The GFPF seminar (Groupe Francophone de Pathologie Forestière) was held recently for three days in Hendaye from 14-16 October 2014
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Jointly organized by the Département de la Santé des Forêts (DSF-MAAF) and the UMR IAM and partially funded by grants from Labex ARBRE, the seminar gathered 38 participants, mostly from DSF, INRA Bordeaux and INRA Nancy-Lorraine, including 10 scientists or technicians from the joint research unit UMR IAM (Tree/Microorganism Interactions). Fourteen presentations were given, including six by IAM team members, about recent results on the epidemiology of the major pathosystems currently being studied: Poplar rust, Alder Phytophthora and Ash Dieback.

The seminar’s major focus was on the introduction of emerging diseases, such as Ash dieback, ink diseases (on oaks and chestnuts) due to Phytophthora cinnamomi and Pitch Canker, a new disease on Pines caused by Gibberella circinata. This fungus is common in North America where it causes canker and necrosis on twigs, branches, trunks and roots of many pine species. It was introduced in Europe in the 1990s and is now well established in northern Spain. Aside from a few cases  that appeared in the early 2000s, the disease has not yet spread to France.   The GFPF meeting also included field tours of forests in Spain to visit infected areas to better understand the disease symptoms and the host range. Discussions also addressed the risk of Pitch Canker spreading to France, particularly to southwestern France where the climate would favor establishment of this disease and where the presence of susceptible species is particularly dense.

Claude Husson, GFPF

To read more about GFPF, follow this link : https://colloque6.inra.fr/gfpf2014

Photo : Visit of a pine forest in Spain with presence of Pitch canker caused by Gibberella circinata