Folia Oecologica (Nov 2020)

Selected climatic variables in Slovakia are favourable to the development of Dothistroma needle blight

  • Ondrušková Emília,
  • Ostrovský Radovan,
  • Jánošíková Zuzana,
  • Adamčíková Katarína,
  • Kobza Marek

DOI
https://doi.org/10.2478/foecol-2020-0017
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 47, no. 2
pp. 144 – 152

Abstract

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Dothistroma needle blight (DNB) is a disease of pine needles. It causes significant defoliation of affected trees; intensive attacks lead to damages of the whole stand. The relationship of trends in disease severity and intensity with climatic variables were studied in three Austrian pine plantations (Jahodná, Kálnica, Litava) during 2014–2018. During the monitoring period, the greatest variability in disease severity was observed in the top third of the crowns, which showed the highest correlation with the variants of the most important climatic conditions (temperature and relative humidity) tested. For the spread of DNB, based on statistical assessment, a higher number of intervals of environmentally favourable climatic conditions is crucial. Both Dothistroma species (D. septosporum and D. pini), which are causal agents of the disease, were identified in Jahodná. In Kálnica and Litava, only D. septosporum was present.

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