[APWG] Fw: [Comtf] Wood Rose a new host for SOD

[Jil_Swearingen at nps.gov]

----- Forwarded by Jil Swearingen/NCR/NPS on 06/15/2004 02:32 PM -----


                    California Oak Mortality Task Force

                               NEWS RELEASE


WOOD ROSE FOUND TO BE HOST OF SUDDEN OAK DEATH PATHOGEN

Date:   April 1, 2004
Contact:  Katie Palmieri, Information Officer
(510) 847-5482

BERKELEY  USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS), along
with the CA Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), are adding wood rose
(Rosa gymnocarpa) to the list of nearly 30 confirmed Phytophthora ramorum
host plants.  As a host plant, wood rose will fall under Phytophthora
ramorum regulations, requiring inspection before being certified for
shipment from CA nurseries.

Research conducted by Daniel Huberli in the Garbelotto laboratory at the
University of California Berkeley concluded that the pathogen sporulates on
the infected leaflets, making it a potential vector for the disease.
Further studies are being conducted to determine if the stem of wood rose
is also affected by the pathogen.  “The genus Rosa is the quintessential
ornamental genus, probably one of the most widespread across the globe.
Although no infected roses have been found in commercial nurseries yet,
this finding should prompt surveys of roses sold commercially (especially
wood rose) to ascertain their infection status,” said Matteo Garbelotto, a
professor and forest pathologist extension specialist at UC Berkeley.
Based on the wood rose findings, hybrid roses, most often found in
nurseries, are being laboratory tested by UC Berkeley scientists for their
susceptibility to Phytophthora ramorum.

Wood rose is native to California, and is commonly found in a wide range of
habitats.  It is popular in the horticultural industry and is readily
available from native plant nurseries in California, Oregon, Washington,
and British Columbia.

For more information, contact Katie Palmieri, COMTF public affairs officer,
at (510) 847-5482.  For more information about Sudden Oak Death, go to the
California Oak Mortality Task Force (COMTF) website at:
www.suddenoakdeath.org.