Silverleaf Fungus Chondrostereum purpureum

I chose to discuss the Silverleaf Fungus Chondrostereum purpureum, a prevalent fungal disease. There are many symptoms to indicate if a plant is infected by Silverleaf fungus. The first sign is the presence of a silver sheen on the leaves of trees. The silver sheen appears when the epidermis (the outermost cell layer of the plant body) of a leaf splits from the rest of the leaf, changing the way the leaf reflects light. Brown, dead patches may also appear on the silvery leaves.

Additionally, another is dark staining just beneath the bark of branches. This staining can extend for several inches. Eventually, the reproductive structures of fungus that produce the disease (e.g., the white-edged, purple-brown, shelf-like conks) will start to appear on the branches or trunks of the trees.

During wet seasons in the autumn and spring, conks release the spores of fungus and enter trees through pruning scars or open wounds (such as wounds caused by branches breaking during severe storms or heavy, wet spring snow). The fungus invades the xylem (the water-conducting tissue) of the branches, its presence in the xylem produces the dark staining previously mentioned. The fungus then releases a toxin that moves up into the leaves, causing the epidermis to separate, resulting in the appearance of silver sheen on the leaves of trees. Eventually, wood in branches begins to deteriorate. (Silver leaf disease, 1942)

Silver leaf disease. (1942). Nature, 149(3788), 635–635. https://doi.org/10.1038/149635e0

Publicado el octubre 20, 2021 06:10 MAÑANA por layanaljandan