Southeastern forest insect and disease

Numerous diseases of hardwood tree seedlings are encountered in southern nurseries. Some nurseries may suffer heavy seedling loss due to disease, but minor losses occur in all nurseries. The use of selective her-bicides for weed control in hardwood nurseries has reduced the use of soil fumigants, possibly resulting in an in-crease in soilborne diseases. Monitor-ing for soilborne pathogens should be done routinely in all nurseries where they have previously caused losses. To control specific diseases, the nursery owner is advised to contact a forest pathologist. Damping-Off Damping-off is a widespread dis-ease of forest tree seedlings caused by certain soilborne fungi. This disease affects. seedlings during the early stages of development. All southern hardwood species are susceptible. The damping-off pathogens most com-monly encountered in southern nurser-ies are Fusarium solani, F. oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani, Pythium syl-vaticum, P. irregulare, P. ultimum