Leucostoma cinctum

Leucostoma cinctum is a species of fungus in the family Valsaceae. It is commonly known as the Band Canker and Cytospora Canker of stone fruits. This fungus is a significant pathogen of stone fruit trees, including peaches, plums, cherries, and apricots.

Description

The Leucostoma cinctum fungus is characterized by its ability to cause cankers on the trunks, branches, and twigs of stone fruit trees. The cankers are usually sunken areas of dead bark, often with a characteristic band of callus tissue at the canker margin. The fungus produces small, black, pinhead-sized fruiting bodies (pycnidia) in the dead bark of the cankers.

Life Cycle

Leucostoma cinctum has a complex life cycle that involves both sexual and asexual reproduction. The fungus overwinters in the cankers on the tree. In the spring, the pycnidia produce spores (conidia) that are spread by rain splash, wind, and insects to wounds on the same or other trees. The spores germinate and infect the tree, causing new cankers. The fungus can also produce sexual spores (ascospores) in a different type of fruiting body (perithecium), but this is less common.

Management

Management of Leucostoma cinctum involves a combination of cultural practices and chemical control. Cultural practices include pruning out and destroying infected branches, avoiding wounding the tree, and maintaining tree health through proper fertilization and watering. Chemical control involves the use of fungicides applied in the spring to protect new growth.

Impact

Leucostoma cinctum is a significant pathogen of stone fruit trees worldwide. It causes significant yield losses and can kill young trees. The disease is particularly severe in regions with wet spring weather, which favors the spread of the fungus.

See Also

• Leucostoma persoonii
• Cytospora chrysosperma
• Stone fruit