Bacterial Wetwood Disease

Mini Review

J Plant Chem and Ecophysiol. 2017; 2(1): 1015.

Bacterial Wetwood Disease

Alizadeh M*

Department of Plant Protection, University of Tabriz, Iran

*Corresponding author: Mehrdad Alizadeh, Department of Plant Protection, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, 29 bahman Blvd, 51368, Iran

Received: April 19, 2017; Accepted: September 18, 2017; Published: September 25, 2017

Abstract

Wetwood, slime flux, oozing slime, or alcoholic flux all are different names of one bacterial disease in which the infected tissues (woods) are frequently discolored or water-soaked. Different from gases are produced by bacteria with fermentation action. These gases produce pressure within the tree and this pressure force saps from the trunks and branches through cracks, pruning or lawn mower wounds, and other injured parts. Thereby, slime flux is oozing of sap on the surface of tree. Despite reported different causal agents for this disease, there isn’t specific pathogen for pathogenicity and the information is incomplete. Furthermore, there isn’t any method to control wetwood disease. The main objective of this mini review is brief illustration about wetwood disease characteristics.

Keywords: Wetwood; Slime flux; Water-soaked; Soap; Gas

Introduction

Among the diseases of ornamental trees, wetwood is the one of the most severe diseases, epidemic all over the world. It is a widespread disease that causes disease in many trees. This disease can be seen in wide range of shady and forest trees including apple, elm, plane tree, spruce, berry, London plane, acacia, aspen, dogwood magnolia, Russian olive, beech, fir, maple, sour gum, birch, hemlock, mountain ash, sycamore, box elder, hickory, mulberry, sweet gum, butternut, horsechestnut, oak, tulip tree, cottonwood, linden, pine, walnut, crabapple, locust, poplar, willow and gymnosperms [1,2]. The symptoms are observed in different parts of trees including trunks, branches, roots and leaves. This disease is most easily diagnosed by the existence of a liquid or sap that oozes or bleeds from cracks, frost cracks, wounds, crotches, pruning and lawn mower wounds, branch stubs and other injured parts or other weak points in the wood and bark of trunks and branches (Figure 1 & Figure 2).