Lophodermium piceae and Rhizosphaera kalkhoffi i in Norway spruce: correlations with host age and climatic features

Abstract

The study was carried out in 4 similar Norway spruce stands and it demonstrated that the spreading structures produced by Lophodermium piceae and Rhizosphaera kalkhoffii are not correlated. The two fungi were always detected with opposite growth trends, probably due to different needle colonization and spreading strategies, and this was most likely also why they were able to co-exist, colonizing different parts of the needle. Independently of the year, site, sampling period and amount of precipitation, the two fungi were significantly less common in saplings and more common in mature trees, with frequencies also depending on both the minimum and the maximum temperatures.