Verticillium Wilt ?

[Tree Planter]

Hello all, and thanxs to those of u who take the time to reply

I am wondering about the difference in the signs and symptoms of this disease? Especially in mature trees versus young trees say 7 yr 50-60mm another question is what are the life expectancys after infection? also is it true that you have to steralize the soil after removal. what is the pathogen that causes this disease classified as? and spred what spreds it

 

[Husky288XP]

The symptoms of Vert. wilt are unilateral dieback and vascular discoloration.
If you cut a cross-section of a branch you will see the discoloration of the sapwood, usually, or you can peel to bark off a branch and see streaks of brown along with white sapwood. Usually the tree will die within two to three years from the "plugging" of the vascular tissue by gums, polysaccharids, expanded paranchyma cells, etc, that stop the follow of water, nutrients, etc.

The site in which the tree was planted should aid in your tree selection, by picking species that does not get the disease such as: London plane, sweetgum....and the list goes on.

 

[Tree Planter]

so they will not develope canckers? and there is no gummossis associated with this disease and it is it a fungus?

 

[Tree Planter]

no cankers as injust full death of the shoot or branch initially infected and then so on through out the tree

 

[Husky288XP]

Verticillium Wilt-fungus Verticillium is a soil borne pathogen that enters the tree through an injury or wound to its root system.

The disease can be dissimenated by the moving of dead infected branches, soil, etc.

There are no cankers or gummossis.

 

[Husky288XP]

Vert. Wilt is a WILT meaning that the tree will show symptoms of water stress, flacid leaves, progressing to dead leaves which in turn fall off the tree(dead branch). Sometimes a tree will produce a heavy amount of seed when stressed by Vert. Wilt.

No cankers, cankers are areas of localized dead tissue with or without bark retention.

 

[Tree Planter]

so this disease would spread realy fast and kill quite a bit in a nursery setting 2-3 years or are there circumstances that will slow it down

 

[Tree Planter]

does it also spread from branch to branch on its own or does it need help (pruning) and harvesting say off the spades from one tree to the next

 

[Husky288XP]

Your best bet is to remove the infected trees and test the soil around the suscept trees. The best way to prevent or control the disease to promote vigor in the trees by watering and fertilizing, remember a diseases do not just attack perfectly healthy trees.

Vert. Wilt does not spread from branch to branch it is in the vascular tissue that can be linked to branches, stems, trunks, etc.

 

[Tree Planter]

but the disease could infect a perfectaly healthy tree if it was transmitted on my pruners?

and so infection does mean death?

i hope i am not badgering you to much ?

 

[Tree Planter]

oh ok i understand now about it spreading through the v.t.

 

[Husky288XP]

Infection usually means death most trees die in about 2-3 years. The only control is to prune the dead branch and water/fert to maintain vigor, but the disease will progress to other vascular tissue over time.

It is not spread by pruners, saws, etc, but it may not be a bad idea to practice such measures.