PRESENCE OF THE QUARANTINE FUNGUS Fusarium Circinatum ON PINES IN GALICIA.

Fusarium circinatum is the anamorph of (Gibberella circinata Niremberg & O´Donnell). It affects several species of the genus Pinus, among them Pinus pinaster and Pinus radiata, which are very abundant in Galicia. The fungus was found both on young and adult plants, causing weakening and death of plants if damage is severe. On adult trees, the disease is known as 'Pitch Canker' and has a strongly infective action both on vegetative and reproductive tissues, among them seeds.

It is a quarantine fungal pathogen included in the A2 EPPO (European Plant Protection Organization) Action list. Since its presence was not confirmed in the European Union, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food issued the Royal Decree 637/2006, of 26 may, establishing the guidelines of the national programme of eradication and control of the fungus Fusarium circinatum.

In Galicia this fungus was first detected at the laboratories of the Estación Fitopatolóxica do Areeiro at the end of 2004, first on young plants from nursery, and subsequently also on adult plants. This laboratory is following the recommended protocols of the Royal Decree 637/2006 to determine their fungal structures: mono and poly- phialides, macro and microconidia, and circinus.

Circinus	Macro and Microconidias	Mono and Poly-Phialides