Variability in aggressiveness of Quambalaria pitereka isolates |
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Authors: | G S Pegg L S Shuey A J Carnegie M J Wingfield A Drenth |
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Institution: | 1. Horticulture and Forestry Science, Agri‐Science Queensland, GPO Box 46, Brisbane, Qld 4068;2. Tree Pathology Centre, The University of Queensland/Primary Industries and Fisheries, Qld 4068;3. Forest Science Centre, Industry & Investment NSW, NSW 2119, Australia;4. Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa |
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Abstract: | Quambalaria shoot blight, caused by the fungal pathogen Quambalaria pitereka, is a serious disease of eucalypt plantations in Australia. The aggressiveness of four Q. pitereka isolates was compared on a range of host genera, species, provenances and clones. Isolates differed substantially in their aggressiveness, with two consistently showing higher levels of aggressiveness based on incidence and severity of disease and lesion size. Isolates derived from Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata (Ccv) and C. torelliana were shown to have a relatively restricted host range, with lesions but no sporulation found on Eucalyptus species, Angophora species other than A. costata and Corymbia species other than Ccv, the host of origin. The level of aggressiveness toward the different provenances of spotted gum and C. torelliana varied between isolates and there was evidence of some isolate × host interaction within provenances of Ccv. The two methods of inoculation used in this study, spray and spot inoculation, gave similar results. However, the fact that the spot inoculation method was labour‐intensive was a disadvantage limiting the numbers of isolates and hosts that can be tested. |
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Keywords: | Australia Corymbia Eucalyptus fungal disease plantation forestry spotted gum |
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