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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2026)

First report of Fusarium graminearum causing needle blight on Cedrus deodara in North Kashmir

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.11669
Submitted
8 September 2025
Published
15-06-2026 — Updated on 01-07-2026
Versions

Abstract

Needle blight poses a growing threat to the health and sustainability of Cedrus deodara, an ecologically and economically important conifer of the Himalayan region. Field surveys conducted in District Kupwara, North Kashmir, revealed a mean disease incidence of 51.41 % in 2023, which declined to 31.58 % in 2024 across surveyed locations. Affected plants exhibited straw-coloured lesions that progressively enlarged, leading to needle browning, premature needle drop and overall decline of seedlings. The associated fungus was isolated and identified through an integrated approach involving morphological characterisation, pathogenicity assays and multilocus molecular analyses [Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1-α)]. Artificial inoculation reproduced typical symptoms, thereby fulfilling Kochs’ postulates and phylogenetic analyses confirmed the pathogen as Fusarium graminearum. This study represents the first confirmed report of F. graminearum causing needle blight in C. deodara, expanding the known host range of this globally important pathogen. The high disease incidence observed in forest nurseries highlights a potential threat to regeneration programs and long-term forest productivity, underscoring the need for early detection and integrated disease management strategies.

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