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Shade trees getting 'scorched' by plant disease
November 29, 2005Bacterial leaf scorch is severely affecting urban shade trees grown not only to provide shade, but to help clear the air, reduce noise, and improve the aesthetics in many U.S. communities, say plant pathologists with The American Phytopathological Society (APS).
According to Ann Brooks Gould, associate extension specialist at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, bacterial leaf scorch (BLS) affects many shade tree species such as American elm, red maple, sweet gum, sycamore and London plane, and a number of oak species. The disease has been found in landscapes, street plantings, and small woodlots throughout the eastern U.S. and as far west as Texas.
According to Gould, BLS affects as many as 35 percent of susceptible street and landscape oaks in some central New Jersey communities. Current loss of value plus replacement costs for older trees affected by this disease is estimated at $8,000 per tree. Landowners and tree care professionals in these locations must plan for the loss of property values and high costs of replacement as shade trees in landscapes, wood lots, and golf courses affected by BLS decline and must be removed.
BLS is caused by a bacterial pathogen, Xylella fastidiosa, which has a wide host range that includes common landscape ornamentals and weeds. X. fastidiosa is spread by insects, mainly sharpshooters.
Symptoms of BLS are very similar to those caused by environmental stresses. Because of this, the disease is often overlooked or misdiagnosed. On oak trees, BLS symptoms include scorching in late summer or early fall on leaves of all ages at about the same time. On sycamores and elms, symptoms progress from older to younger leaves. Affected leaves may curl and drop prematurely, and as the disease progresses, branches die and the tree declines. Elms may be killed outright by the disease. Other affected species eventually decline to the point where the dead branches pose a safety risk and the tree must be removed.
According to Gould, current management options of BLS in urban trees include:
- Maintain plant vigor. The development of BLS is enhanced by other diseases, insects, and environmental stresses such as drought. BLS may also predispose infected plants to other disease and insect problems.
- Practice sanitation. Branches that have died due to BLS should be routinely removed. Infected trees that are in a severe state of decline should also be removed.
- Use tolerant plants. In areas where BLS occurs, avoid planting highly susceptible trees, and design new tree plantings with a diverse complement of tree species.
More on the symptoms of BLS and disease management options is available in this month's APSnet feature article at http://www.apsnet.org/online/feature/bls/
American Phytopathological Society
BLS is caused by a bacterial pathogen, Xylella fastidiosa, which has a wide host range that includes common landscape ornamentals and weeds. X. fastidiosa is spread by insects, mainly sharpshooters.
Symptoms of BLS are very similar to those caused by environmental stresses. Because of this, the disease is often overlooked or misdiagnosed. On oak trees, BLS symptoms include scorching in late summer or early fall on leaves of all ages at about the same time. On sycamores and elms, symptoms progress from older to younger leaves. Affected leaves may curl and drop prematurely, and as the disease progresses, branches die and the tree declines. Elms may be killed outright by the disease. Other affected species eventually decline to the point where the dead branches pose a safety risk and the tree must be removed.
According to Gould, current management options of BLS in urban trees include:
- Maintain plant vigor. The development of BLS is enhanced by other diseases, insects, and environmental stresses such as drought. BLS may also predispose infected plants to other disease and insect problems.
- Practice sanitation. Branches that have died due to BLS should be routinely removed. Infected trees that are in a severe state of decline should also be removed.
- Use tolerant plants. In areas where BLS occurs, avoid planting highly susceptible trees, and design new tree plantings with a diverse complement of tree species.
More on the symptoms of BLS and disease management options is available in this month's APSnet feature article at http://www.apsnet.org/online/feature/bls/
American Phytopathological Society
Shade Trees Current Events and Shade Trees News RSSNew study: Home energy savings are made in the shade
Trees positioned to shade the west and south sides of a house may decrease summertime electric bills by 5 percent on average, according to a recent study* of California homes by researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Coffee cultivation good for diversity in agrarian settlements but not in forests
Coffee shrubs, both in themselves and because they are most often cultivated in the shade of large trees, can have a positive impact on plant and animal diversity in those parts of the landscape that are deforested and dominated by agriculture.
California study shows shade trees reduce summertime electricity use
A recent study shows that shade trees on the west and south sides of a house in California can reduce a homeowner's summertime electric bill by about $25.00 a year.
A win-win: U-pick pumpkin farms recycle urban leaves
Americans love pumpkins. The growing popularity of rural fall festivals, grade school farm tours, and "u-pick" pumpkin farms has resulted in an increase in consumer demand for pumpkins throughout the country.
Shade trees can protect coffee crops
Sustainable farming that employs shade trees may improve crops' resistance to temperature and precipitation extremes that climate changes are expected to trigger.
Green coffee-growing practices buffer climate-change impacts
Chalk up another environmental benefit for shade-grown Latin American coffee: University of Michigan researchers say the technique will provide a buffer against the ravages of climate change in the coming decades.
Landscapes and human behavior
On Arizona State University's (ASU) Polytechnic campus, graduate student families in the cluster of six houses abutting lush lawns and ornamental bushes spend time together talking while their kids play outside.
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