The first field case of sudden oak death in Sitka spruce worldwide has been confirmed in the Republic of Ireland.
The Phytophthora ramorum fungus was found in a single 2m-high tree growing beneath the canopy of a large and badly infected rhododendron.
The area has been quarantined and monitoring is continuing. However, forestry officials from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food said the source of the infection was very likely to be the spores of overhanging rhododendron, exposed to heavy inoculum pressure.
No infection of Sitka spruce, which is the premier home-grown commercial timber in the UK, has yet been found in the immediate vicinity of known outbreaks among Japanese larch, the species most affected in the UK.
Sitka spruce has been found to be susceptible to the fungus in laboratory conditions.
