Dear colleagues,
There is new information from the two Czech entomologists, Petr Svacha
und Emil Kucera who have been in prison in India for the last four
weeks. I got this information from my colleague Petr Zabransky, who
himself got the news from Vlada Maly. Vlada Maly was in several times in
contact with Petr Svacha und Emil Kucera by phone. Petr Svacha has asked
to distribute a message from him, which you will find below (translated
to English).
Please continue to support the two entomologists and sign the
petititions to get them released from prison:
http://www.petitiononline.com/h3e09s05/petition.htmlhttp://www.petitiononline.com/wgircn2/petition.html
Thank you for your support an best regards,
Thomas Kirisits
(Please pay attention to the messages below!)
****************************************
Max Barclay
Dear Friends
Martin Rejzek asked me to circulate this letter below from Petr Svacha
- he has translated it so below it is in Czech and English.
The petition prepared by the Indian colleagues has now reached almost
1000 signatures including great names of entomology like John Lawrence,
Ales Smetana, Alex Rasnitsyn, Al Newton etc.! People are still signing
it.
http://www.petitiononline.com/wgircn2/petition-sign.html?
See letter below
Max Barclay
-----Original Message-----
From: Martin REJZEK [mailto:bodo.bodemeyer3@ntlworld.com]
Sent: 16 July 2008 22:57
To: Max Barclay; BARCLAY Max (home)
Subject:
Dear Max,
I have just received an email message that allegedly comes from Petr
Svacha.
In this email Petr asks to distribute the following message. I have no
reason to doubt its origin and so I translate it into English for you.
Best wishes, Martin
___________________________________________
Translated by M. Rejzek from Czech original:
Dear Colleagues,
Many thanks for the great support you have organised in a way that I
can not determine right now. I would like to just correct one fact.
There is no need to look for reasons and excuses why we collected in the
National Park as we have NEVER ENTERED IT. The whole case is likely be
solved very quickly as soon as we get a chance to explain this fact at a
court hearing.
Unfortunately, the whole Darjeeling administration including the
judges is currently on strike. I would like to ask you to forward this
information to all who supported us as we are currently not able to do
so.
Many thanks again,
Petr Svacha
____________________________________________________________
Dr. Thomas Kirisits
Institut für Forstentomologie, Forstpathologie und Forstschutz
Department für Wald- und Bodenwissenschaften
Universität für Bodenkultur (BOKU)
Hasenauerstraße 38
A-1190 Wien
Österreich
Tel.: (++43) (1) 368-24-33
Fax: (++43) (1) 368-24-33 oder (++43) (1) 368-63-52-97
e-mail: thomas.kirisits(a)boku.ac.at
Homepage: http://ifff.boku.ac.at/
Institute of Forest Entomology, Forest Pathology and Forest Protection
Department for Forest and Soil Sciences
BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences
Hasenauerstrasse 38
A-1190 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: (++43) (1) 368-24-33
Fax: (++43) (1) 368-24-33 or (++43) (1) 368-63-52-97
e-mail: thomas.kirisits(a)boku.ac.at
Homepage: http://ifff.boku.ac.at/
Dear colleagues,
two Czech entomologists - Petr Svacha and Emil Kucera - were arrested in India for collecting insects without government permission. Both colleagues are renowned and reliable scientists. Svacha is an expert especially in the larvae of the beetle Family Cerambycidae (longhorn beetles), and Kucera discovered a lot of new insect species, often named after him. In my opinion, knowledge is the first step in conservation nature. Therefore each one day incarcerating Mr. Svacha or Mr. Kucera is also a setback in conservation nature. There is a petiton for releasing in the web, but unfortunatelly focussed on Svacha only. Now The Czech Entomological Society started a new petition for releasing both scientists. Pleas sign the new petition! Details see below:
http://www.petitiononline.com/h3e09s05/petition.htmlhttp://www.telegraphindia.com/1080709/jsp/siliguri/story_9524001.jsp
Many thanks and best regards,
Petr Zabransky
President of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Oesterreichischer Entomologen
Ludo Hartmann Platz 7
1160 Wien
Austria
Many thanks to those of you who wrote back about the distinctively striped
foliage disease of aspen.
Mike Schomaker (also in Colorado) said that he has seen this as an early
stage of ink spot, caused by Ciborinia whetzelii. He was initially puzzled
until he saw sclerotia forming in the symptomatic leaves later in the
season. I rechecked a few descriptions of the disease, and an initial
zonate pattern is mentioned briefly but I have not found a photograph of
it.
