New Reports of Dothistroma Needle Blight in Eurasian Countries

Abstract

One of the most serious needle diseases that affect pines (Pinus spp.) is Dothistroma needle blight (DNB). Two species of fungi are responsible for causing this disease (Barnes et al. 2004). These are Dothistroma septosporum (teleomorph: Mycosphaerella pini) that has a worldwide distribution and infects a wide range of Pinus spp. and D. pini (teleomorph unknown), which has thus far been reported only from the North-Central U.S.A. on the non-native Pinus nigra (Barnes et al. 2004). In recent years, there have been increasing numbers of reports of DNB from new hosts and new geographic regions of the Northern Hemisphere (Bradshaw 2004, Bednárová et al. 2006). Moreover, there has been an increase in the intensity of this disease in some parts of Europe and North America (Koltay 2001, Aumonier 2002, Brown et al. 2003, Jankovský et al. 2004, Woods et al. 2005).