Evolution of our Knowledge of Fusarium Diseases in Forest Nurseries

Fusarium spp. are recognized throughout the world as very important pathogens in forest nurseries. Diseases caused by Fusarium spp. are often the most important factors limiting production of high-quality seedlings in western North America. Initial investigations concentrated on disease etiology and development of direct chemical control procedures. Later work focused on disease epidemiology and the role of environmental factors in disease severity. Several different morphologic species of Fusarium are routinely encountered in forest nurseries because they commonly colonize soil and seedling tissues. Within seedlings, they may either elicit disease symptoms or exist as endophytes. Fusarium oxysporum and F proliferatum are the most important pathogenic Fusarium species within western North America nurseries on bareroot and container seedlings, respectively. Successful reduction of disease losses uses an integrated approach involving cultural manipulations and biological and chemical control. Control efforts seek to reduce pathogen inoculum within seedling growing environments and improve seedling vigor to reduce disease expression. Preventing disease is usually much more successful than therapeutic approaches.

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Author(s): USDA Forest Service