Disease Note

Fusarium lateritium Causing Needle Spots on Torreya taxifolia in Florida. N. E. El-Gholl, Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Gainesville 32602. Plant Dis. 69:905. Accepted for publication 23 May 1985. Copyright 1985 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-69-905a.

Fusarium lateritium Nees was isolated from spots on needles of 30-yr-old Torreya taxifolia Arn. trees. The light grayish green spots, which became tan, were up to 8.4 mm long and as wide as the needle, with brown, irregularly shaped necrotic centers 2.4 mm long × 2 mm wide. When F. lateritium (1.8 × 10⁵ macroconidia per milliliter) was spray-inoculated onto 2-yr-old cuttings, symptoms developed in the absence of wounds within 3 days. No more than four spots per plant were observed at 30 ± 2 C and 100% relative humidity. The fungus was reisolated from all spots. Infected needles fell off within 2 wk after inoculation, and sporodochia were evident on the lower side of the needles. This is the first report of this fungus causing disease on this endangered species. F. lateritium was deposited with the Fusarium Research Center at Pennsylvania State University as L-212.