Articles
STUDIES ON THE MYCOFLORA ASSOCIATED WITH APRICOT DECLINE IN ROMANIA
Important losses are caused in intensive and conventional orchards, where mainly 8 to 10 year-old trees are affected partly or totally by a gradual or sudden drying.
The decline phenomenon is presumably due to the physiological weakening of the trees caused by disturbances in the water balance, the lack of compatibility between the graft and the rootstock, excessive yields, frost, insolation and the activity of some pathogenus as well.
Bovey considers that this disease is primarly incited by the weather conditions and that the pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi) become established on the weakened trees.
Due complexity of this process and the numerous causes inducing it, studies were carried out in many countries (Paunovic, 1966; Stanova, 1966; Carter and Moller, 1968; Rozsnay and Klement, 1973; Morvan, 1977).
Apricot decline was reported in Romania as early as 1932, when data on this disease were included for the first time in the “Plant Health Status”. The disease was ascribed to several fungi either single or associated, such as : Monilia laxa Aderh and Rhul, Clasterosporium corpophylum (Lev) Aderh, Verticillium dahliae Kelb Schizophillum communae Frs., Rosellinia necatrix (Hort) Berl, Nectria ditissima, Cytospora leucostoma Sacc, and to some physical factors (frost, insolation).
Due to the light losses caused by this disease in the orchards of Romania, studies were initiated at ICPP Bucharest on the mycoflora associated with apricot decline (Rafaila and Dinulescu) and several fungal species (Cytospora cincta, Conyothirium piricola) that are likely to contribute to the early drying of apricot trees detected.