Pine ophiostomosis, what to do?

Pine ophiostomosis is caused by fungi of the genera Ophiostoma, Ceratocystis and Grosmannia. The wood on the sections of the plant has a bluish color. By the nature of the color, it is possible to determine the route of infection. For example, if the upper sections of the trunk are more colored than the lower ones, this indicates an apical type of infection.

The main way of dispersal of ophiostoma fungi, which appear in the form of “blue wood”, is entomochory – spread by insects. After entering the plant with an insect, the fungi quickly move to development in the bark and sapwood part of the trunk, blocking the water and mineral nutrition of the plant. This makes the process of plant death inevitable.

Unfortunately, only prevention and treatment is possible only at the beginning of the invasion of stem pests, in all other cases, the development of the disease leads to the death of the plant.

In areas and on plants by age where damage by trunk pests (bark beetle) is highly probable, prevention of the development of pine ophiostomosis is the only possibility to save plants