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<DIV>APWG:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Since sending out my initial e-mail about some sort of unknown disease
or pathogen killing Microstegium in West Virginia I have
received an encouraging number of responses and I would like to pass on some
answers to questions that several people have asked. I would also like to
pass on some updated information.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG>Does it appear that the disease or whatever it is shows similar or
related symptoms in native plants? </STRONG>From what I have observed, the
answer would be yes. I have seen similar lesions in a couple of local
woodland grasses but it seemed more to damage or kill individual leaves of
grass plants rather than the entire plant. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There is still no word on the name or identity of the pathogen but a fresh
sample of sick and dying stiltgrass was mailed to Indiana University to see
whether our pathogen matched something discovered in Microstegium patches there
recently.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The weather in central West Virginia has been pretty normal this
summer. It has not been anywhere as wet as parts of the northeast.
We had a very dry period during late June and early July but generally it has
not been a year of extremes. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I have been in contact with people at the WV Department of Agriculture and
the disease and they have identified a similar health issue with stiltgrass in
Lincoln County, West Virginia.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Several people have suggested a rust and some people suggested that it was
a wind born virus. Because I have found infected individual plants over
100 feet from any other plants I would have to vote for wind dispersal. I
have found very small individual plants, the kind that are usually at the
leading edge of an invasion with spots on their leaves...those plants are so
small that all evidence of their existence is gone as soon as they die.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>As the stiltgrass plants die it appears that they die from the bottom
up....kind of like diseased tomatoes. Some of the plants
develop black spots on their stems and it seems that when the black spots show
up the likelihood of seed production drops.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>At Crummies Creek there are several sites where the mortality has been
occurring that will be easy to relocate next year to see what
happens. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I am taking additional photos each day as things deconstruct and will post
a follow up as soon as I hear anything on the identity of the disease
organism.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>One final observation. It appears that whatever it is very
contagious. Woods roads that have been traveled since being infected
sport nothing but dead stiltgrass wherever wheel tracks have passed over.
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I hope the photos and comments below add some worthwhile information
to the discussion.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Russ Richardson, Certified Forester</DIV>
<DIV>Crummies Creek Tree Farm</DIV>
<DIV>PO Box 207</DIV>
<DIV>Arnoldsburg, WV 25234</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>304-655-8919</DIV>
<DIV> c-304-3773231</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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<DIV>Japanese stiltgrass at Crummies Creek. The plants in this
photo were climbing the road bank and averaged close to six
feet tall as they went up the slope. Nearly all plants on
the more gently sloping terrain above are very stunted and
average less than a foot tall and will produce no seed in 2009 and
seed production in general should be off by more than 95%.
This is open woodland that receives several hours of sunshine each
morning. </DIV>
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<DIV>This is a close up of the remaining stiltgrass in the photo
above.</DIV>
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<DIV>This is very sick Japanese stiltgrass growing in optimum
conditions for MV...very fertile woodland sites, northeastern
exposure with at least three hours of full sun a day. For
forest management purposes the area has a site index of over 80 and
the understory vegetation of the site includes: American
ginseng, Goldenseal, black Cohosh and several other related forest
plants.</DIV>
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<DIV>This is my dog Roy for a comparison of what "healthy"
stiltgrass looks like. Roy is a very large dog and sits close to
three feet tall...the stiltgrass on the road behind him is over
four feet tall. In healthy stiltgrass the only part of him you
can see walking through the woods is the tip of his tail.</DIV>
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<TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-TOP: 5px" align=middle>There will be no problem finding the dogs in this sick
patch of stiltgrass.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV>
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