After incubating my "tiger blight" for 3-4 days, the zonation is beginning
to fade and sclerotia have begun to form (see photo below). So, it looks
like Mike is correct (congratulations, although I was starting to like the
name tiger blight!). I will follow the development in nature through the
summer and see whether it begins to look more like ink spot as usually
pictured.
Thomas Kirisits wrote about Septotinia podophyllina and referred me to
Butin. Luckily I have his books. In Forstpathologie für Studium und
Praxis (1973), he describes and presents a drawing of Ringfleckenkrankheit
der Pappel, caused by Sclerotinia (Septotinia) podophyllina. It makes
somewhat round lesions with concentric banding. It has an asexual stage
(unlike Ciborinia) with large conidia and produces apothecia in the
spring. In Krankheiten der Wald- und Parkbäume (1983), he refers to the
pathogen as Septotinia populiperda. This fungus is closely related to
Ciborinia (both in Sclerotiniaceae) so it is not surprising it might
produce similar symptoms.
Risto Jalkanen referred to a similar disease of unknown etiology he has
seen on Salix caprea. Perhaps it is caused by a related fungus.
Several people suggested the possibility of leaf miner (insect) damage. It
certainly is reminiscent of leaf miner damage (which we actually saw at the
same site), but we (including entomologist Tom Eager) are convinced that it
is not leaf miner.
Thanks again to all who kindly wrote back with assistance or just
excitement!
(See attached file: tiger_incubated_spots_2.jpg)
Jim Worrall
US Forest Service
Rocky Mountain Region
Forest Health Management
216 N. Colorado St.
Gunnison CO, 81230
(970) 642-1166 desk
(970) 390-2352 cell
(970) 642-1919 fax
We have a foliage disease of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) in
southwestern Colorado, USA. It is beautiful, strikingly unique, appears to
be causing significant impact, and has me completely baffled. The
foresters who brought it to my attention are calling it "tiger blight"
because of the distinctive striping (see pictures below). It is occurring
mostly on suckers and saplings and lower branches of overstory trees. I
was told that in one regenerating stand of suckers, it is killing 30-40% of
the foliage.
There is no fruiting (perhaps very early initials), but there are hyaline
hyphae in the lesions.
If the striping is caused by alternation between night and day (and I can't
think what else would lead to the zonation), the lesions appear to expand
rapidly.
I put some leaves in a moist chamber to see if anything fruits. In the
meantime, has anyone seen this disease before, or even similar symptoms on
another species?
(See attached file: tiger_4.jpg)
(See attached file: tiger_5.jpg)
(See attached file: tiger_group_1.jpg)
Thanking you in advance,
Jim Worrall
US Forest Service
Rocky Mountain Region
Forest Health Management
216 N. Colorado St.
Gunnison CO, 81230
(970) 642-1166 desk
(970) 209-1332 cell
(970) 642-1919 fax
Dear Jim,
What a beautiful leaf disease!
Could it be Septotinia podophyllina, the only poplar leaf disease I know
where concentric rings occur? I was surprised that it is not mentioned
in the North American "bible" (Synclair & Lyon). The textbook of Butin
has a description and a drawing.
I found a link with a short description of the disease:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/AC492E/AC492E06.htm
I also found one reference: Kam, M. de, 1973: Life history, host range
an distribution of Septotinia podophyllinia. European Journal of Forest
Pathology 3: 1-6.
Please let us know what is is, as soon as you know!
Hope this helps.
All best,
Thomas Kirisits
____________________________________________________________
Dr. Thomas Kirisits
Institut für Forstentomologie, Forstpathologie und Forstschutz
Department für Wald- und Bodenwissenschaften
Universität für Bodenkultur (BOKU)
Hasenauerstraße 38
A-1190 Wien
Österreich
Tel.: (++43) (1) 368-24-33
Fax: (++43) (1) 368-24-33 oder (++43) (1) 368-63-52-97
e-mail: thomas.kirisits(a)boku.ac.at
Homepage: http://ifff.boku.ac.at/
Institute of Forest Entomology, Forest Pathology and Forest Protection
Department for Forest and Soil Sciences
BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences
Hasenauerstrasse 38
A-1190 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: (++43) (1) 368-24-33
Fax: (++43) (1) 368-24-33 or (++43) (1) 368-63-52-97
e-mail: thomas.kirisits(a)boku.ac.at
Homepage: http://ifff.boku.ac.at/
>>> James Worrall <jworrall(a)fs.fed.us> 07/13/08 3:17 PM >>>
We have a foliage disease of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) in
southwestern Colorado, USA. It is beautiful, strikingly unique, appears
to
be causing significant impact, and has me completely baffled. The
foresters who brought it to my attention are calling it "tiger blight"
because of the distinctive striping (see pictures below). It is
occurring
mostly on suckers and saplings and lower branches of overstory trees. I
was told that in one regenerating stand of suckers, it is killing 30-40%
of
the foliage.
