GODRONIA CANKER

Godronia Canker

Godronia cassandrae ( Fusicoccum putrefaciens).
Damage: Small (2-7cm), reddish brown, oval-shaped lesions develop on one-year-old stems, usually at the base of a bud. Older infections girdle stems and die, and the leaves turn reddish-brown, mostly attached to the stem e, giving a “flagging” appearance. Lesions may take 1-3 years to fully girdle and kill individual branches
Disease cycle: This fungus over- winters on canker lesions on stems. Spores are released from young canker lesions during cool, wet weather in the spring but mostly in the fall and cause new infections.