Bagdžiūnaitė: Fungal diseases on Betula pendula Roth. in Lithuania FUNGAL DISEASES ON Betula pendula Roth. IN LITHUANIA

Aistė Bagdžiūnaitė Lithuanian Forest Research Institute, Forest Protection and Game Management Department Liepų str. 1, Girionys, LT-53101 Kaunas distr., Lithuania E-mail: [email protected]

Introduction The growing of (Betula pendula Roth.) trees in Lithuania became economically viable because the prices of birch timber are relatively high. The fungi are the most economically important plant pathogens and continue to be the focus of extensive research with a wide variety of methodologies (Gold et al., 2001). The birch wood acceptable for paper and plywood production must be free of decay and other damages made by fungi. The role of fungi in the forest ecosystem predisposes them to be included as additional source of information about health condition in the biological monitoring of forests. Fungi pathogens are very important causal agent that predispose, initiate and contribute to the disease processes on the tree and stand level (Sierota, Lech, 1998). The purpose of this study was to determine diversity and distribution of pathogenic fungi in Betula pendula Roth. stands in Lithuania.

Methods The mycobiota of the trunk, twigs and leaves of Betula pendula were studied in 50-70- year-old stands in Lithuania in autumn 2005. Not healthy looking leaves and twigs were collected from twenty two birch stands in territory of Lithuania (Fig. 1). In each stand sanitary condition was evaluated (one hundred trees were valued). For evaluation some indicators were chosen: category of tree condition (from 1 to 6: category 1 means that tree is without sign of damage, category 6 – tree is dead) (Воронцов, Мазолевская, Соколова, 1991), crown defoliation and damages of the stem. Forests Boundaries of Fruit bodies were collected from individual trees at each of stands and isolated fungal ObservedMunicipalities birch stands species were identified morphologically. Wood samples from not healthy looking birch trees were taken by inserting an increment borer 6-8 cm into stems at breast height (or near wound) (Vasiliauskas et al., 1996) (Fig. 2). Bore cores were brought to the Fig. 1. Observed birch stands in Lithuania laboratory in sterilized plastic tubes (Fig. 3). In the laboratory, all samples were sterilized by flaming (about 2 seconds) and placed on Petri dishes containing yeast extract agar medium (pH 5.5). The wood pieces were regularly inspected and photographed for detection of mycelial overgrowth. In this way the aim was to detect the reason of birch decline. Fig. 3. The plastic tubes and Results wood samples The average condition of the was valued at category 2 (birch trees were Fig. 2. Sampling with increment borer weakened). The worst situation (mean category - 2.6) was in Panevezys forest enterprise (in the northern part of Lithuania). The best situation (mean category - 1.5) Table 1. The fungi identified on Betula pendula Roth. was in Skuodas forest enterprise (in the nor’west part of Lithuania). Mean defoliation Substrate Fungi in the observed sands varied from 28% (Panevezys forest enterprise) to 54% Ascomycetes on the Taphrina betulina, Cytospora betulina, twigs and leaves of Melanconium bicolor, Myxocyclus polycistis, (Pakruojis forest enterprise). Betula pendula Trimmatostroma betulina, Pseudospiropes In total, 24 species of Ascomycetes and 16 species of Basidiomycetes were identified longipilus, Hysterium pulicare, Taeniolella alta, Bactrodesmium betulicola, Monodyctis paradoxa, on Betula pendula trees (Table 1). Twenty three species were identified in twigs of Diatrypella favacea, Libertella betulina, Betula pendula. Cladosporium sp. was most frequently isolated from birch leaves. The Pseudovalsa lanciformes, Melanomma subdispersum, Dematioscypha dematiicola, most frequent species of Basidiomycetes in living birches were: Inonotus obliquus Daldinia concentrica, Tubercularia vulgaris, Valsella polyspora, (Ach. ex Pers.) Pilát (Fig. 4); in dead birches: Piptoporus betulinus (Bull.) P. Karst., Disculina betulina, Nectria leptosphaeriae, fomentarius (L.) J.J. Kickx (Fig. 5), mellea (Vahl) P. Kumm.(Fig. 6). Nectria viridescens, Hypoxylon cf. multiforme, Only one fungal species – Inonotus obliquus was found on healthy looking birches. Echnoa cf. lanata, Cladosporium sp. Basidiomycetes on Inonotus obliquus, Piptoporus betulinus, This pathogenic fungi was fixed in the half of all studied birch stands in Lithuania (Fig. the stems of Betula Armillaria mellea, Fomes fomentarius, pendula , Trametes versicolor, 7). Other species were collected from wounds (Pholiota aurivella) (Fig. 8) in the trees applanatum, Pholiota aurivella, or from dead birches (Armillaria mellea) (including stumps, stools). Last-mentioned Stereum hirsutum, Trametes multicolor, Peniophora cinerea, Polyporus varius, fungi are active destroyers of dead trees, however they can infect living trees and Excidia truncata, Lenzites betulina, cause wood rot. , Oxyporus populinus.

Fomes fomentarius Piptoporus betulinus Inonotus obliquus Armillaria mellea Fomitopsis pinicola Trametes versicolor Pholiota aurivella Stereum hirsutum Trametes multicolor

0 20406080100 Fig. 4. Inonotus Fig. 5. Fomes fomentarius Fig. 6. Armillaria mellea Fig. 8. Pholiota aurivella The distribution of fungi, % obliquus in living birch in dead birch in dead birch in the wound of living birch Fig. 7. The distribution of fungi in observed Betula pendula stands References 1.Gold S.E., Garcia-Pedrajas M.D. & Martinez-Espinoza A.D.(2001) New (and Used) Approaches to the Study of Fungal Pathogenicity. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 39, p. 337-359. 2. Sierota Z., Lech P. M. (1998) Phytopatologcal monitoring of managed forests in Poland. Methodology of Forest Insect and Disease Survey in Central Europe. Proceedings from the IUFRO WP.03.10. Workshop. Ustron-Jaszowiec (Poland), April 21-24. p. 49-58. 3. Vasiliauskas R., Stenlid J. & Johansson M. (1996) Fungi in bark peeling wounds of Picea abies in central Sweden. European Journal of 26, p. 285-296. 4. Воронцов А.И., Мазолевская Е.Г., Соколова Э.С. (1991). Технология защиты леса. Москва, Экология. С. 304. IUFRO Working Party 7.03.10 Proceedings of the Workshop 2006, Gmunden/Austria 323