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Slime flux

Bacterial disease of trees

Summary

Bacterial disease of trees

FieldValue
nameSlime flux
imageSlime flux on Camperdown elm.png
captionSlime flux on a Camperdown Elm caused by Pectobacterium carotovorum. Note the ooze (dark ring in the center) and the discoloration of the bark.
causal_agentsBacteria (Brevundimonas bullata, Paracoccus alcaliphilus, P. marcusii and Luteimonas aestuarii, and Pectobacterium carotovorum)
hostsTrees (elm, cottonwood, poplar, boxelder, ash, aspen, fruitless mulberry and oak)
EPPO_codesERWICA

Slime flux, also known as bacterial slime or bacterial wetwood, is a bacterial disease of certain trees, primarily elm, cottonwood, poplar, boxelder, ash, aspen, fruitless mulberry and oak. A wound to the bark, caused by pruning, insects, poor branch angles or natural cracks and splits, causes sap to ooze from the wound. Bacteria may infect this sap causing it to darken and stain the bark, eventually taking on a foamy appearance and unpleasant odor. This slimy ooze becomes toxic to the bark and eats into the tree. The fermented sap attracts insects like flies, ants, and maggots.

Cause

Slime flux occurs when a wound is made in a tree trunk through things such as natural growth cracks, frost, insects, birds, lawn mowers, cat scratches, or pruning wounds, which causal bacteria can enter. Once inside the xylem, the internal pressure of the tree is raised, from the normal range of 5 to 10 psi up to 60 psi, due to bacteria fermenting and emitting a gas mixture of methane, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and oxygen. This accumulation of liquid and gas causes that part of the tree to have a damp, dark brown appearance known as wetwood. Eventually, the pressure will cause the sap and gasses to burst through the xylem and out of cracks in the trunk and ooze down the side of the tree. This sap flux may be further infected by other pathogens once exposed to the air such as air-borne bacteria, yeast, and other fungi, at which point it is known as slime flux.

Causal agents

Causal bacteria for the initial wetwood varies depending on the species of tree. The bacteria are commonly found in water and soils. Enterobacter spp., Bacillus spp., Pseudomonas spp. Xanthomonas spp., Agrobacterium spp., Acinetobacter spp., Corynebacterium spp., Bacteroides spp., Clostridium spp., Edwardsiella spp., Klebsiella spp., Lactobacillus spp., Methanobacterium spp., Brevundimonas bullata, Paracoccus spp. and Luteimonas aestuarii have been isolated from wetwood in various tree species.

Species of Prototheca have been isolated from slime fluxes.

Potentially affected plants

FamilyGenusSpeciesNotes
Altingiaceaedate=September 1999title=IPM : Reports on Plant Diseases: Bacterial Wetwood and Slime Flux of Landscape Treesurl=http://ipm.illinois.edu/diseases/series600/rpd656/access-date=2021-03-16website=ipm.illinois.edu}}
Asparagaceaetitle=Cordyline slime fluxurl=http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=552access-date=2021-03-15website=rhs.org.ukpublisher=Royal Horticultural Society}}In the United Kingdom, the Royal Horticultural Society noted an increase in the number of affected Cordyline following the cold winter of 2010/2011.
BetulaceaeBetula (birch)**Paper birches are known to be affected.
ElaeagnaceaeElaeagnusE. angustifolia (Russian-olive)
CornaceaeCornus (dogwood)
FabaceaeCercis (redbud)
ProsopisMesquites are known to be affected.
RobiniaR. pseudoacacia (black locust)
FagaceaeFagus (beech)
Quercus (oak)White oaks are known to be affected.
JuglandaceaeCarya (hickory)
Juglans (walnut)J. cinerea (butternut)
MagnoliaceaeLiriodendron (tulip tree)
Magnolia
MalvaceaeTilia (lime, linden)
MoraceaeMorus (mulberry)
NyssaceaeNyssaN. sylvatica (sourgum)
OleaceaeFraxinus (ash)
PinaceaeAbies (fir)
Pinus (pine)
Tsuga (hemlock)
PlatanaceaePlatanusPlatanus × hispanica (London plane)
RanunculaceaeClematisIn the United Kingdom, Clematis are the plants most commonly affected by slime flux.
RosaceaeMalus (apple; crabapple)M. domestica (apple) (apple).
Prunus (cherry; plum)
Sorbus
Salicaceaedate=2014-06-10title=Bacterial Wetwood (Slime Flux)url=https://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/agriculture-and-the-environment/agricultural-practices/agroforestry/diseases-and-pests/bacterial-wetwood-slime-flux/?id=1367002420827access-date=2021-03-15website=www.agr.gc.capublisher=Government of Canada}}P. tomentosaThe majority of poplar species are known to be affected.
Salix (willow)
SapindaceaeAcer (maple)A. negundo (boxelder maple)
Aesculus (horse-chestnut)
UlmaceaeUlmus (elm)U. americana (American elm)The majority of elm species are known to be affected.

References

References

  1. (2016). "Diseases of Trees in the Great Plains". USDA Forest Service.
  2. Hamilton, Douglas W.. (September 1980). "WETWOOD AND SLIME FLUX IN LANDSCAPE TREES". Journal of Arboriculture.
  3. (April 1983). "Bacterial Species Associated with Wetwood of Elm". Phytopathology.
  4. (1981). "Microbiology of Wetwood: Role of Anaerobic Bacterial Populations in Living Trees". Microbiology.
  5. (2017-12-01). "Isolation and characterization of bacterial agents associated of wetwood disease on elm trees in Iran". Acta Phytopathologica et Entomologica Hungarica.
  6. Pore, R. S.. (1986-05-01). "The association of ''Prototheca'' spp. with slime flux in ''Ulmus amencana'' and other trees". Mycopathologia.
  7. (September 1999). "IPM : Reports on Plant Diseases: Bacterial Wetwood and Slime Flux of Landscape Trees".
  8. "Cordyline slime flux". Royal Horticultural Society.
  9. "Wetwood".
  10. Sanogo, Carmen. (23 April 1999). "Bacterial Wetwood (Slime Flux) in Trees".
  11. Pecknold, Paul C.. (January 2016). "Slime Flux".
  12. "Slime Flux".
  13. (September 1998). "Slime Flux or Wetwood".
  14. (2020-07-10). "Slime Flux of Trees".
  15. (19 May 2009). "Bacterial Wetwood {{!}} Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic".
  16. "Clematis slime flux". Royal Horticultural Society.
  17. Ogilvie, Lawrence. (1924-03-31). "Observations on the "slime-fluxes" of trees". Transactions of the British Mycological Society.
  18. Ogilvie, Lawrence. (May 10, 1924). "Research Items". Nature.
  19. (2014-06-10). "Bacterial Wetwood (Slime Flux)". Government of Canada.
  20. (2020). "Providencia rettgeri as the causal agent of the brown slime flux of Populus tomentosa". Forest Pathology.
  21. Vann, Stephen. "Wetwood of Shade Trees".
  22. Jacobi, W. R.. (December 2013). "Bacterial Wetwood".
  23. Carter, J. Cederic. (August 1945). "Wetwood of Elms".
  24. Goldberg, Natalie P.. (October 2006). "Slime Flux".
  25. (November 1990). "Bacterial Wetwood and Slime Flux of Trees".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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