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Cucurbitaria piceae

Cucurbitaria bud blight of spruce

Description

Infection leads to the death of buds and abnormal shoot development. Buds may swell in spring, but they flush incompletely and crookedly, twisted into a spiral. Repeated death of buds occurring over several successive years will produce distorted and twisted branches or short, claw-like shoots. The affected shoots gradually lose their needles and eventually die. From June onwards, the dead buds acquire a black, warty, crust-like coating consisting of the basal stroma of the fungus and its pinhead-sized fruit bodies. The fungus is most prevalent in regions where there are frequent spells of wet weather, sometimes occurring in epidemic outbreaks and causing severe losses in Christmas tree plantations. The older name of the fungus is Gemmamyces piceae.

Symptom

Black buds, deformation of shoots, defoliation.

Tree Species: Spruce

Part of a plant- attacked: Leaf / Needle, Branch

Pest significance: Very harmful

Pest Category: Fungi

Invasive Species: No

Present in EU: Yes