?

 

David

 

 

.

[treeseer]

re pics i uploaded fullsize and then noticed size limits and so resized them; wound up duping.

 

re pathogen this seems related; yet another taxonomical name change it seems.

 

CSIRO PUBLISHING - Australasian Plant Pathology

[Fungus]

Based on my visual observations/records I suggest both types of FB are present. Am due to check samples microscopically next week.

 

Anamorphs or teleomorphs of Sphaeriales can only be identified with 100 % certainty through microscopical analyses of the conidio- or ascospores and the absence or presence of asci in the FB's and the same holds for 100 % sure determining whether white or soft rot is present, which needs microscopical analyses of the affected wood cells. If it is a Cryphonectria (= Chrysoporthe), i.e. a Sphaeriales or Pyrenomycete of the K. deusta type, soft rot should be expected.

And in this list of articles you can find lots of information on the spreading and hosts of Chrysoporthe cubensis.

[Cassian]

Hi gents, based on Genuses/species affected Sudden Gum Death is a better name. The attached are examples of what I have been calling White rot. Whichever it is this is a consistant across all infected trees. The bark becomes infected first then pockets of wood, in some cases Gums are killed (E. grandis & E. saligna) without signs of canker & with outer growth increments colonised by the white rot.

[Cassian]

Below are a series of photos giving perspective of what a psuedo mycologist would call FB's. The Grey/white and Black FB are the same with a 12 month time gap.

We are seeing what we think at present is Cryphonectria cubensis & Kretzschmaria deusta. Gents if I could show you the outbreaks I am witnessing and the spread tree to tree and on individuals I am sure you would agree this disease is as bad as they get. The Orange FB on the next post is another common form we are finding.

[Cassian]

Anamorphs or teleomorphs of Sphaeriales can only be identified with 100 % certainty through microscopical analyses of the conidio- or ascospores and the absence or presence of asci in the FB's and the same holds for 100 % sure determining whether white or soft rot is present, which needs microscopical analyses of the affected wood cells. If it is a Cryphonectria (= Chrysoporthe), i.e. a Sphaeriales or Pyrenomycete of the K. deusta type, soft rot should be expected.

And in this list of articles you can find lots of information on the spreading and hosts of Chrysoporthe cubensis.

 

Hey Fungus - I really appreciate your input - best regards Cassian.

[Fungus]

Below are a series of photos giving perspective of what a psuedo mycologist would call FB's. The Grey/white and Black FB are the same with a 12 month time gap. We are seeing what we think at present is Cryphonectria cubensis & Kretzschmaria deusta. Gents if I could show you the outbreaks I am witnessing and the spread tree to tree and on individuals I am sure you would agree this disease is as bad as they get. The Orange FB on the next post is another common form we are finding.

 

Cassian,

Photo 1 : without pores and tubes I would expect this to be a corticiod Aphyllophorales, with pores and tubes a poroid Aphyllophorales.

Photo 2/3 : without microscopical analysis this looks like mycelial/hyphal sheets of a not yet fruiting macrofungus.

Photo 4 : Anamorph of what seems to be K. deusta.

Photo 5 : Teleomorph of the same species.

 

I didn't find the photo of the Orange FB's you promised, which presumebly would be of the Cryphonectria.

As far as conclusions can be reached in this phase of the analyses and with the present macroscopical documentation, I would attribute the dramatic effects to a combined strategy of the Cryptonectria and K. deusta, where the Cryphonectria is the primary parasitic and not wood degrading pathogen and K. deusta is the secondary pathogen starting off as a saprotrophic soft rotting the heart wood inside out and becoming parasitic once the living tissue is reached through invasion of radial rays and the remaining living cambium is killed, after which it fruits with anamorphs within a year developing into teleomorphs.

If this is the case, the FB's of Cryphonectria should be found scattered over the trunk (causing local bark and cambium necrosis and/or canker ?) and the FB's of K. deusta should be found at the base of the trees.

[treeseer]

I didn't find the photo of the Orange FB's you promised, which presumebly would be of the Cryphonectria....

If this is the case, the FB's of Cryphonectria should be found scattered over the trunk (causing local bark and cambium necrosis and/or canker ?) and the FB's of K. deusta should be found at the base of the trees.

 

Thank you for the detailed reply. We're going back out tomorrow in search of orange fb's. In the meantime here are some images of orangeish structures that do not look like fb's I am familiar with, but different and i hope worth posting anyway.

 

After attending a meeting of the Queensland Mycological Society this evening, the dearth of local inventories and resources of wood decay fungi here are more clear than ever in this young civilization. We will be able to examine samples under a microscope tomorrow, and will look for the structures that you mention.

Edited August 9, 2011 by treeseer