Dear colleagues,
On behalf of two Ph.D. students I would like to ask you for assistance
of their Ph.D. projects!
For molecular / population studies on Mycosphaerella dearnessii
(anamorph Lecanosticta acicola), the causal agent of brown spot needle
blight of pine species (Pinus spp.), we would be interested to obtain
isolates / populations of isolates of this fungus and/or pine needles
infected by M. dearnessii (preferably with conidiomata and/or ascomata
pesent). In the latter case the isolations would be done by the Ph.D.
candidates themselves.
The work will be done as part of the Ph.D. theses of Marion Kessler
(marion.kessler(a)bfw.gv.at ) at the Institute of Forest Entomology,
Forest Pathology and Forest Protection (IFFF), University of Natural
Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Austria (advisors:
Erhard Halmschlager, Thomas Cech & Christian Stauffer) and Josef
Janousek (janousek.jose(a)gmail.com) at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood
Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic (advisors: Libor
Jankovsky & Christian Stauffer).
Isolates and samples from all parts of the world would be very welcome!
Of particular high interest are isolates from North, Central and South
America. This is because the fungus is suspected to be native there and
for comparisons of putative native versus introduced fungal populations
American isolates would be essential. Brown spot is a common and
important disease of Pinus palustris and other Pinus spp. in the
south-east and central USA, so we hope that US colleagues will be
willing to help in providing isolates/samples.
But isolates/samples from other parts of the world, especially also
from Asia, would be also very valuable. So far Marion and Josef have a
good collection of isolates from several parts of Europe, but additional
European material would also be good and can only strengthen the planned
work.
The EPPO diagnostic protocol for Mycosphaerella dearnessii contains a
lot of useful information on diagnosing the disease and it also includes
a number of excellent photographs of the symptoms:
http://www.eppo.org/QUARANTINE/fungi/Mycosphaerella_dearnessii/pm7-46%281%2…
In addition, Josef Janusek prepared a page with a few photos of
symptoms of brown spot needle blight:
http://picasaweb.google.cz/pepino96/BrownSpotNeedleBlightOfPines#
If you are able and willing to help, please contact me. Marion Kessler
and Josef Janusek will then provide you with further information
(details for sampling, sending, import permit, etc.). Please do not
hesitate to contact me in the case you have any further questions.
Thank you very much in advance for your help! Your assistance will be
invaluable and very much appreciated!
With best regards,
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/