In the fall of 2000, a new blight disease was observed on Buxus spp. in private gardens in Belgium. Since then, more and similar disease samples from other Belgian sites, nurseries, and several garden centers have been received, indicating that this disease is spreading. Similar observations have been made in the U.K. and France, where the disease is widespread and losses are sometimes dramatic (1). Diseased plants have dark brown-to-black leaf spots and streaky, black stem lesions which lead, in some cases, to complete defoliation. On some infected plants new leaves grew in defoliated areas, hiding the original blight symptoms. Infection was mainly observed on Buxus sempervirens cv. Suffruticosa, but B. sempervirens cv. Latifolia raculata, B. microphylla cv. Compacta, and B. microphylla var. japonica cv. Faulkner were also infected. In the U.K., infections have additionally been reported on varieties of B. sempervirens, B. sinica, and B. microphylla (1). On the basis of observed symptoms and comparison of the symptoms with descriptions by Henricot and Culham (2), we identified that this new form of Buxus blight in Belgium is caused by Cylindrocladium buxicola. Sporulating cultures on potato dextrose agar (PDA) had macroconidiophores with stipe extensions terminating in broadly ellipsoidal vesicles with pointed or papillate apices (6.5 to 11 μm in diameter) and a penicillate arrangement of fertile branches each terminating in two to five phialides. Phialides produced clusters of cylindrical conidia (42 to 68 × 4 to 6 μm) that were rounded at both ends and had a single septum. Pathogenicity of the isolate was demonstrated by inoculation of healthy stems and leaves of four 3-year-old plants of B. sempervirens cv. Suffruticosa. On each plant, agar pieces of 1-week-old cultures grown on PDA were placed on five stems and five leaves that had been wounded with a sterile scalpel, then sealed with Parafilm. As a control, five wounded stems and leaves from another B. sempervirens cv. Suffruticosa plant were inoculated with sterile agar plugs. Inoculated plants were incubated in humid chambers (approximately 95% relative humidity) on the laboratory bench. Two weeks after inoculation, no symptoms were visible on the control plant. The inoculated plants showed symptoms as previously described, and C. buxicola was successfully reisolated from diseased tissue completing Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first record of C. buxicola on Buxus spp. in Belgium.
References: (1) B. Henricot et al. Plant Pathol. 49:805, 2000. (2) B. Henricot and A. Culham. Mycologia 94(6):980, 2002.
