Plant Pathology (2016) 65, 1452-1461

B. Marçais, C. Husson, L. Godart and O. Caël (2016)
Influence of site and stand factors on Hymenoscyphus fraxineus-induced basal lesions
Plant Pathology 65 (9), 1452-1461
Abstract: Hymenoscyphus fraxineus is an invasive fungus in Europe and causes a severe decline affecting ash, which began in the late 1990s. One of the symptoms associated with the disease is lesions in the outer bark of the collar area. However, the aetiology of these basal lesions, and in particular the relative roles of H. fraxineus and Armillaria species, is still controversial; moreover, little is known about the influence of environmental factors on the disease epidemiology. This study therefore surveyed 42 plots located in northeastern France, in an area affected by ash decline since 2008, in order to determine which environmental factors condition the severity of lesions associated with H. fraxineus on ash collar. The spatial pattern that is a consequence of the invasive spread of the disease was taken into account in the analysis, using a spatial hierarchical Bayesian model fitted by integrated nested laplace approximation (INLA). Results show that while basal lesions are tightly associated with H. fraxineus, their severity is influenced by the Armillaria species present in the plot. Sites with vegetation indicating moist conditions, or more humid topographical positions, were associated with more developed basal lesions.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Benoit Marçais

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution
environment - cropping system/rotation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Hymenoscyphus fraxineus	Ash (Fraxinus)	France