Symptoms of fungal infection were observed on a plant of Taxus baccata in an urban park. Diagnosis of the pathogen showed the presence of the fungus Cryptocline taxicola. This is the first report of this fungus in Slovak Republic. Characteristics of visual symptoms and microscopic features are described.Keywords: Taxus baccata; Cryptocline taxicola; stereomicroscopy, microscopy; culture
123Plant Protect. Sci. Vol. 43, be caused by Phytophthora ramorum (Werres et al.), but no Phytophthora spp. was present on the sample, which was confirmed by the negative isolation on P 5 ARP[H] medium. However, necrotic and chlorotic needles were observed with fruiting bodies on the upper and lower surfaces, which led to the diagnosis of pathogen. Investigation of visual symptoms and fruiting bodies was carried out by stereomicroscope, investigation of fungal structures by microscope using 40-600× magnification. Culture in a wet chamber and isolation on malt extract agar (MEA) and potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 22°C followed.
resUlts and disCUssionUnder the stereomicroscope the acervuli of the fungus were circular to subcircular, black, surrounded by brown circles and 150-350 μm in diameter. The epidermis of the needle was first pushed upwards and then ruptured irregularly when the fruiting bodies became ripe and broke through. After culture in a wet chamber, a creamy coloured spore mass oozed out from the acervuli (Figure 1) and ellipsoid to oval, smooth-walled and hyaline conidia were produced, measuring 15.6 × 6.85 μm on average (Figure 2). Mature conidia were Vol. 43, Plant Protect. Sci.truncate at the base, obtuse at the apex, hyaline to slightly pigmented. Conidiophores were hyaline, phialidic, cylindrical, measuring 15 × 3.5 μm on average. On culture media, the fungus formed a felty to woolly, olive to grey-brown aerial and slow-growing mycelium. These characteristics led to determination of the fungus as Cryptocline taxicola (All.) Petr. (Petrak 1925). The particular twigs of Taxus were infected also by another fungus that was identified as Phyllosticta concentrica Sacc.; it had pycnidia 100-250 μm in size and egg-shaped hyaline conidia measuring 16.27 × 9.74 μm on average, with an appendage up to 35 μm.The fungus Cryptocline taxicola is known to occur on needles of Taxus baccata in Europe, but to my knowledge this is the first report on the occurrence of this fungus on Taxus baccata in Slovak Republic.Among the needle diseases, Cryptocline taxicola was judged to be of low importance. Recent observations show that it obviously possesses a large degree of parasitic ability (Wulf & Pehl 2002). To know details of the occurrence of this fungus in Slovak Republic, a survey would have to be conducted. However, for the time being this report confirmed the presence of the pathogen in this country. r e f e r e n c e s Brandenburger W. (1985) MSc. Nadežda Bukvayová, Ústredný kontrolný a skúšobný ústav poľnohospodársky, odbor ochrany rastlín, oddelenie všeobecnej a karanténnej diagnostiky, odbor diagnostiky, Hanulova 9/A,
