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Forest Pathology

Our research is focused on forest tree diseases, specifically studying the biology and epidemiology of diseases caused by pathogenic fungi as well as their control and management by proceeding in the disease cycle and breeding for resistance

Grupo de investigación dependiente del

Forest Research Centre (CIFOR)

Department of Ecology and Forest Genetics

Our research in the Forest Pathology lab addresses the challenges faced by forests in Spain due to diseases causing severe damages and tree mortality, with a focus on emergent and/or invasive diseases influenced by global change.

Damages having an effect on productivity of forest products, ecological and landscape value and recreational use require to know their cause and impact on forest trees with implications in productive sectors of forest industry, flora and fauna and the citizen use of forests.

- Pine Pitch Canker caused by Fusarium circinatum, an emergent disease in Europe, with a quarantine regulation.
- Shoot blight of pines caused by Diplodia sapinea, also a canker disease.
- Other canker diseases of the Botryosphaeriaceae family with a potential impact on tree health due to climate change: Neofusiccocum parvum and Lasiodiplodia theobromae.
- Fungal pathogens involved in forest decline in Madrid province and their interaction with climate change.

Investigation

Pine Pitch Canker caused by Fusarium circinatum

We investigate many significant aspects of the disease, whose first official detection in Europe was in Spain in 2005 and since then regulated as a quarantine disease. It has an important impact on Pinus radiata plantations in Northern Spain, and in nurseries of several Pinus species. Our results have relevant implications for disease control and management:

- Impact of seed transmission on disease development and management in nurseries:

- Transmission from seed to tree is positively correlated with tree disease severity.
- The fungus is mainly present on the seed coat.
- Seeds may be contaminated by the fungus during storage, particularly with high relative humidity conditions regardless temperature.
- Transmission rate from seed to seedling 48 days after sowing is up to 80%.
- One year old seedlings grown from infested seed by the fungus may be colonized by the fungus without visible symptoms, which should be considered when seedlings are moved to new plantations.

- Detection of the fungus in pines (roots and trunks) with no symptoms of pitch canker disease as well as in herbaceous species near the infected trees.
- Fungus Survival: Mycelia or spores of the fungus do not survive in the soil. Fungus on needles or wood chips on soil may survive up to 2 years.

- Pathogenic life-history traits of the fungus: virulence, sporulation, spore germination, and mycelial growth:

- Traits measured in two fungal isolates representing the two predominant haplotypes in which Spanish fungal population is structured,
- Analyis of the influence of temperature and wetness period on these traits.
- One of the studied isolates showed higher disease severity on Pinus radiata at 25 and 30 ºC and also a higher spore germination and sporulation at 20 and 25 ºC, with hypha melanization for the first time reported for this fungus.

- Potential impact of the disease on Pinus pinaster:

- Resistance to Fusarium circinatum was measured in Pinus pinaster populations of a clonal bank with family structure.

- High genetic variation was found at the three hierarchical levels studied: population, family and clone, being both additive and non-additive effects important
- Narrow-sense heritability estimates were relatively high, with values of 0.43–0.58. Provenances from Galicia and Asturias were the most resistant.

- A high quality Pinus pinaster de novo transcriptome assembly was generated and utilized to determine the expression profiles of Fusarium circinuatum and Pinus pinaster during the infection process at 3, 5 and 10 days post-inoculation using a dual RNA-sequencing approach.

Diplodia sapinea yand other fungi of the Botryospharieaceae family, Neofusiccocum parvum and Lasiodiploida theobromae

Diplodia sapinea is a fungal pathogen in pine species grown in Spain. Main symptoms are shoot blight and cankers of branches and trunks. Neofusiccocum parvum and Lasiodiploida theobromae produce cankers in many tree species and their incidence have not been studied so far in Spain. However, they may have an impact on tree health due to the temperature rise in some areas of Spain. They are oftenly present in a latent stage and symptoms appear when trees are exposed to stress conditions.

- We have described for the first time the presence of Diplodia sapinea in roots of asymptomatic Pinus radiata trees. Roots had not yet been considered in the disease epidemiology.
- We are studying the genetic diversity of Diplodia sapinea populations in Spain in order to compare them with other populations in the world.
- We are trying to elucidate the interaction between canker pathogens infecting the same tree to know colonization processes and symptom induction during infection.
- We are assessing the influence of heat episodes in Pinus pinaster colonization by Diploida sapinea, Neofusiccocum parvum and Lasiodiplodia theobromae

Pathogens involved in forest decline in Madrid province and their interaction with climate change

Pinus pinaster forest stands have been showing decline and accelerated mortality during last years. Our studies on these stands related to the presence of pathogens show that:

- Decline is associated to abiotic stresses that include climate legacies but not to the presence of fungal pathogens.
- Tree species more tolerant to drought in this region with drought episodes could lead to the replacement of the dominant sp. Pinus pinaster.

