Description:
Needlecast caused by Meria laricis caused serious losses of 2-0 bareroot
western larch during 1983 at the USDA Forest Service Nursery, Coeur d'Alene,
Idaho. Cool, wet weather throughout the spring and summer of 1983 was ideal
for disease buildup and spread. Control attempts with fungicides were largely
unsuccessful because of the conducive weather conditions and high inoculum
levels. The disease was also found on containerized larch, although serious
damage was not evident. The 1984 bareroot crop had high levels of infection in
the spring, but consistent fungicide treatments and warm, dry summer weather
resulted in no detectable disease by the fall.