Timo Kurkela , Heikki Nuorteva

Short-needle disease of Scots pine: an abnormal needle length distribution

Kurkela T., Nuorteva H. (1998). Short-needle disease of Scots pine: an abnormal needle length distribution. Silva Fennica vol. 32 no. 1 article id 702. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.702

Abstract

Short-needle syndrome occurs commonly in southern Finland. The disease is characterized by abnormal length distribution of the needles in shoots. In most cases, affected shoots have needles of normal length as well as very short needles. The short needles are those injured during the needle elongation period; the tissues formed abnormal sclerenchymatic structures and wound periderm. One possible cause could be hemipterous insects feeding on growing needles. Salivary sheaths of such insects were often present in both deformed needle bases and undeformed mature tissues.

Keywords
Pinus sylvestris; Scots pine; needle length; insect feeding; tissue deformation

Received 13 June 1997 Accepted 28 January 1998 Published 31 December 1998

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