Miembros

Soliño M; Raposo R; (2022)
Contributing to healthy forests: Social preferences for pest and disease mitigation programs in Spain
Forest Policy and Economics
DOI: 10.1016/j.forpol.2022.102754
Elvira-Recuenco M; Pando V; Berbegal M; Muñoz A.M; Iturritxa E; Raposo R; (2021)
Influence of Temperature and Moisture Duration on Pathogenic Life History Traits of Predominant Haplotypes of Fusarium circinatum on Pinus spp. in Spain
Phytopathology
DOI: 10.1094/PHYTO-10-20-0445-R
Drenkhan, R., Ganley, B., Martín-García, J., Vahalík, P., Adamson, K., Adamcíková, K., Ahumada, R., Blank, L., Bragança, H., Capretti, P., Cleary, M., Cornejo, C., Davydenko, K., Diez, J.J., Lehtijärvi, H.T.D., Dvorák, M., Enderle, R., Fourie, G., Georgieva, M., Ghelardini, L., Hantula, J., Ioos, R., Iturritxa, E., Kanetis, L., Karpun, N.N., Koltay, A., Landeras, E., Markovskaja, S., Mesanza, N., Milenkovic, I., Musolin, D.L., Nikolaou, K., Nowakowska, J.A., Ogris, N., Oskay, F., Oszako, T., Papazova-Anakieva, I., Paraschiv, M., Pasquali, M., Pecori, F., Rafoss, T., Raitelaityte, K., Raposo, R., Robin, C., Rodas, C.A., Santini, A., Sanz-Ros, A.V., Selikhovkin, A.V., Solla, A., Soukainen, M., Soulioti, N., Steenkamp, E.T., Tsopelas, P., Vemic, A., Vettraino, A.M., Wingfield, M.J., Woodward, S., Zamora-Ballesteros, C., Mullett, M.S. (2020)
Global geographic distribution and host range of fusarium circinatum, the causal agent of pine pitch canker
Forests | 11
DOI: 10.3390/F11070724
Hernandez-Escribano, L., Visser, E.A., Iturritxa, E., Raposo, R., Naidoo, S. (2020)
The transcriptome of Pinus pinaster under Fusarium circinatum challenge
BMC Genomics | 21
DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-6444-0
Mesanza, N., Raposo, R., Elvira-Recuenco, M., Barnes, I., van der Nest, A., Hernández, M., Pascual, M.T., Barrena, I., San Martín, U., Cantero, A., Hernandez-Escribano, L., Iturritxa, E. (2020)
New hosts for Lecanosticta acicola and Dothistroma septosporum in newly established arboreta in Spain
Forest Pathology
DOI: 10.1111/efp.12650
Elvira-Recuenco, M., Cacciola, S.O., Sanz-Ros, A.V., Garbelotto, M., Aguayo, J., Solla, A., Mullett, M., Drenkhan, T., Oskay, F., Kaya, A.G.A., Iturritxa, E., Cleary, M., Witzell, J., Georgieva, M., Papazova-Anakieva, I., Chira, D., Paraschiv, M., Musolin, D.L., Selikhovkin, A.V., Varentsova, E.Y., Adamcíková, K., Markovskaja, S., Mesanza, N., Davydenko, K., Capretti, P., Scanu, B., Gonthier, P., Tsopelas, P., Martín-García, J., Morales-Rodríguez, C., Lehtijärvi, A., Lehtijärvi, H.T.D., Oszako, T., Nowakowska, J.A., Bragança, H., Fernández-Fernández, M., Hantula, J., Díez, J.J. (2020)
Potential interactions between invasive Fusarium circinatum and other pine pathogens in Europe
Forests | 11
DOI: 10.3390/F11010007
Zamora-Ballesteros, C., Diez, J.J., Martín-García, J., Witzell, J., Solla, A., Ahumada, R., Capretti, P., Cleary, M., Drenkhan, R., Dvořák, M., Elvira-Recuenco, M., Fernández-Fernández, M., Ghelardini, L., Gonthier, P., Hernández-Escribano, L., Ioos, R., Markovskaja, S., Martínez-Álvarez, P., Muñoz-Adalia, E.J., Nowakowska, J.A., Oszako, T., Raposo, R., Santini, A., Hantula, J. (2019)
Pine pitch canker (PPC): Pathways of pathogen spread and preventive measures
Forests | 10
DOI: 10.3390/F10121158
Gea-Izquierdo, G., Férriz, M., García-Garrido, S., Aguín, O., Elvira-Recuenco, M., Hernandez-Escribano, L., Martin-Benito, D., Raposo, R. (2019)
Synergistic abiotic and biotic stressors explain widespread decline of Pinus pinaster in a mixed forest
Science of the Total Environment | 685 : 963-975
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.378