There is no fruiting (perhaps very early initials), but there are
hyaline
hyphae in the lesions.
If the striping is caused by alternation between night and day (and I
can't
think what else would lead to the zonation), the lesions appear to
expand
rapidly.
I put some leaves in a moist chamber to see if anything fruits. In the
meantime, has anyone seen this disease before, or even similar symptoms
on
another species?
(See attached file: tiger_4.jpg)
(See attached file: tiger_5.jpg)
(See attached file: tiger_group_1.jpg)
Thanking you in advance,
Jim Worrall
US Forest Service
Rocky Mountain Region
Forest Health Management
216 N. Colorado St.
Gunnison CO, 81230
(970) 642-1166 desk
(970) 209-1332 cell
(970) 642-1919 fax
Dear Jim,
What a beautiful leaf disease!
Could it be Septotinia podophyllina, the only poplar leaf disease I know
where concentric rings occur? I was surprised that it is not mentioned
in the North American "bible" (Synclair & Lyon). The textbook of Butin
has a description and a drawing.
I found a link with a short description of the disease:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/AC492E/AC492E06.htm
I also found one reference: Kam, M. de, 1973: Life history, host range
an distribution of Septotinia podophyllinia. European Journal of Forest
Pathology 3: 1-6.
Please let us know what is is, as soon as you know!
Hope this helps.
All best,
Thomas Kirisits
____________________________________________________________
Dr. Thomas Kirisits
Institut für Forstentomologie, Forstpathologie und Forstschutz
Department für Wald- und Bodenwissenschaften
Universität für Bodenkultur (BOKU)
Hasenauerstraße 38
A-1190 Wien
Österreich
Tel.: (++43) (1) 368-24-33
Fax: (++43) (1) 368-24-33 oder (++43) (1) 368-63-52-97
e-mail: thomas.kirisits(a)boku.ac.at
Homepage: http://ifff.boku.ac.at/
Institute of Forest Entomology, Forest Pathology and Forest Protection
Department for Forest and Soil Sciences
BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences
Hasenauerstrasse 38
A-1190 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: (++43) (1) 368-24-33
Fax: (++43) (1) 368-24-33 or (++43) (1) 368-63-52-97
e-mail: thomas.kirisits(a)boku.ac.at
Homepage: http://ifff.boku.ac.at/
>>> James Worrall <jworrall(a)fs.fed.us> 07/13/08 3:17 PM >>>
We have a foliage disease of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) in
southwestern Colorado, USA. It is beautiful, strikingly unique, appears
to
be causing significant impact, and has me completely baffled. The
foresters who brought it to my attention are calling it "tiger blight"
because of the distinctive striping (see pictures below). It is
occurring
mostly on suckers and saplings and lower branches of overstory trees. I
was told that in one regenerating stand of suckers, it is killing 30-40%
of
the foliage.
There is no fruiting (perhaps very early initials), but there are
hyaline
hyphae in the lesions.
If the striping is caused by alternation between night and day (and I
can't
think what else would lead to the zonation), the lesions appear to
expand
rapidly.
I put some leaves in a moist chamber to see if anything fruits. In the
meantime, has anyone seen this disease before, or even similar symptoms
on
another species?
(See attached file: tiger_4.jpg)
(See attached file: tiger_5.jpg)
(See attached file: tiger_group_1.jpg)
Thanking you in advance,
Jim Worrall
US Forest Service
Rocky Mountain Region
Forest Health Management
216 N. Colorado St.
Gunnison CO, 81230
(970) 642-1166 desk
(970) 209-1332 cell
(970) 642-1919 fax
Dear Forest Pathologists,
Our rust specialist, Dr. Hye Young Yun, is seeking for fresh material of
Gymnosporangium as mentioned in the attached file.
If you find this rust fungi, please send to the address below.
Thank you.
Dr. Hye Young Yun
Systematic Mycology & Microbiology Laboratory
USDA-ARS, Rm. 304, B011A
10300 Baltimore Ave.
Beltsville, MD 20705
301-504-5364
Fax 301-504-5810
http://ars.usda.gov/ba/psi/smml
