Brown spot needle blight which affects pine trees and can compromise their growth has been detected for the first time in Catalonia by a CTFC researcher.
The Department of Climate Action will monitor the evolution of this disease and will assess the need of mitigation strategies.
Maria Caballol, researcher at the Forest Pathology group of the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC) and PhD student at the University of Lleida, has detected for the first time in Catalonia the presence of Lecanosticta acicola, the causal agent of brown spot needle blight. Although the pathogen has already been detected in Spain and other European countries, surveillance is needed to prevent the spread of disease beyond the currently affected areas.
The Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, through the Forest Management service, will monitor the evolution of the new disease detected in pines and will evaluate if mitigation strategies are needed.
Brown spot needle blight occurs in several pine species, causing damage to needles. Disease symptoms appear on needles as dark brown spots with a yellowish halo around them. These brown spots usually widen to brown bands resulting in needle death. Needles are prematurely shed, reducing the photosynthetic capacity of pines which can result to reduced growth.
The detection of this pathogen in Catalonia occurred during the monitoring of red band disease, when Caballol observed that the symptoms were more similar to brown spot needle blight. Isolates were obtained from symptomatic needles and used for molecular analysis which identified Lecanosticta acicola as the causal agent of the observed damage.
This is the first time that the causal agent of brown spot needle blight has been detected in Catalonia. “We do not know how the pathogen arrived to Berguedà. This finding is crucial because the pathogen is a quarantine organism”, explains Caballol, who also emphasizes that “early detection and monitoring of this pathogen are key to protect Catalan forests since we do not know how the pathogen can affect local pine species”.
CTFC Forest Pathology research group will continue studying the distribution of this pathogen with the aim of developing effective management strategies to minimize its impacts on forest ecosystems.
The detection of the pathogen occurred within the framework of TOFU (Healthier forests for a sustainable future) project, with a grant to finance research projects for mitigation and adaptation to climate change of the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants.
Last modified: 30 July 2024
