Pitch Canker Disease Gibberella circinata Fusarium circinatum Nirenberg

Pitch Canker Disease Gibberella circinata (Fusarium circinatum) Nirenberg & O'Donnell 1998 Photo courtesy of T. R. Gordon

Pitch Canker Pitch canker was first identified in CA at New Brighton State Beach, Santa Cruz County in 1986. It is vectored by several species of bark, engraver, cone, twig and deathwatch beetles associated with Monterey pine, Pinus radiata Large old canker on main stem Photo courtesy of Andrew Storer

The Source: Pine Seeds Photo courtesy of Mishobonzai Managed pine forestry is a very large and international industry. Pitch canker was found in the Southeastern US in 1946. Southeastern pine growers ship pine seed to CA in order to grow seedlings quickly and efficiently, which are then shipped back to the SE. The fungus disease survives on the seed. This is the probable origin of Pitch Canker in CA. Photos courtesy of the Temperate Forest Foundation

Pine Pitch Canker Symptoms Photo Courtesy of Terry Price Strikes in a mature tree Affected young sapling Photo courtesy of Donald Owen, CDF

fungus enters a shoot along with insect feeding and forms a canker Infected young growing shoot begins to wilt A tree with multiple infections Faded needles on infected branch tip Photos courtesy of T. R. Gordon

Susceptible Tree Species Ø Ø Ø Bishop Pine Coulter Pine Digger Pine Knobcone Pine Monterey Pine Ponderosa Pine Shore Pine Torrey Pine Jeffrey Pine Sugar Pine Douglas Fir Pinus muricata P. coulteri P. sabiniana P. attenuata P. radiata P. ponderosa P. contorta P. torreyana P. jeffreyi (in lab tests) P. lambertiana (in lab tests) Pseudotsuga menziesii

Insect Vector Kutztown University Ken Walker IN CAPS Ø Twig beetles Forest Pest Ø Cone beetle Ø Twig and Cone beetle Ø Engraver beetles Pityphthorus nitidulus P. pulchellus tuberculatus P. carmeli P. setosus Conophthorus radiatae Dernobius punctulatus CA five-spined ips Monterey pine ips Ips paraconfusus I. mexicanus CA four-spined ips I. plastographus University of British Columbia

Pitch Canker Monterey Pine Killed by Pitch Canker (Photo courtesy of T. R. Gordon Mortality Risk Map for Pitch Canker

What is being done? Pitch Canker Task Force: http: //frap. cdf. ca. gov/pitch_canker/ Photo by T. R. Gordon Pitch canker infection on a Monterey pine branch showing resin that is typical of the tree's response to the pathogen.