First report of Diplodia sapinea on Cedrus libani in Turkey

Abstract

Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) is an ecologically and economically important conifer with a natural distribution in southern Turkey. Currently, no serious diseases affect C. libani in its native range, although it is susceptible to pathogens such as Heterobasidion annosum and Diplodia pinea in inoculation experiments (Lehtijärvi et al., 1). Recent reports from the Balkans and Northern Europe, however, suggest that C. libani is susceptible to foliage and shoot diseases such as Diplodia pinea, Dothistroma septosporum and Sirococcus tsugae (Mullet et al., 2; Zlatkovic et al., 2016).