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Current distribution of Gremmeniella abietina in the 28 EU MS based on information from the EPPO Global Database. No other sources of information were used
Source publication
Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Plant Health (PLH) Panel performed a pest categorisation of Gremmeniella abietina, a well-defined species and distinguishable fungus of the family Godroniaceae. The species G. abietina includes several varieties, races and biotypes that are found in different geographical locations, on diff...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... abietina is present in the EU and has been reported from 19 EU MS (Table 2). These countries range from the Mediterranean (Italy and Spain) to the Scandinavian (Finland and Sweden) parts of Europe. ...Similar publications
Abstract The Panel on Plant health performed a pest categorisation of the larch web‐spinning sawfly Cephalcia lariciphila (Hymenoptera: Pamphiliidae) for the EU. The insect has been reported in 11 EU Member States (MSs). It is a quarantine pest listed in Annex IIB of Council Directive 2000/29/EC. Protected zones are in place in Ireland and the UK (...
Citations
... Fallen bio-waste needles of Christmas tree, as the sources of anti-proliferative BACs, were selected. The dropped needles were collected from a European Spruce Picea abies tree, which is one of the most popular Christmas trees in East-Central Europe, due to its low market price [9]. Each year, about 33 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced in the USA and 50 to 60 million trees are produced in Europe before the Christmas period; most are thrown in trash cans as waste. ...
According to the American Cancer Society, roughly 54,000 new cases of oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancers have been detected in the United States of America in 2021, and they will cause about 10,850 deaths. The main therapies for cancer management, such as surgery and radio- and chemotherapy, have some own benefits, albeit they are often destructive for surrounding tissues; thus, deep investigations into non-surgical treatments for oral cavities are needed. Biologically active compounds (BACs) extracted from European Spruce needles were analyzed to determine the total phenolic and flavonoid content and were used as additional ingredients for oral hygiene products. An anti-proliferation investigation was carried out using extracts containing BACs with the use of several cell lines (cancer and a normal one). ESI-MS studies on BACs showed that luteolin, a natural flavonoid compound with anti-tumorigenic properties against various types of tumors, is the predominant component of the extracts. MTT, BrdU, and LIVE/DEAD studies demonstrated that BAC extracts obtained from Christmas tree needles possess anticancer properties against squamous cell carcinoma (with epithelial origins). We proved that BAC extracts contain high amounts of luteolin, which induces cytotoxicity toward cancer cells; along with their high selectivity, robustness, and nontoxicity, they are very promising materials in oral health applications.
... Bupalis piniaria, P abietina and G. abietina have since been recorded on the island of Ireland. Gremmeniella abietina is a threat to several coniferous trees, especially Pinus (Jeger et al. 2017a), and up until recently, both Ireland and Northern Ireland had PZ for G. abietina. This history of detections of G. abietina in Northern Ireland provides a useful insight into the process for official detections of plant health pests. ...
... The availability of molecular techniques for the routine screening of plant material has increased the awareness that this risk has to be monitored [133]. In fact, besides considering pathogenic fungi of crops with an undefined latent stage [134,135], the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has recently started to consider the potential presence of disease agents occurring as endophytes in traded ornamental plants [136]. This concern is further supported by data gathered in this review, also considering that several hosts belong to widespread tree genera in boreal forests (e.g., Pinus, Populus, Quercus, Taxus and Zelkova). ...
Many fungi reported for endophytic occurrence are better known as plant pathogens on different crops, raising questions about their actual relationships with the hosts and other plants in the biocoenosis and about the factors underlying the lifestyle shift. This paper offers an overview of the endophytic occurrence of Lasiodiplodia theobromae (Dothideomycetes, Botryosphaeriaceae), a species known to be able to colonize many plants as both an endophyte and a pathogen. Prevalently spread in tropical and subtropical areas, there are concerns that it may propagate to the temperate region following global warming and the increasing trade of plant materials. The state of the art concerning the biochemical properties of endophytic strains of this species is also examined with reference to a range of biotechnological applications.
