Chestnut Blight & Laurel Wilt Flashcards
What year was Chestnut Blight discovered in New York?
1904
How many trees were killed by chestnut blight by 1950?
4 billion
What type of organism causes chestnut blight?
A fungus
Where did chestnut blight come from to the USA?
Asia - via nursery stock
What is the name of the organism that causes chestnut blight?
Cryphonectria parasitica
What is Cryphonectria parasitica?
the causal organism of chestnut blight
What is a symptom of chestnut blight that shows up on the bark of the tree?
Reddish-orange stromata
Cankers
What are cankers?
dead areas of xylem and phloem that disrupt the flow of water and nutrients
When does death occur from chestnut blight?
When the entire stem is girdled by a single canker or multiple cankers
What are three alternate host trees for chestnut blight?
oak
hickory
maple
How did trees survive in France from infection of chestnut blight?
The cankers were hypovirulent
Define hypovirulent
reduced damage to a host
What does the hypovirulent chestnut blight fungus produce less of?
oxalic acid
When was the Plant Quarantine Act written into law?
1912
What was the first legal action by the US to prevent the introduction of foreign pests and pathogens?
Plant Quarantine Act of 2012
What were the first two plants quarantined in the US? What were their diseases?
Chestnut (Blight) White Pine (Blister rust)
List four hosts of Laurel Wilt
Redbay
Sassafras
Avocado
European bay laurel (bay leaves used in cooking)
What plant do bay leaves used in cooking come from?
European bay laurel
What type of organism is Laurel Wilt?
A Fungus
What is Raffaelea lauricola?
Laurel wilt fungus
What spreads the laurel wilt fungus?
Ambrosia beetle
Where are laurel wilt and the ambrosia beetle native to?
Asia
How did the ambrosia beetle enter the USA?
by riding in packing crates (pallet shipments)
List three ways laurel wilt can spread.
Ambrosia beetle
Transportation of infested firewood
Sassafras root grafts