Martín-García, J., Zas, R., Solla, A., Woodward, S., Hantula, J., Vainio, E.J., Mullett, M., Morales-Rodríguez, C., Vannini, A., Martínez-Álvarez, P., Pinto, G., Alves, A., Amaral, J., Wingfield, M.J., Fourie, G., Steenkamp, E.T., Ahumada, R., Šerá, B., Sanz-Ros, A.V., Raposo, R., Elvira-Recuenco, M., Iturritxa, E., Gordon, T.R., Diez, J.J. (2019)
Environmentally friendly methods for controlling pine pitch canker
Plant Pathology | 68 : 843-860
DOI: 10.1111/ppa.13009
Fernández-Fernández, M., Naves, P., Musolin, D.L., Selikhovkin, A.V., Cleary, M., Chira, D., Paraschiv, M., Gordon, T., Solla, A., Papazova-Anakieva, I., Drenkhan, T., Georgieva, M., Altunisik, A., Morales-Rodríguez, C., Tabaković-Tošić, M., Avtzis, D.N., Georgiev, G., Doychev, D.D., Nacheski, S., Trestic, T., Elvira-Recuenco, M., Diez, J.J., Witzell, J. (2019)
Pine pitch canker and insects: Regional risks, environmental regulation, and practical management options
Forests | 10
DOI: 10.3390/f10080649
Martín-García, J., Zas, R., Solla, A., Woodward, S., Hantula, J., Vainio, E.J., Mullett, M., Morales-Rodríguez, C., Vannini, A., Martínez-Álvarez, P., Pinto, G., Alves, A., Amaral, J., Wingfield, M.J., Fourie, G., Steenkamp, E.T., Ahumada, R., Šerá, B., Sanz-Ros, A.V., Raposo, R., Elvira-Recuenco, M., Iturritxa, E., Gordon, T.R., Diez, J,J. (2019)
Environmentally-friendly methods for controlling pine pitch canker.
Plant Pathology
DOI:
Vettraino, A.M., Potting, R., Raposo, R. (2018)
EU legislation on forest plant health: An overview with a focus on Fusarium circinatum
Forests | 9
DOI: 10.3390/f9090568
Hernandez-Escribano, L., Iturritxa, E., Elvira-Recuenco, M., Berbegal, M., Campos, J.A., Renobales, G., García, I., Raposo, R. (2018)
Herbaceous plants in the understory of a pitch canker-affected Pinus radiata plantation are endophytically infected with Fusarium circinatum
Fungal Ecology | 32 : 65-71
DOI: 10.1016/j.funeco.2017.12.001
Hernandez-Escribano, L., Iturritxa, E., Aragonés, A., Mesanza, N., Berbegal, M., Raposo, R., Elvira-Recuenco, M. (2018)
Root infection of canker pathogens, Fusarium circinatum and Diplodia sapinea, in asymptomatic trees in Pinus radiata and Pinus pinaster plantations
Forests | 9
DOI: 10.3390/f9030128
Guarnaccia, V., Groenewald, J.Z., Woodhall, J., Armengol, J., Cinelli, T., Eichmeier, A., Ezra, D., Fontaine, F., Gramaje, D., Gutierrez-Aguirregabiria, A., Kaliterna, J., Kiss, L., Larignon, P., Luque, J., Mugnai, L., Naor, V., Raposo, R., Sándor, E., Váczy, K.Z., Crous, P.W. (2018)
Diaporthe diversity and pathogenicity revealed from a broad survey of grapevine diseases in europe
Persoonia: Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi | 40 : 135-153
DOI: 10.3767/persoonia.2018.40.06
Hernandez-Escribano, L., Iturritxa, E., Elvira-Recuenco, M., Berbegal, M., Campos, J.A., Renobales, G., García, I., and Raposo, R. (2018)
Herbaceous plants in the understory of a pitch canker-affected Monterey pine plantation are endophytically infected with Fusarium circinatum
Fungal Ecology 32: 65-71
DOI:
Serrano, Y., Iturritxa, E., Elvira-Recuenco, M., Raposo, R. (2017)
Survival of Fusarium circinatum in soil and Pinus radiata needle and branch segments
Plant Pathology | 66 : 934-940
DOI: 10.1111/ppa.12648
Serra-Varela, M.J., Alía, R., Pórtoles, J., Gonzalo, J., Soliño, M., Grivet, D., Raposo, R. (2017)
Incorporating exposure to pitch canker disease to support management decisions of Pinus pinaster ait. in the face of Climate change
PLoS ONE | 12
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0171549
Iturritxa E., Trask T., Mesanza N., Raposo R., Elvira-Recuenco M., Patten C. L. (2017)
Biocontrol of Fusarium circinatum Infection of Young Pinus radiata Trees.
Forests 8: 32
