Scientists have discovered a fungus that kills pistachio trees
He threatens to leave the world without pistachios.
Upstairs
Since the spring of 2010, farmers from Sicily, complaining of an unknown illness, is striking in pistachio trees. It manifests itself in the form of wounds and leads to plant death.
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The research team headed by Salvatore Vitale studied plants 15 pistachio orchards and identified necrosis of blood vessels, as well as gummas — painful kamedetechenie, in which patches of bark and wood turns into a mass of gum, speaking out.
The scientists also conducted a series of tests on the pathogenicity on young 5-year-old plants.
In the end, the researchers were able to identify previously unknown pathogenic fungus that forms colonies on pistachio trees. The new species is named Liberomyces pistaciae, and its description is published in the journal MycoKeys.
Given the prevalence of, Liberomyces pistaciae is a threat to the cultivation of pistachio trees, the researchers note. The pathogen is detected not only in infected but asymptomatic plants. This means that the fungus has a latent phase and actually could spread to other agricultural regions.
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