Oak Death genome cracked

American Forests, Wntr, 2005

Scientists have sequenced the genome of the fungal pathogen that causes Sudden Oak Death, but the discovery comes amid concerns that the deadly disease, which has killed thousands of trees in California, may have spread nationwide.

The disease, P. ramorum, was sent nationwide through plant shipments from an infected California nursery earlier this year. Officials say it will take at least a year to see if there are any effects. Of chief concern right now: the East Coast's Appalachian forest, according to NewScientist.com news service.

The disease has also been found in nurseries and some parks in the U.K. and the Netherlands. It kills oaks and beech by cutting off the flow of food from leaves to roots. When the roots die, the upper tree and limbs die from lack of water (see Sudden Death Looms for Oaks, American Forests, Summer 2001).

Scientists hope cracking the genetic code will lead to a diagnostic tool and, eventually, to a selective treatment. The current treatment, which requires a chemical be spread over the tree's bark twice a year, is not effective on all trees, the news service said.