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Epidemiology, Biotic Interactions and Biological Control of Armillarioids in the Northern Hemisphere

Summary

This paper reviews how armillarioid fungi, particularly Armillaria species, cause root rot disease in forests and orchards across the Northern Hemisphere. These fungi spread through underground root-like structures called rhizomorphs and can kill trees and damage crops over large areas. The authors discuss how to identify these fungi using modern genetic methods and explore environmentally friendly biological control options using beneficial bacteria, fungi, and nematodes as alternatives to chemical treatments.

Background

Armillarioids, including Armillaria, Desarmillaria and Guyanagaster genera, are white-rot fungal saprotrophs with pathogenic potential on woody hosts. They propagate via root-like rhizomorphs in soil and cause significant ecological and economic damage affecting millions of hectares of forests, orchards, and urban trees in the Northern Hemisphere.

Objective

This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the epidemiology of pathogenic armillarioid species, their infection processes, biotic impacts on pathogenesis, and available biocontrol options for managing armillarioid root rot diseases with emphasis on molecular biology tools.

Results

Five most common armillarioid species (A. ostoyae, A. solidipes, A. mellea, A. gallica, and D. tabescens) show distinct geographic distributions and host preferences. The study identifies three genera within the Armillarioid clade and confirms that pathogenic Armillaria species evolved from saprotrophic white-rot ancestors toward facultative parasitism.

Conclusion

Genome-level analysis provides superior species delineation compared to traditional methods. Biotic factors including antagonistic fungi, bacterial communities, nematodes and plant-derived substances offer potential for biological control of armillarioid diseases as environment-friendly alternatives to classical silvicultural and chemical controls.
  • Published in:Pathogens,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: PMID: 33467216, DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10010076
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