Taphrina caerulescens
| Taphrina caerulescens | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Phylum: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Taphrinomycetes |
| Order: | Taphrinales |
| Family: | Taphrinaceae |
| Genus: | Taphrina |
| Species: | T. caerulescens |
| Binomial name | |
|
Taphrina caerulescens (Desm. & Mont.) Tul. (1866) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Ascomyces caerulescens Desm. & Mont. (1848) |
|
Ascomyces caerulescens Desm. & Mont. (1848)
Taphrina caerulescens is a species of fungus in the Taphrinaceae family. It is a pathogenic Ascomycete fungus that causes Oak Leaf Blister disease on various species of Oak trees (Quercus sp.). The associated anamorph species is Lalaria coccinea, described in 1990. This disease causes lesions and blisters on Oak leaves. Effects of the disease are mostly cosmetic. Although not taxonomically defined, strains of T. caerulescens have been shown to be host specific with varying ¬ascus morphology between strains. There are differences in strains’ abilities to metabolize various carbon and nitrogen compounds. This has been proposed as a method of taxonomically defining subspecies within T. caerulescens.
T. caerulescens is very closely related to Taphrina deformans, which causes Peach Leaf Curl. These two pathogens have indistinguishable asci. However, T. deformans infects peach tree species while T. caerulescens infects Oak tree species only.
Taphrina caerulescens infects about 50 different species of Oak (Quercus), predominately red oak (Q. eruthrobalanus) and some white oak (Q. leurobalanus). Oak Leaf Blister is found across the country and in varying parts of the world but is most severe in the south east and Gulf States of the U.S. It is generally accepted that a T. caerulescens strain isolated from one host cannot be used to infect a different host species. This indicates that there are a number of different strains within T. caerulescens. For instance, it has been observed where a single, heavily-infected oak tree of one species is surrounded by various other susceptible oak species which remain symptom-less of Oak Leaf Blister the entire season. In a study by Taylor & Birdwell, pathogen isolates from Water, Live, and Southern Red Oak were used to inoculate the host Live Oak. Asci developed on the Live Oak only from pathogen isolates originating from the Live Oak, further indicating host specificity. The extent of strains' host specificity is not fully known and no taxonomic specifications are in place to name these strains. Various strains have also been shown to differ in their nitrogen and carbon compound metabolic profiles
In lab, symptoms develop about four weeks after inoculation In the field, symptoms are most prominent on the top side of the leaf. Grey lesions 3–20 mm in diameter appear in early spring on the bottom side of the leaf with blisters or bulges up to ½” high on the top side of the leaf. By midsummer these lesions may coalesce causing significant amounts of necrosis per leaf. This can cause the leaf to curl as well as premature defoliation (more common where disease is more severe) upwards of 85%. Top side chlorosis normally corresponds with the lesions on the bottom side of the leaf. Reduced overall growth of the tree may result, but is not common.
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