First Report of Pyracantha koidzumii as a Host for Sudden Oak Death Caused by Phytophthora ramorum.

Stephan C. Briere, Sarah Llewellyn and Gary Kristjansson. Centre for Plant Quarantine Pests, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 3851 Fallowfield Road, Ottawa, ON K2H 8P9; brieresc@inspection.gc.ca

Sudden oak death caused by the fungus Phytophthora ramorum was confirmed for the first time in the new host plant Pyracantha koidzumii cv. “Victory" at the Centre for Plant Quarantine Pests at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Pyracantha koidzumii, known commonly as scarlet firethorn, is a perennial shrub in the family Rosaceae. It was found during an emergency action to screen all plants shipped into Canada from the Monrovia Nursery Co., in Azusa California during the summer of 2004. Foliage was sampled at a nursery in British Columbia, Canada and sent to our laboratory for official testing for P. ramorum. Tissue was plated onto PARP isolation medium and incubated for one week. Suspect mycelium was then plated onto 5% V-8 medium for morphological determination. Morphological identification was confirmed by PCR. The two original plants were shipped directly to the laboratory for confirmatory isolation. Phytophthora ramorum was then recovered and re-confirmed from one of the plants. Koch’s postulates were conducted and confirmed that P. koidzumii was a susceptible host for Sudden Oak Death.

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