Plant Protect. Sci., 2015, 51(3):150-152 | DOI: 10.17221/89/2014-PPS

Fraxinus sogdiana, a Central Asian ash species, is susceptible to Hymenoscyphus fraxineus Original Paper

Rein DRENKHAN, Kalev ADAMSON, Märt HANSO

Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering (IFRE), Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia

Susceptibility of new host trees is an essential prerequisite for the alien pathogens. Today, an acute problem in Europe is ash dieback, caused by Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. Among the possible invasion routes of this fungus to Europe from its natural range in easternmost Asia, an arrival alongside the unbroken, passing the whole Eurasia chain of ranges of ash species should not be ignored, at least not before the determination of the western extent of the natural range of the pathogen. We established that in Estonia the ash species Fraxinus sogdiana, growing naturally in the "bottleneck" of that belt, in Central Asia, is susceptible to H. fraxineus. It is the first record of H. fraxineus on a Central Asian ash species.

Keywords: "Krüssmann's ash belt"; invasion routs; invasion pathways; introduction; exotic trees

Published: September 30, 2015  Show citation