Valsa malicola detected in Victoria, Australia

Publication Date

Tue, 01 Feb 2011, 00:00

Last Updated

June 23, 2023, 6:11 a.m.

Report Number

AUS-44/5

Country

Australia

Pest Id

Valsa malicola - (VALSMC)

Report Status

Final

Hosts

Malus domestica cv Granny Smith

Pest Status (old values from ISPM 8 -1998 )

• Present: at low prevalence
• Unknown

Pest Status (ISPM 8 - 2021)

• Present: not widely distributed and not under official control

Geographical Distribution

Yarra Valley, Victoria , Australia Possibly common in Australia as all Valsa/Cytospora species are difficult or impossible to identify based on morphology. Valsa ambiens is common on apple in Australia and some of these records could be V. malicola.

Summary

V. malicola is associated with dieback of Malus twigs, especially those weakened by other factors, for example when frozen, burnt, wounded, injured by insects or attacked by other pathogens.

It is found on dead or dying twigs of Maloideae (Cotoneaster, Crataegus, Cydonia, Malus, Pyracantha, Pyrus, Rosa) but only infrequently on other members of the Rosaceae (e.g. Prunus) when it is present mainly as the anamorph. Both conidia and ascospores are air-borne, especially under humid conditions. Brightly coloured droplets or tendrils of conidia are often exuded from conidiomata after rain.

It is found in Asia: Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Republic of Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia. Europe: Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Rumania, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, Ukraine. North America.

Danger

Valsa malicola was detected in an apple orchard on a mature tree during a survey. The fungus was affecting twigs and possibly branches. It is a weak opportunistic pathogen that usually has no effect on fruit production.

Contact for info

Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer Australian Government Department of Agriculture, GPO Box 858 Canberra ACT 2601 Australia [email protected]

Report files

Website

Issue keywords

Pest status:Present/Presence

Commodity keywords