First report of Cryptostroma corticale in Russia
Cryptostroma corticale, the causal agent of sooty bark disease of sycamore, is reported for the first time from Russia. Several dying Acer pseudoplatanus trees were observed in September 2021 in the Kislovodsk National Park (Stavropol krai, Southern European Russia), but no further action was taken considering that the disease was not sufficiently severe. However, in 2022, as the number of dead sycamore trees had increased in the park, investigations were initiated. Samples of wood and bark were collected from 5 dead A. pseudoplatanus trees in the Kislovodsk National Park, and the presence of C. corticale was confirmed in the laboratory (morphological characteristics and molecular tests). The authors also mentioned that in 2020, symptoms of C. corticale had been observed on A. platanoides trees intended to be planted along city streets in European Russia (locality not indicated), although the identity of the fungus could not be confirmed at that time.
It can be recalled that C. corticale originates from Eastern North America and was first observed in Europe in 1945 in the United Kingdom. This fungus then slowly spread to several other countries in the EPPO region causing sporadic outbreaks (see EPPO RS 2023/211). C. corticale is a plant pathogen which can also be threat to human health, causing allergies and respiratory diseases.
Sources
Gninenko YI, Chilakhsaeva EA, Seraya LG, Larina GE, Yufereva VV, Bondareva EV, Yarylchenko TN (2024) First report of Cryptostroma corticale, a causative agent of the sooty bark disease of maples, in Russia. Russian Journal of Biological Invasions 15(1), 26-31.