A mushroom dangerous for pine trees from Africa has reached Krasnoyarsk

A dangerous pathogenic fungus of conifers (Diplodia sapinea P. Karst) has been discovered for the first time in Siberia. It causes pine tree necrosis and its subsequent death, reports the press service of the Krasnoyarsk Scientific Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Three strains of the fungus were found on pine trees of different ages in the parks of Krasnoyarsk. The organism turned out to be rapidly spreading and causing extensive necrotic lesions in trees.

As KrasnoyarskMedia IA notes, the fungus was previously found only in places with mild climates, such as South Africa and New Zealand. The last decade, the growth of outbreaks was also observed in Europe.

Scientists found out that the fungus pest found in the regional capital showed high resistance to cold. The experiment showed that its viability is preserved even at -31°C.

According to the researchers, this type of fungus can spread to new territories and host plants. This is due to a long asymptomatic phase in the pathogen, in which trees remain without visible damage. Such high adaptive capabilities allow the pathogen to remain undetected during transportation of plants and their fragments.

Earlier it was reported that scientists have found an effective way to combat the Siberian silkworm, which leads to desiccation and death of coniferous trees. To do this, it is necessary to infect the caterpillars of the pest with two different parasites.