A large-scale shoot blight in young plantations of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in Moscow region

The article presents the results of the study of a large-scale shoot blight of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), revealed in forest cultures of the 1st class of age in the Moscow region in 2017. The authors provide data on the total recorded area of affected plantations at the end of 2018 (1991,9 hа). Previously such cases of a wide scale affection of pine in the region had not been reported. The main part of the article describes the disease symptoms and the results of the plant condition assessment in the affected young plantations. There is a high incidence of diseased plants (on the average above 90%). The condition of forest cultures is estimated as weakened, however, the death of plants as a result of the disease is noted in rare cases. The greatest harm consists in the loss of the main leader shoot, the deformation of stems, the formation of bushy crowns. According to the results of laboratory diagnostics with the mycological method of the wet chamber and subsequent microscopy of the formed sporulation, as well as by DNA analysis, the main causative agent of the disease is the fungus Sphaeropsis sapinea Dyko & B...