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First report of Phytophthora quercina from oak

forests in Austria

Article in Plant Pathology June 2003

DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-3059.2003.00825.x

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Y. Balci Erhard Halmschlager

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, University of Natural Resources and Life Scie
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 Plant Pathology (2003) 52, 403
NEW DISEASE REPORT
Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
First report of Phytophthora quercina from oak forests
in Austria
Y. Balci* and E. Halmschlager
Institute of Forest Entomology, Forest Pathology & Forest Protection, BOKU University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences,
A1190 Vienna, Austria
Phytophthora quercina, a causal agent of root rot on
Quercus spp. in Europe ( Jung et al., 1999), was isolated
from mature oak stands in the eastern part of Austria dur-
ing surveys carried out in 1999 and 2000. The pathogen
has been reported from Germany, Italy, Hungary, France
and Turkey (Jung et al., 1999; Balci & Halmschlager, 2002).
In Austria it was recovered from Q. robur, Q. petraea and
Q. pubescens. Isolates were primarily obtained from
rhizosphere soil samples including necrotic fine roots,
which were collected around the stem base of healthy as
well as declining oak trees. Young oak leaves were used
as bait to isolate Phytophthora spp. from flooded soil
samples. Leaves showing discoloration were plated on a
selective nutrient medium PARPNH (incorporating pim-
aricin, ampicillin, rifampicin, pentachloronitrobenzene,
nystatin and hymexazol) (Jung et al., 2000). Identification
of isolates was based on cultural and morphological
features and on comparisons with authentic cultures.
Phytophthora quercina was the most common species
and occurred on 11 out of 35 sites (32%). The sequences
(two isolates) and restriction digest patterns (nine isolates)
of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of rDNA
from Austrian P. quercina were identical. The digest
patterns matched those of Italian, Hungarian and German
strains (Cooke et al., 1999; DEL Cooke, personal commun-
ication), including the aggressive strains used by Jung et al.
(1999) for inoculation tests, although pathogenicity
tests were not carried out on Austrian isolates. Other
Phytophthora species, recovered less frequently, included
P. citricola, P. syringae, P. gonapodyides and P. europaea.
*E-mail: balci@edv1.boku.ac.at
Accepted 22 August 2002 at http://www.bspp.org.uk/ndr where
figures relating to this paper can be viewed
2003 BSPP
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The results are consistent with similar studies in oak
forests in Germany, where P. quercina was found to be
the most frequent species among a diverse assemblage
of Phytophthora spp. thought to be involved in the oak
decline syndrome (Jung et al., 2000). In inoculation tests
P. quercina proved to be one of the most aggressive species
to roots of Q. robur seedlings (Jung et al., 1999). Our
isolation results indicate that P. quercina shows high
plasticity concerning site conditions, since it was even
obtained from dry sites that normally do not favour the
survival of Phytophthora spp. The results of this study
suggest that P. quercina is widely distributed in oak forests
in Austria and may play an important role in the oak
decline in certain oak ecosystems in Austria.
References
Balci Y, Halmschlager H, 2002. First confirmation of
Phytophthora quercina on oaks in Asia. Plant Disease 86,
442.
Cooke DEL, Jung T, Williams NA, Schubert R, Bahnweg G,
Owald W, Duncan JM, 1999. Molecular evidence supports
Phytophthora quercina as a distinct species. Mycological
Research 103, 799 804.
Jung T, Blaschke H, Owald W, 2000. Involvement of soilborne
Phytophthora species in central European oak decline and
the effect of site factors on the disease. Plant Pathology 49,
706 18.
Jung T, Cooke DEL, Blaschke H, Duncan JM, Owald W, 1999.
Phytophthora quercina sp. nov., causing root rot of European
oaks. Mycological Research 103, 785 98.
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