<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2180" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"
bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=4>APWG:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Might dogs or other animals be vectors? Would it be a useful
field experiment to harvest some infected Microstegium, toss it into the middle
of a healthy stand, and observe the "results?" Crude, but perhaps not
entirely without usefulness? Have the affected and unaffected stands been
mapped? What other kinds of studies have been done? Links/references?
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>WT</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>PS: Could it be possible that the longer a species is present
and the more "successful" it is, the greater are the chances that organisms that
use it in some way will tend to evolve? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=ForestRuss@aol.com
href="mailto:ForestRuss@aol.com">ForestRuss@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=APWG@lists.plantconservation.org
href="mailto:APWG@lists.plantconservation.org">APWG@lists.plantconservation.org</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, September 03, 2009 6:04
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [APWG] Microstegium health
questions update</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><FONT
id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<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>
<DIV id=role_album>
<TABLE id=role_outline cellSpacing=0 cols=1 align=center border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD id=role_picture
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; PADDING-TOP: 2px"
vAlign=top align=middle>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=top align=middle><IMG id=MA1.1251982709
style="WIDTH: 480px; HEIGHT: 320px" height=320
src="cid:009401ca2cdb$5de0e440$6401a8c0@wayneb2f97d881" width=480
border=0 comp_state="speed" DATASIZE="78895"> </TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-TOP: 5px" align=middle>
<DIV id=role_caption
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">
<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>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD>
<TD id=role_picture
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; PADDING-TOP: 2px"
vAlign=top align=middle>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=top align=middle> </TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-TOP: 5px"
align=middle></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD id=role_picture
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; PADDING-TOP: 2px"
vAlign=top align=middle>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=top align=middle><IMG id=MA2.1251982709
style="WIDTH: 480px; HEIGHT: 320px" height=320
src="cid:009501ca2cdb$5de0e440$6401a8c0@wayneb2f97d881" width=480
border=0 comp_state="speed" DATASIZE="56288"> </TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-TOP: 5px" align=middle>
<DIV id=role_caption
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">
<DIV>This is a close up of the remaining stiltgrass in the photo
above.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD>
<TD id=role_picture
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; PADDING-TOP: 2px"
vAlign=top align=middle>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=top align=middle> </TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-TOP: 5px"
align=middle></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD id=role_picture
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; PADDING-TOP: 2px"
vAlign=top align=middle>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=top align=middle><IMG id=MA3.1251982709
style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 480px" height=480
src="cid:009601ca2cdb$5de0e440$6401a8c0@wayneb2f97d881" width=320
border=0 comp_state="speed" DATASIZE="84080"> </TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-TOP: 5px" align=middle>
<DIV id=role_caption
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">
<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>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD>
<TD id=role_picture
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; PADDING-TOP: 2px"
vAlign=top align=middle>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=top align=middle> </TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-TOP: 5px"
align=middle></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD id=role_picture
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; PADDING-TOP: 2px"
vAlign=top align=middle>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=top align=middle><IMG id=MA4.1251982709
style="WIDTH: 480px; HEIGHT: 320px" height=320
src="cid:009701ca2cdb$5de0e440$6401a8c0@wayneb2f97d881" width=480
border=0 comp_state="speed" DATASIZE="82426"> </TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-TOP: 5px" align=middle>
<DIV id=role_caption
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">
<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>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD>
<TD id=role_picture
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; PADDING-TOP: 2px"
vAlign=top align=middle>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=top align=middle> </TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-TOP: 5px"
align=middle></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD id=role_picture
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px; PADDING-LEFT: 2px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; PADDING-TOP: 2px"
vAlign=top align=middle>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=top align=middle><IMG id=MA5.1251982709
style="WIDTH: 480px; HEIGHT: 320px" height=320
src="cid:009801ca2cdb$5de0e440$6401a8c0@wayneb2f97d881" width=480
border=0 comp_state="speed" DATASIZE="81773"> </TD></TR>
<TR>
<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>
<DIV> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></FONT></FONT>
<DIV class=aol_ad_footer id=395de4133711cdcc5ccd83f9647e724e><BR><FONT
style="FONT: 10pt arial,san-serif; COLOR: black">
<HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">
</FONT></DIV>
<P>
<HR>
<P></P><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>PCA's Alien
Plant Working Group mailing
list<BR>APWG@lists.plantconservation.org<BR>http://lists.plantconservation.org/mailman/listinfo/apwg_lists.plantconservation.org<BR><BR>Disclaimer<BR>Any
requests, advice or opinions posted to this list reflect ONLY the opinion of
the individual posting the message.
<P>
<HR>
<P></P><BR>No virus found in this incoming message.<BR>Checked by AVG -
www.avg.com <BR>Version: 8.5.409 / Virus Database: 270.13.75/2341 - Release
Date: 09/02/09 05:50:00<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>