DOI: 10.3390/f8020032
Serrano, Y., Elvira-Recuenco, M., Conde, M., Troya, M.T., Raposo, R. (2015)
In vitro Evaluation of Wood Preservatives to Prevent Dispersal of Pitch Canker Pathogen, Fusarium circinatum
Journal of Phytopathology | 163 : 783-786
DOI: 10.1111/jph.12321
Evira-Recuenco, M., Iturritxa, E., Raposo, R. (2015)
Impact of seed transmission on the infection and development of pitch canker disease in Pinus radiata
Forests | 6 : 3353-3368
DOI: 10.3390/f6093353
Elvira-Recuenco, M., Iturritxa, E., Majada, J., Alia, R., Raposo, R. (2014)
Adaptive potential of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) populations to the emerging pitch canker pathogen, Fusarium circinatum
PLoS ONE | 9
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114971
Iturritxa, E., Ganley, R.J., Raposo, R., García-Serna, I., Mesanza, N., Kirkpatrick, S.C., Gordon, T.R. (2013)
Resistance levels of Spanish conifers against Fusarium circinatum and Diplodia pinea
Forest Pathology | 43 : 488-495
DOI: 10.1111/efp.12061
Aroca, A., Gramaje, D., Armengol, J., García-Jiménez, J., Raposo, R. (2010)
Evaluation of the grapevine nursery propagation process as a source of Phaeoacremonium spp. and Phaeomoniella chlamydospora and occurrence of trunk disease pathogens in rootstock mother vines in Spain
European Journal of Plant Pathology | 126 : 165-174
DOI: 10.1007/s10658-009-9530-3
Gramaje, D., Aroca, A., Raposo, R., García-Jiménez, J., Armengol, J. (2009)
Evaluation of fungicides to control Petri disease pathogens in the grapevine propagation process
Crop Protection | 28 : 1091-1097
DOI: 10.1016/j.cropro.2009.05.010
RamÍrez-Valiente, J.A., Lorenzo, Z., Soto, A., Valladares, F., Gil, L., Aranda, I. (2009)
Elucidating the role of genetic drift and natural selection in cork oak differentiation regarding drought tolerance
Molecular Ecology | 18 : 3803-3815
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2009.04317.x
Aroca, A., Raposo, R. (2009)
Pathogenicity of phaeoacremonium species on grapevines
Journal of Phytopathology | 157 : 413-419
DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0434.2008.01513.x
Luque, J., Martos, S., Aroca, A., Raposo, R., Garcia-Figueres, F. (2009)
Symptoms and fungi associated with declining mature grapevine plants in northeast Spain
Journal of Plant Pathology | 91 : 381-390
DOI:
Antúnez-Lamas, M., Cabrera-Ordóñez, E., López-Solanilla, E., Raposo, R., Trelles-Salazar, O., Rodríguez-Moreno, A., Rodríguez-Palenzuela, P. (2009)
Role of motility and chemotaxis in the pathogenesis of Dickeya dadantii 3937 (ex Erwinia chrysanthemi 3937)
Microbiology | 155 : 434-442
DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.022244-0

Rafael Calama Sainz
Producción y rendimiento en piñón en masas de Pinus pinea en la provincia de Valladolid
2016 - 2017 | CC16-095
Rosa Raposo
Manejo integrado de la enfermedad del chancro resinoso del pino causado por Fusarium circinatum en viveros y masas forestales
2013 - 2016 | RTA2012-00015
Rosa Raposo
Evaluación de caracteres relevantes para la gestión sostenible de Pinus pinaster Ait. y su interacción con nuevos escenarios climáticos
2018 - 2020 | RTA2017-00063-C04-01
R. Alia
Adaptive BREEDING for productive, sustainable and resilient FORESTs under climate change.
2018 - 2022 | H2020-773383-B4EST

Laura Hernández Escribano
Fusarium circinatum-host interaction: ecological and molecular aspects of the pathogenic and endophytic association
Dirección: Rosa Raposo | Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
David Fariña
Mecanismos de defensa en Pinus pinaster frente a la infección por Fusarium circinatum
Dirección: Rosa Raposo | Universidad Politécnica de Madrid