AN OUTLOOK ON THE ASSOCIATION OF BURSAPHELENCHUS LEONI WITH WILTING PINES IN CYPRUS

Abstract

In Cyprus, Bursaphelenchus leoni was found to be associated with pine wilting; 48% of the wood samples examined from seriously wilted pine trees (Pinus brutia) were infested with the nematode while the overall mean nematode infestation, including P. pinea and P. nigra, reached 56 per cent. Very few nematodes were recovered from pine trees showing no clean wilt symptoms. Bark beetle attack was evident in all seriously wilted trees while nematode populations in young trees were higher than in very old trees. P. nigra is reported for the first time as a host of B. leoni in Cyprus.