... Bupalis piniaria, P abietina and G. abietina have since been recorded on the island of Ireland. Gremmeniella abietina is a threat to several coniferous trees, especially Pinus (Jeger et al. 2017a), and up until recently, both Ireland and Northern Ireland had PZ for G. abietina. This history of detections of G. abietina in Northern Ireland provides a useful insight into the process for official detections of plant health pests. ...
Trees provide key ecosystem services, but the health and sustainability of these plants is under increasing biotic and abiotic threat, including from the growing incidences of non-native invasive plant pests (including pathogens). The island of Ireland (Ireland and Northern Ireland) is generally accepted to have a high plant health status, in part due to its island status and because of the national and international regulations aimed at protecting plant health. To establish a baseline of the current pest threats to tree health for the island of Ireland, the literature and unpublished sources were reviewed to produce a dataset of pests of trees on the island of Ireland. The dataset contains 396 records of pests of trees on the island of Ireland, the majority of pests being arthropods and fungi, and indicating potentially more than 44 non-native pest introductions. The reliability of many (378) of the records was judged to be high, therefore the dataset provides a robust assessment of the state of pests of trees recorded on the island of Ireland. We analyse this dataset and review the history of plant pest invasions, including (i) discussion on notable native and non-native pests of trees, (ii) pest interceptions at borders and (iii) pests and climate change. The dataset establishes an important baseline for the knowledge of plant pests on the island of Ireland, and will be a valuable resource for future plant health research and policy making.
... Gremmeniella abietina (Lagerb.) M. Morelet was the other pathogenic fungus, which is known as a causal agent of Scleroderris canker in conifer tree seedlings [70]. Alternaria alternata (Fr.) ...
The aim of the present study was to assess fungal and oomycete communities in the irrigation water of forest nurseries, focusing on plant pathogens in the hope of getting a better understanding of potential pathogenic microorganisms and spreading routes in forest nurseries. The study sites were at Anykščiai, Dubrava, Kretinga and Trakai state forest nurseries in Lithuania. For the collection of microbial samples, at each nursery five 100-L water samples were collected from the irrigation ponds and filtered. Following DNA isolation from the irrigation water filtrate samples, these were individually amplified using ITS rDNA as a marker and subjected to PacBio high-throughput sequencing. Clustering in the SCATA pipeline and the taxonomic classification of 24,006 high-quality reads showed the presence of 1286 non-singleton taxa. Among those, 895 were representing fungi and oomycetes. The detected fungi were 57.3% Ascomycota, 38.1% Basidiomycota, 3.1% Chytridiomycota, 0.8% Mucoromycota and 0.7% Oomycota. The most common fungi were Malassezia restricta E. Guého, J. Guillot & Midgley (20.1% of all high-quality fungal sequences), Pezizella discreta (P. Karst.) Dennis (10.8%) and Epicoccum nigrum Link (4.9%). The most common oomycetes were Phytopythium cf. citrinum (B. Paul) Abad, de Cock, Bala, Robideau, Lodhi & Lévesque (0.4%), Phytophthora gallica T. Jung & J. Nechwatal (0.05%) and Peronospora sp. 4248_322 (0.05%). The results demonstrated that the irrigation water used by forest nurseries was inhabited by a species-rich but largely site-specific communities of fungi. Plant pathogens were relatively rare, but, under suitable conditions, these can develop rapidly, spread efficiently through the irrigation system and be a threat to the production of high-quality tree seedlings.
... Maps of the European distribution of Abies spp., Larix spp., Pinus spp., Picea spp. and Pseudotsuga menziesii have been provided in previous pest categorisations of forest fungi (EFSA PLH Panel, 2017, 2018a. ...
Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation of Arceuthobium spp. (non-EU), a well-defined and distinguishable group of parasitic plant species of the family Viscaceae, also known as dwarf mistletoes. These are flowering plants parasitising a wide range of conifers of the families Pinaceae and Cupressaceae. Arceuthobium species (non-EU) are regulated in Council Directive 2000/29/EC (Annex IAI) as harmful organisms whose introduction into the EU is banned. Many Arceuthobium species are recognised, with most dwarf mistletoes native in the New World, and north-western Mexico and the western USA as the centre of diversity for the genus. Only two Arceuthobium species are native (and reported to be present) in the EU (Arceuthobium azoricum and Arceuthobium oxycedrum), which are thus not part of this pest categorisation. Hosts of non-EU dwarf mistletoes include species of the genera Abies, Cupressus, Juniperus, Larix, Picea, Pinus, Pseudotsuga and Tsuga. Most Arceuthobium spp. can parasitise more than one species of conifer host. Dwarf mistletoes could enter the EU via host plants for planting and cut branches, but these pathways are closed. They could establish in the EU, as hosts are widespread and climatic conditions are favourable. They would be able to spread following establishment by human movement of host plants for planting and cut branches, as well as natural spread. Should non-EU dwarf mistletoes be introduced in the EU, impacts can be expected on coniferous woodlands, plantations, ornamental trees and nurseries. The main uncertainties concern (i) the precise distribution and host range of the individual Arceuthobium spp. and (ii) the level of susceptibility of conifers native to Europe. For Arceuthobium spp. (non-EU) as a group of organisms, the criteria assessed by the Panel for consideration as a potential quarantine pest are met, while, for regulated non-quarantine pests, the criterion on the pest presence in the EU is not met. © 2018 European Food Safety Authority. EFSA Journal published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd on behalf of European Food Safety Authority.
Purpose of Review
Gremmeniella abietina is a destructive forest pathogen responsible for Scleroderris canker, shoot dieback, defoliation, and tree death in forests and tree nurseries. This review is aimed at providing a complete description of the fungus, its distribution, the conditions for its spread, and the impact of climate change and at summarising the relevant forest management methods. Due to the worldwide importance of the pathogen, a retrospective review is required to summarise the lessons learned in relation to the disease, considering application to future outbreaks.
Recent Findings
We revise available management methods, considering examples of control strategies, with special focus on the silvicultural approaches, and we also revise the recovery of the affected stands and the associated trade-offs. Forest disturbances such as pests and disease outbreaks are expected to be exacerbated by climate change, although the exact impact on all host-pathogen interactions remains unclear. In regions with a high risk of G. abietina epidemics, climate change is expected to affect the pathogen differently.
Summary
Gremmeniella abietina is a widely distributed forest pathogen in Europe and is also present in North America. Based on the conclusions reached in this review, forest stands may recover from pathogen outbreaks within 10 years, with considerable loss of growth and the risk of attack from secondary factors. Provenance selection is vital for preventing outbreaks. Climate change is expected to have different effects: in some areas, it is likely to increase the conditions conducive to the development of the fungus, while in others, it is likely to limit the spread because of high temperatures and low humidity. Preventing future outbreaks of this pathogen requires the use of mitigating strategies, together with forest monitoring, forecasting, and planning.
The Canadian beekeeping industry is spread across the country, with the greatest proportion of managed honey bee colonies occurring in the Prairie Provinces. Nationally, the number of beekeepers has recently been trending upwards. Simultaneously, agronomic and environmental plant pest incidents are increasing due to a number of factors, including the introduction of exotic organisms through international trade, which is a major pathway for the introduction of potentially invasive alien species and quarantine pests. Therefore, regulatory agencies are interested in developing high‐throughput tools to achieve earlier detection of unwanted species in order to expedite application of mitigating measures to limit the impacts of their introduction. This study evaluates the potential of pollen pellet contents collected by honey bees to monitor plant pests using metabarcoding, a high‐throughput sequencing (HTS) approach for monitoring complex environmental samples. The study used the ITS1 intergenic region to target oomycetes and fungi, the ATP9‐NAD9 spacer to specifically target Phytophthora species, and the ITS2 region to target plant species. From the HTS results, a number of plants that were detected corresponded to known hosts of certain pathogens or species closely related to potentially invasive plant species. Genera including phytopathogenic species found in the pollen samples comprised Fusarium sp., Ophiostoma sp., Peronospora sp., Phytophthora sp., and Pythium sp. Correlations, high entropy, and co‐occurrences between certain plants and oomycetes or fungi were observed. The potential for using honey bee‐collected pollen pellets to study phytopathogens in a given environment is demonstrated here, and this concept could represent a promising complementary tool for the surveillance of phytopathogens or unwanted plants with previously described air and insect sampling methods if the protocol was applied with additional genetic markers.
