Recent findings of Phytophthora kernoviae

 

The recent findings of P. kernoviae infecting plants of Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry) in oak woodland in Cornwall has raised a number of questions.  Bilberry is a native plant to Britain and occurs in lowland and upland heathlands, but can also be the understorey component of some woodlands, and may also be present in grasslands and peat bogs.

The woodland with P. kernoviae infected bilberry also contained bushes of rhododendron which showed early signs of infection by P. kernoviae.  These may well have acted as the source of infection for the bilberry:

Laboratory tests have already shown that bilberry can be highly susceptible to P. kernoviae and suffer leaf and stem necrosis as a result of infection:

Similar symptoms of stem blackening and necrosis are apparent in some of the naturally infected plants although the number of plants showing symptoms is limited.